Learning objectives

Set a customer-focused objective and share a short agenda in advance.
Use open discovery questions and active listening, and involve every participant.
Summarise decisions and agree next actions before the meeting ends.

Lesson 1

Preparation, objectives and an agenda

Virtual meetings are shorter and less forgiving than meetings in a room. Attention drops quickly, and it is easy for participants to switch to email. Preparation makes the difference.

Start with an objective written from the customer's point of view: what should they know, decide or be able to do at the end? "Present our solution" is your goal. "Agree which two planning problems matter most and who should be involved in evaluating options" is a meeting objective.

Send a short agenda with the invitation: the objective, three or four topics, and how long each takes. Ask whether anything is missing. This shows respect for their time and often reveals who else should join.

Research the participants: their roles, what they have said publicly, and what they are likely to care about. Prepare two or three questions for each key person. Decide in advance which material you will share and which you will keep in reserve, and keep slides to a minimum so the meeting stays a conversation.