Ready or not, virtual meetings are here to stay. After handling the pandemic for over a year with almost entirely remote or virtual meetings, most companies are now addressing their long-term strategy for the workplace, and hybrid models are the future for many. That means virtual meetings are sticking around for the long haul. So if you haven’t yet found an effective way to navigate virtual meetings, Amy Cook’s Forbes column has some tips to strengthen your approach. Catch the highlights below or read the full article here.

1. Make the Purpose Clear

“By coming into your meeting with a clear purpose in mind, you can make sure to keep your discussion short and sweet. In my experience, the standard length of an online meeting should be no longer than 30 minutes, and since humans have short attention spans, the more concise, the better.” —Amy Cook

2. Keep the Agenda Flexible

“You shouldn’t fixate too much on staying rigidly on schedule. The best meetings often involve collaboration. According to an article from Harvard Business Review, meeting size can impact responsibility. Known as the Ringelmann Effect, “the bigger the group, the less responsibility each individual feels to ensure success.” While they are alone, your teammates will get distracted and distant. If you invite participation, your employees will instead feel valued and included, and you might discover some new strategy you could never have covered on your own.” —Amy Cook

3. Know Your Audience

“In an Experian marketing study, they found that “emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened.” That same concept of personalization applies to in-person interactions, as well. For example, you should approach a meeting with your sales team very differently than one with your finance team. While your sales team might appreciate opening the meeting with a few jokes, your marketing team may like statistics.” —Amy Cook

4. Assign Deadlines

“At the end of every meeting, you should clarify the action items for each person or team verbally. This way, you can check in, ask questions and send your colleagues off on the right track. You should also send a follow-up email after the meeting with the same information for reference.” —Amy Cook

Catch more insights from Simplus CMO, Amy Cook, on marketing, business strategy, and workplace culture by following her Forbes column here.