Our team is fully remote, and while we follow the Level 10 Meeting™ agenda to the letter, the entire ninety minutes feels completely mechanical. People just read off their individual screens and run through the motions without any real human engagement or robust debate during IDS®. How do we break this sterile, screen-induced monotony?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a remote Level 10 Meeting™ becomes mechanical, it is usually because the team has allowed screen sharing and software to replace active human interaction. If everyone is staring at a shared screen of a software tool, they are looking at data rows instead of looking at each other. This kills the dynamic energy required for a great IDS® session.

To break this screen-induced monotony, change how you interact with your technology. Stop sharing the screen for the entire ninety minutes. Instead, every leader should have the meeting agenda and software open on their own secondary monitor or a split screen. This allows the main video conferencing screen to be dedicated entirely to video gallery view.

During the ninety minutes, every leader must look directly at the camera and see the faces of their peers. The facilitator must actively call on people and push for healthy, vigorous debate. If an issue is being discussed and everyone is silent, do not let it slide. Ask direct questions to stir up discussion.

Additionally, enforce a strict cameras-on policy and ban all background multitasking. If team members are checking emails or responding to chat messages, they are not present. A remote meeting requires more energy and focus than an in-person one. By focusing on faces rather than software spreadsheets, you bring the human element back into your weekly meeting pulse.