With more people working remotely than in the past, building virtual teams seems almost commonplace. However, virtual meetings may hamper getting to know people on a level that builds trust. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to inspire loyalty and confidence in your employees. 

How Do You Build Trust Through Virtual Meetings?

In a news release on Business Wire, Akumina reported their survey indicates a 30% gain in employees working remotely or hybrid-remote. Even if you have multiple offices or need to meet with clients in other states, there is a time and place for virtual meetings.

Figuring out the best way to build trust when chatting over Zoom, Google Meet or any other platform requires a bit of psychology and a lot of preparation. 

1. Be Transparent

Every company has problems. Perhaps you’re dealing with the labor shortage, lost revenue last quarter or aren’t sure how well your most recent marketing campaign went. Don’t try to hide issues but ask for help troubleshooting them.

Employees can spot dishonestly and may brush up their resume and start looking for another position. If someone asks whether their job is secure, don’t gloss over the hard facts. Instead, brainstorm solutions to raise revenue and keep everyone on the payroll. 

2. Adopt Proper Body Language

Have you ever entered a virtual meeting and the awkward silence hangs in the air? Proper social etiquette demands you say hello, make eye contact and engage the other person in conversation.

Body language expert Mark Bowden says to pretend you're meeting with someone in their living room when attending virtual meetings. You wouldn't go into someone's home and cast yourself in shadow and refuse to make eye contact. Even hand movements can communicate to others and build or lose trust accordingly. 

3. Stick to the Topic

The more relaxed atmosphere of meeting from your home can lack urgency. However, just as you wouldn’t pull people away from their desks for an hour-long meeting about nothing, you shouldn’t do so for virtual meetings. 

Have an agenda and stick to it as much as possible. A little free time for people to get to know one another is fine, but too much back and forth and no one gets heard. 

4. Choose the Right Platform and Equipment

Selecting the right place to have a virtual meeting and using proper equipment can build trust. Players such as Zoom offer excellent audio and video quality, especially if you plan to record and share your meetings at a later date.

You don’t want a platform that glitches out, throws participants out of the room or lacks good sound and audio. You also want something easy for most users to download and use immediately. Most people who use Google Mail or Calendars already have access to Google Meet. Zoom is another common platform a lot of workers may already have on their desktops and phones.

It’s okay to stray outside the norm and adopt a new platform. Make sure it’s highly intuitive and has a small learning curve. 

5. Be Open to Questions

No matter what the meeting is about, at least one or two people will have questions or need some in-depth information to move forward. Be open to questions and allow time for them either at the end of the session or throughout it.

You should have a process for asking questions so participants don’t talk over one another. For example, people can type a question mark in the chat box and then the meeting host can call on them when it’s their turn.

If you don’t know the answer to a question, inform the person you will look into it and find an answer. You should message the answer to every meeting participant so they know you followed up and found the solution. 

Trusting People Across the World

When you run a remote team, you might be working with people from halfway across the globe. Make sure you get to know them with icebreakers and by asking pertinent questions. Everyone on the team should feel valued so they can begin to trust that you have their best interests at heart and are working to build something positive with them as part of the process.