Why You Should Host a Virtual Town Hall Meeting

Town hall meetings are a critical component of the democratic process. For centuries, these gatherings have allowed politicians and the electorate to engage in a public environment. In a corporate context, town halls enable employers and employees to exchange information and discuss important topics that affect an organization.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these meetings have moved online, making it difficult for employers to provide employees with the same engagement and interactivity as in-person events. However, the best online video platforms are making the process easier. Employers and employees can communicate in a digital space about company-related topics, proving virtual town halls are just as good as the real thing.

In this guide, discover how online town halls can benefit your organization as well as a few tips for more successful town halls. Then find out why you need an online video platform like Viostream for your next virtual event.

What is a Virtual Town Hall Meeting?

An online town hall meeting follows a similar structure to an in-person town hall event. The host, typically a company's CEO or a senior team member, introduces a topic before other team members join the conversation. At the end of the meeting, the host encourages employees to ask questions. Virtual town halls almost always take place on an online video platform. The host live streams the event at a pre-advertised date and time, and attendees watch the stream in real-time.

While primarily formal, virtual town halls allow for information exchange in a digital space, making them perfect for remote teams. These meetings are critical for internal communications because they facilitate conversation quickly.

What are the Benefits of Virtual Town Hall Meetings?

Virtual town halls benefit your organization in various ways. Use this communication method to:

• Improve company culture
• Announce company developments or structural changes
• Engage with employees
• Start conversation
• Improve learning and development

Tips for Successful Online Town Halls

Engage the Audience

Some town halls feature topics that employees might not care much about, such as annual sales reports. The host (and other speakers) must get important information across to employees in an engaging way. The way to do this is through visuals. Hosts can use images, charts, graphs, and other graphics to convey critical information to the audience and improve information retention significantly. That's because people remember 80% of what they see and only 10% of what they hear.

Encourage Live Chat

Incorporating live chat into your virtual town halls also improves engagement. Attendees ask questions about the topics you cover, and you can answer these questions during the event or at a later date.

Not all online video platforms allow audience members to ask questions. Viostream, however, integrates with Pigeonhole Live, enabling employees to ask questions. Other interactive features include real-time surveys and polls. Pigeonhole Live is just one of many integrations available on Viostream that improve the virtual town hall experience.

Use the Right Video Platform

This tip is the most important. If you don't choose the right platform for your virtual town hall, you can't communicate with employees. Look for a platform that offers live streaming and video management features such as:

• Live URLs: Post links to your live town hall so employees can join the conversation and get involved.
• Embedded Live Streams: Embed virtual town hall streams into your website or blog so employees can quickly access them.
• Advanced Analytics: Track engagement after your town hall and generate other valuable insights.

How Viostream Helps

Viostream is an online video platform that optimizes online town halls. For nearly two decades, this powerful video management solution has helped Australian businesses and governments communicate with employees. When you use Viostream for your next town hall, you will receive the following benefits:

• Live URLs, embedded live streams, and advanced analytics.
• World-class security that protects sensitive information and guest lists. Nobody outside your corporation can view your live stream.
• The world's best video playback technology, including 4K and HTML5.
• Accessibility features, such as interactive transcripts and closed-captioning (for pre-recorded town halls). All employees can get involved in your town hall debates.
• Custom video websites and video galleries. Keep pre-recordings of town halls in one place for future reference.
• Guest management features so you can invite the right people to your events at the right time.
• Calls to action that inspire employee engagement during and after virtual town halls.  
• Excellent customer service and support from a friendly team with nearly 20 years of experience.

Final Word

So what is a town hall meeting online? It's one of the most effective ways to improve engagement with employees. You can host live events on the internet and encourage attendees to ask questions and discuss topics.

Viostream is an online video platform that streamlines engagement, interactivity, and asynchronous communication. Use it for your next virtual town hall and benefit from various video management features you won't find on other platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. For even more engagement, integrate Viostream with an online tool like Pigeonhole.

Viostream is the top virtual town hall solution for governments and businesses. Start your free trial today.