Have you ever needed help with keeping online meetings productive and engaging? Virtual meetings can quickly go off the rails between shaky internet connections, people talking over each other, and general tech issues.

I used to get so frustrated trying to wrangle my team through video calls. It felt like no matter what I did, something would go wrong and derail the whole meeting. I'd spend more time troubleshooting than actually collaborating with my colleagues.

But over time, through trial and error, I've found tools and techniques that help me run smooth, effective virtual meetings. And I want to share what I've learned with you so you can ditch the video call chaos!

The Problem: Virtual Meetings Are Prone to Issues

Virtual meetings should be easier than in-person meetings. No commute, no conference room to book...what could go wrong?

Well, as I learned the hard way, lots. Between internet connectivity problems, people accidentally talking over each other, distracting backgrounds, and general tech-related headaches, online meetings can quickly become unproductive disasters.

It got so bad that I dreaded scheduling video calls for my team. I'd spend the whole meeting stressed, putting out fires from all the issues instead of having meaningful discussions. And I know I'm not alone - over 3/4 of people say they've had significant troubles with virtual meetings.

This is a real problem because remote work is here to stay. Over 70% of people expect to keep working from home after the pandemic ends. We have to find ways to connect virtually that work.

No one should deal with clunky, chaotic video meetings that frustrate you more than when you started. There are better ways to meet online - and I will show them to you.

Here Are 5 Innovative Tools To Help Your Virtual Meetings

Luckily, new technology has made it easier than ever to have productive meetings online. You can conduct virtual meetings that work by arming yourself with the right tools for engagement, collaboration, and organization.

1.Miro For Collaborative Brainstorming Sessions

Brainstorms are tricky enough in person when people interrupt each other accidentally. But online? It is even harder to avoid crosstalk that derails your creative flow.

With Miro, an online whiteboarding space, you can have real-time collaborative sessions without the chaos. Everyone can add ideas, comments, and votes to virtual sticky notes on an infinite canvas. No more talking over each other mid-thought!

The flexibility lets conversations flow organically while still staying organized. I wish I'd had this early on for my team - it would have saved so much wasted time.

2.Slido For Interactive Audience Engagement

Keeping participants engaged during meetings is challenging in person and online. But audience interaction is critical for driving understanding and action on your calls.

With Slido, you can quickly poll your attendees, gather live feedback, and let them submit questions. Instead of blank faces all staring at the screen, you'll get real-time input you can immediately use to steer the discussion.

Plus, it helps keep everyone attentive since they'll be actively contributing instead of passive listeners. This level of engagement has done wonders for getting my team motivated and invested during our meetings.

3.Screensharing Tools For Visual Collaboration

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - so why aren't we using visuals more in virtual meetings? Images, mockups, charts and diagrams can help explain ideas better than just talking them out.

Luckily, most video conferencing platforms have built-in screen-sharing capabilities these days. Could you take advantage of them? Switch off presenting slides and share precisely what you need everyone to see instead.

Screensharing has made my online meetings so much more transparent and helpful for solving problems together. Being able to visually show what I mean instead of just describing it has been invaluable.

4.Meeting Templates For Consistent Organization

My meetings used to be disorganized messes. Half the time, we would get eaten up with people asking about what slide we were on, where we left off last week, and our agenda today!

Using template agendas in tools like Weekdone has been a total game changer. Their prebuilt frameworks help you structure meetings consistently so everyone knows what to expect.

Your meetings can run much more smoothly with template checklist items, info hierarchy, and automatic scheduling. No more fruitless repetition of the same questions over and over!

5.Meeting Minutes Tools For Shared References

You know the scene - it's the next week, and no one can remember what was decided or who was assigned what task at the last meeting. Cue everyone bickering about conflicting memories of the discussion.

Rather than rely on faulty individual recall, use meeting minutes software like Minutes to document your sessions automatically. With time-stamped notes and agenda tracking, you'll have one centralized reference to ground future discussions.

Shared meeting records have made my team's progress so much more consistent week after week. No more wasted time rehashing old territory!

Start Running Better Virtual Meetings Today

As remote work continues to accelerate into the future, having effective meetings online is a must-have skill. Clunky and chaotic video calls won't cut it anymore.

Luckily, you can start having productive online meetings immediately with the right innovative tools.

Meetings can become an engine for creativity and innovation for your whole organization. And achieving that future begins with taking the first step to try out new virtual meeting tools.