Virtual Meetings Success: How to Engage Different Types of Listeners
TCB has always operated remotely, communicating with our team and clients across the globe via virtual platforms – but this was a new and challenging concept for many businesses which they were forced to adopt during the pandemic restrictions.
However, a few years on from lockdowns, many businesses have continued to work remotely or adopt a hybrid working model, meaning that virtual communication has become a mainstay of the modern workplace.
This makes it even more important to understand virtual meeting etiquette and the different types of listeners to ensure that your virtual communications resonate with every participant.
As a seasoned remote worker, our Managing Director, Andi Catt has put together some insights to help you master virtual communication for every listener type.
The challenges of virtual meetings
First, it’s important to recognise how virtual meetings differ from traditional face-to-face ones.
Face-to-face meetings have well-established behaviour norms and being in the same vicinity usually makes it easier to read expressions, body language and interact with meeting members.
Many people are still learning how to interact professionally in a virtual setting and some are still not familiar and comfortable using online comms platforms. This can result in in meeting participants sitting expressionless throughout the meeting as if their screen has frozen.
Naturally, this can be off-putting and can undermine your confidence if you’re presenting or leading the meeting. It will increase your confidence as a presenter if you understand that individuals will have their own communication styles and ways of responding to communications. Whether they’re attending a meeting face-to-face or online, these styles can be amplified by the stress of participating in virtual meetings.
types of listeners
Let’s take a closer look at the various listener types to help you recognise their typical behavioural traits.
VISUAL COMMUNICATORS
Visual communicators learn from what they’re seeing. Some of the typical traits to look out for include:
animated body language, like making hand gestures or moving their body as they talk
physically interacting with you and other participants – waving to others, shaking their head in agreement/disagreement
possibly have an interesting/creative virtual background
attentively watching the speaker and others in the call
closely looking at screenshares and presentation decks
KINAESTHETIC COMMUNICATORS
Kinaesthetic listeners always like to immerse themselves in the feeling of what’s being said. Some of their characteristics include:
relaxed demeaner, wearing comfortable clothing
leaning back and taking it all in rather than sitting forward
possibly slow to answer at first when asked a question as they can be so immersed in what is being talked about
considered and thoughtful when responding
AUDITORY COMMUNICATORS
Unsurprisingly, auditory communicators rely heavily on what they hear, with typical behaviours including:
not looking at the camera, as they’re busy listening to what’s being said
turning their camera off – they may think there’s no value in having the camera, because they can hear what’s going on so will be involved
not needing visual elements to understand the message, it’s all interpreted through hearing
not taking notes
The most logical of the communicators, the digital listener combines some elements of the other types, as they like to listen, think and process what you’re telling them. They’re characteristics often involve:
Focusing on processes, clear steps, and sequences of events
Appearing like they’re not engaged, but they’re actually focused on processing and analysing what’s being said and the information they’re being given like they would in a face-to-face meeting scenario
Pausing before answering, like kinaesthetic communicators. They often prefer to collect their thoughts and think through their answer fully before replying
How to manage all four communication styles in a meeting
It’s human nature to judge people on first impressions and it’s no different in virtual meeting spaces. For instance, something as simple as slow internet will negatively shape our view of participants.
While some of this comes from frustration as these delays impact the flow of a conversation or a presentation, even a 1-2 second delay can make people perceive the responder as less friendly or less focused. This isn’t really fair when things like Wi-Fi speed aren’t always something they can control.
It isn’t just glitchy internet that makes us judge participants in the virtual meeting world though. Many meeting hosts hold their members to the same standards and rules as a face-to-face meeting, which isn’t always a realistic measure when you consider the types of listeners above.
Here are a few ways you can try to counteract any negative disposition for better meeting engagement and confidence.
Be more open-minded: forget about antiquated in-person meeting etiquette and focus on the unique ways people absorb information. This can go towards making video calls less stressful for you, allowing you to focus on delivering your message confidently and naturally like you would in person.
Cater for all communication styles: ensure all attendees can see, hear, feel and process what you’re communicating in the mode that best suits them through stimulating content and supporting materials. This will ensure you have something that appeals to everyone’s communication style.
Spend time on meeting preparation: while you want to avoid ‘Death by PowerPoint’, if the call’s important and you want to maximise engagement, it’s worth investing time ahead of the meeting. Put together a presentation that includes as many varieties of content as possible, such as visuals, graphs or flow charts, and share that on screen while you talk through it. And, of course, share the presentation with the team afterwards as a takeaway. It can also be beneficial to record the meeting and share the recording, so participants can review the content again if needed.
Pre-record virtual run-throughs: if your presentation includes processes or complicated demonstrations, using apps like Loom to pre-record video content from your desktop can help simplify it and make it more digestible. This can be an effective way to boost buy-in and comprehension on all communication levels as you run through the video during your meeting. And it is great to share those recordings with attendees to review after the meeting.
While this level of preparation can be time-consuming, it can make a real difference when communicating crucial information, as it does help to ensure that all participants are fully engaged.
At TCB, we specialise in outsourced business development services, such as lead qualification, live web chat and customer nurturing. With a global client base and a team working remotely, we consistently employ the above tactics to ensure high engagement levels at our meetings, so you can have the confidence these tips are tried and tested. For more insights and tips on B2B marketing strategies, be sure to check out more blog articles.