This "Founders' FAQ" is work in progress as of March 2023. Please bear with us while we push more of our content in here.

Midstage Founders' Frequently Asked Questions | See all

How to set up team meetings across time zones

Organizing meetings across different time zones can be challenging, especially for international teams where members of the team are based in different parts of the world. Here are some tips to organize and run meetings across different time zones without making people in other countries feel burned out:

  1. Use a scheduling tool: Use a scheduling tool that automatically checks the availability of all participants across different time zones. Some popular tools that can be used for this purpose are Doodle, Timezone.io, and Calendly.
  2. Be mindful of time differences: Be sensitive to time differences when scheduling meetings. Avoid scheduling meetings too early or too late in the day for participants in different time zones.
  3. Alternate meeting times: Alternate meeting times to ensure that the same people are not always inconvenienced. Consider rotating meeting times to be fair to everyone.
  4. Keep meetings short and focused: Keep meetings as short as possible and focus on the key points that need to be discussed. This will help people feel less burned out if the meetings do not go on for too long.
  5. Share agendas and meeting materials in advance: Share the meeting agenda and materials in advance so that participants have enough time to prepare and are able to participate in a meaningful way.
  6. Use technology to facilitate communication: Use technology such as video conferencing, chat tools, and screen sharing to facilitate communication during meetings. This can help maintain engagement and ensure that everyone participating is able to contribute effectively.
  7. Be considerate and understanding: Be considerate of colleagues in other time zones and show understanding if they are unable to attend meetings that take place outside their working hours. Try to accommodate their schedule where possible.

By following these tips, you can ensure that meetings across different time zones are organized and run effectively while also taking into account the needs of colleagues in other countries/continents/time zones.


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