Best meeting ever!
This is where you make a coffee and I make a coffee and we talk on the telephone… takes no more than 15 minutes!
You can build relationships with virtual coffees. Think of all the time you are saving. No travel, no fabulous outfit required, no overpriced Starbucks coffee price – just your, your attendee and an agenda.
If you want to conduct this virtual meeting consider a few guidelines:
Have an agenda – just like a live meeting, this quick and effective meeting requires a purpose to meet and an agenda. Send the agenda in the meeting request to ensure all parties are prepared.
Keep it to 15 minutes – most people can engage in conversations for short periods of time and you will be astounded how much you can achieve in this small, but productive, time increment.
Agree outcomes – before the tele-coffee is complete, spend the last 2 minutes determining your action plan and agreed action items.
Use video – if you want to increase the engagement use video tools including Skype or Google+ hangout. This requires you both to be involved and not multi-task i.e. check email or get distracted.
Host tele-cocktails – if you know someone well or it is Friday afternoon, consider a tele-cocktail – too much fun! This can be fun with girlfriends, or family living overseas.
If you need to follow up from a networking event, reconnect with a client, reach out to friend or you are just feeling lonely… consider a tele-coffee (or tele-cocktail) for your next productive meeting!
