Vodcast # 32 - Presence in a Multicultural Virtual Meeting by Margot Ling

In the past year, the use of virtual meeting was frequently used. The people we meet virtually may be from different countries and backgrounds. The sheer meeting of 15 to 20 minutes is short. So how do we establish our presence through the screen and introduce who we are within such a short period of time? Margot has 3 tips for us.

Be curious

Establish a rapport and try to understand the needs of the people you are speaking with. What is the timezone of the people you are speaking with? Any special events/ festivals of your event participants? Or simply news or holiday coming up? Just try to find some common topics to warm up the room instantly.

Be authentic

We are all on the same boats under the pandemic. So there is no shame to be authentic or human. Don’t conceal your personality. If you need to laugh, laugh. If your kids or pets come to the screen accidentally, just chill. Everyone understands the difficulty of virtual meeting. Only 1 reminder here. Be mindful to speak slower & clearer, especially both of you are speaking in a second language.

Be focused

Stick to the purpose of the meeting. The meeting could be as simple as getting to know each other. Also, it’s always a good idea to use a question to wrap up the meeting. However, just be cautious that don’t be too pushy or fast, especially you are interacting with cultures that require longer time to build trust.

Your meeting may be virtual, but the business relationships are real! Stay tuned.

About the Speaker

As a Global Mindset and Growth Mindset evangelist, Margot Ling is one of the Certified Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Facilitators in Greater China from a business background. In recent years, Margot is also a performance & empowerment coach for tech start-up CEOs and global executives. Using her unique background in digital media and coaching, she created the A.G.I.L.E. performance coaching model to help clients to achieve sustainable growth. Margot has been a guest speaker in public institutions and universities in Hong Kong. She has also trained a wide range of content partners in the region, including China state-owned media, international media and private technology companies. Margot's Cross-Cultural Performance Workshop participants over the last year rated their satisfaction at an average of 94%. She speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese.