The host has considerable power in a remote meeting—like the chair in a face-to-face meeting. They get to choose the software to be used and control who speaks at any time.

Software for remote meetings

There is a range of software and apps available for running remote meetings. Some popular options include Skype, Zoom, and Google Hangouts Meet.

All these have advantages and disadvantages.

As host, it is important to:

• Choose an app that you are comfortable using. You need to know about the security options, and how to shut it down if anything untoward happens and you are ‘gate-crashed’ in any way.
• Ensure that everyone else knows what you will be using, and how to use it.If necessary, supply a guide or weblink so that people know how to access the software, and can download it ahead of time.

The host also sets the rules for the meeting.

These may be set out by the organisation, especially in a work situation. It is up to the host to remind everyone of expectations beforehand. In the invitation email, they should set out any rules about dress code or other restrictions. These might include, for example, not using a bedroom for a video conference, or asking everyone to keep their microphones muted unless they have been asked to speak.

It is important to remember that remote meetings are harder on everyone’s concentration than face-to-face.

Everyone is having to work harder to pick up body language and other non-verbal clues, so it is much more tiring to attend remote meetings.  As host, try to keep the meeting short.

There are things that you can do to help with this. For example, you can ask the meeting attendees to tell you if they have a interest in one agenda item, so that you will know to ask them to speak on that. This avoids having to wait for visual cues.