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How to Host Your Own Remote Meetings

By Katia - Quarter 1 - 2020

As the need for businesses to work from home increases, it is understandable that there is an urgent shift taking place for everyone to quickly familiarise themselves with remote communication platforms. 

At EMSL, we have helped a number of our clients successfully navigate away from face-to-face meetings to the often less familiar world of remote meetings. 

To ease some clients into the process, we recently shared a blog on how our clients can meet with us (EMSL) online using Google Hangouts. It includes some easy-to-follow steps that guide our clients through the set-up.

If you are now considering using online meetings to communicate with your own customers, we have put together two videos and some ‘top tips’ to help you get the most out of using Google Hangouts.

1) Google Hangouts for G Suite Users

If you are a G Suite User then you get the premium version of Google Hangouts included. Many of our customers are G Suite users and it is what we use ourselves. (G Suite users use Gmail for their work email accounts, and will be paying around £4/month per user directly to Google). 

The link you need is meet.google.com

2) Google Hangouts for Everyone Else (Free!)

If you are not a G Suite user (maybe your business uses Microsoft Exchange, or Office 365, or maybe you're just not sure!) you can still use Google Hangouts for free. The video below shows you how.

The link you need is hangouts.google.com

Top Tips: When using Hangouts, remember:

• Turning your cameras on will help everyone to read non-verbal cues. 
• Wearing headphones will improve sound quality - headphones without a microphone are also suitable.
• If you're not speaking, it is best to mute your microphone (CTRL + D or click microphone icon at bottom of screen).
• The platform is more suitable for small group sessions (up to 5 people).
• Try not to speak over each other or talk for long periods of time, as it's difficult for others to interject – it’s not an ideal platform for large groups to socialise or chat.
• If holding a meeting with a large group, delegate a chair person who can invite people to speak.
• Try to find a quiet room as this makes communication easier for all (avoid having people or noisy appliances in the background).
• If you need to visually present information during a session, use the ‘Present (Now)’ option to share your screen. 
• Use the Chat feature to send messages to each other if something isn't right (e.g. if you can't hear or see the person).