Simplifying Virtual Meeting Setups

I’ve been thinking a lot about the 90 minute virtual meeting paradox. We spend the first 30 minutes on welcoming everyone and introductions, the next 15 on framing, and then a few people share thoughts. Then, just when the conversation gets meaningful, the host abruptly announces "We're out of time!” and throws a few rushed closing thoughts and announcements together. Sound familiar? We crave deep, meaningful, trust-based exchanges in virtual meeting environments that feel both tiring and rushed. It seems like as soon as momentum builds and insights emerge, it’s time to wrap up. Share-outs become a regurgitation of top-level ideas—usually focused on the most soundbite-ready insights and omitting those seeds of ideas that didn’t have time to be explored further. And sometimes, we even cite these meetings as examples of participation in a process, even when that participation is only surface level to check the participation box.  After facilitating and attending hundreds (thousands?) of virtual meetings, I've found four practices that create space for more engagement and depth: 1. Send a thoughtful and focused pre-work prompt at least a few days ahead of time that invites reflection before gathering. When participants arrive having already engaged with the core question(s), it’s much easier to jump right into conversation. Consider who designs these prompts and whose perspectives they center. 2. Replace round-robin introductions with a focused check-in question that directly connects to the meeting's purpose. "What's one tension you're navigating in this work?" for example yields more insight than sharing organizational affiliations. Be mindful of who speaks first and how difference cultural communication styles may influence participation.  3. Structure the agenda with intentionally expanding time blocks—start tight (and facilitate accordingly), and then create more spaciousness as the meeting progresses. This honors the natural rhythm of how trust and dialogue develop, and allows for varying approaches to processing and sharing.  4. Prioritize accessibility and inclusion in every aspect of the meeting. Anticipating and designing for participants needs means you’re thinking about language justice, technology and materials accessibility, neurodivergence, power dynamics, and content framing. Asking “What do you need to fully participate in this meeting?” ahead of time invites participants to share their needs. These meeting suggestions aren’t just about efficiency—they’re about creating spaces where authentic relationships and useful conversations can actually develop. Especially at times when people are exhausted and working hard to manage their own energy, a well-designed meeting can be a welcome space to engage. I’m curious to hear from others: What's your most effective strategy for holding substantive meetings in time-constrained virtual spaces? What meeting structures have you seen that actually work?

I broke up with PowerPoint 2 years ago. Cold turkey. I relapsed this week. Here is what I learned. I got to speak at a client's SKO. It was amazing. I thought long and hard about the story I wanted to tell. And for the first time in over 700 days, I opened PowerPoint. It was the booty call I didn't see coming. ______________________ So here's the thing... PowerPoint was designed to present information. And it's good at that. But somehow it became the default tool for every meeting. Including ones where presenting information is the LAST thing you want. The best meetings are about conversation, ideation, collaboration. And PPT is the WORST for these things. --> The minute someone brings up PPT, people shut down. --> Oh, I guess I'm about to be TALKED AT. --> Time to catch up on email. It doesn't matter if your slide says, "Discuss....". Your choice of tool made it impossible. So if you want to be known for real conversations, do this instead: 1️⃣ Use Miro or your favourite virtual whiteboard to organize your meeting. 2️⃣ Add some stickies ahead of time to get people warmed up. 3️⃣ Before the meeting, send a video showing people around. 4️⃣ Give people 1-2 'big idea' questions to soak on ahead of time. 5️⃣ During the meeting, spend 80% of the time with cameras only - NO SCREEN SHARING. Why is this better? --> A whiteboard sends the message this is a collaboration space where ideas will be added, discussed and changed. --> Conversation comes naturally when we're looking at each other, not when we're staring at a shared screen - no matter what's on it. It's all about reprogramming your brain that this is where conversation happens. Try it for 30 days. Call it a trial breakup. I guarantee you'll never go back. You'll start hearing how your meetings just feel different. How they're more productive, enjoyable. And when you really do need to present information, go ahead and use PowerPoint. There is no shame in it. Just make it the exception, not the rule. 📩 Want more? Try my free newsletter. Click the link in my profile. 🔔 Follow me, Bob Mathers, for more. 🎙 Listen to the Growth Mixtape Podcast with Bob Mathers.

A few weeks back, I found myself in a small conference room that had been transformed—not by grand architectural feats, but by a simple idea. The room, once a patchwork of wires and complex setups, had become a canvas of innovation. There was no need for intricate modifications or elaborate engineering; just a straightforward, elegant solution that made every meeting feel effortless. The journey began when the product team observed that transforming a meeting space often felt like an intricate puzzle—one filled with tangled cables and endless technical tweaks that left IT teams and A/V techs overwhelmed. Motivated by the real-world challenges witnessed in everyday workspaces, the team set out to reimagine the process. They asked themselves: What if the transformation of a room could be as straightforward as simply connecting a few key components? That thought led to the creation of Express Install for Microsoft Teams Rooms. Rather than reinventing the wheel, the vision was to streamline and simplify—so that even a small focus room could be brought to life in under an hour by a single person. No more lengthy room modifications, no need for specialized contractors; just a smart, integrated solution that delivers the full Teams Rooms experience. This isn’t about a singular moment of inspiration—it’s a chapter in an ongoing journey to make collaboration effortless and accessible. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most significant progress comes not from reinventing the process, but from rethinking the everyday challenges we all face. #MicrosoftTeams #ExpressInstall #Innovation #Storytelling #HybridWork #MeetingRooms