We all know how hard it can be to follow along on a conference call. The challenge is compounded on multinational teams that deal with language barriers. When facilitating a virtual meeting, it’s your job to make sure everyone fully understands what’s going on. Compensate for any language differences by acting as a moderator. After each comment or question, briefly paraphrase what was said. For example, you might say: “That’s an important question. I agree that the production facility’s capacity is a major risk in this plan. Here’s what we know…” Or you can summarize a comment: “So, in your experience, this research technique requires a lot of resources, maybe more than we have. What does everyone else think about that?” These summaries may slow down your meeting, but making sure everyone understands the discussion will save you time in the long run.
Adapted from Running Virtual Meetings (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)
