In our fully remote Level 10 Meetings, we suspect team members are multi-tasking, responding to emails, or working on other tasks while others are speaking. How do we enforce active engagement and eliminate virtual distraction?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Remote Level 10 Meetings are highly susceptible to digital distraction. When leaders split their focus between the meeting and their inbox, you lose the collective brainpower needed to solve complex operational issues, resulting in shallow solutions and missed details.

To eliminate this waste, establish clear remote meeting protocols.

First, enforce a strict cameras-on policy. Everyone must be visible, with their eyes on the screen, not looking down at phones or secondary monitors.

Second, use a single digital workspace. Everyone should look at the same shared screen, which should be managed by the facilitator. Do not let team members wander off into their own tabs.

Third, change your facilitation style to increase engagement. The facilitator should not do all the talking. Actively call on different leaders to weigh in on issues, even if the topic is slightly outside their direct department. This keeps everyone on their toes.

Finally, make multi-tasking a cultural violation. If you catch someone lagging or asking to have a question repeated because they were distracted, address it on the spot. Remind the team that ninety minutes a week is a tiny commitment to give each other undivided attention. If they cannot commit to that, they are not operating as a cohesive leadership team.