2020 was a year like no other; a pandemic, an election, and a new president was elected.  With everything that happened, it can be difficult to look ahead, especially when things are still in flux.  Many people are still working from home and only doing Zoom calls with customers and colleagues.  Despite all of this, it might be time to start looking to the future and planning.  Just the other day I was asked by someone if they could come to Michigan in September for in-person meetings.  The answer to that is dependent on the vaccine distribution and what restrictions may still be in place this fall. However, that request did give me some pause.  Are we planning for that time or waiting for it to come to us?

Normal, or what we believe to be normal, is an individual concept.  Even when most Americans have been vaccinated, there will still those who will want to operate differently.  The structure of our daily work routines will be different; some people will continue to work from home, some will be in the office five-days a week, and some people will utilize a hybrid of the two.  Also, there is the question of moving back to in-person meetings or continuing Zoom meetings.  Keep in mind, at this point there is no right or wrong in how you do business and there is no right or wrong in how you approach this in the future.  But while you plan, here are some pointers to keep in mind:

In-Person Meetings:

Lay the groundwork and ask questions in advance of a meeting.  For example, do they want you to wear a mask? Asking ahead of time relieves everyone of that uncomfortable moment of asking when you arrive for the meeting.  The best approach overall is to ask in advance what the company’s policies and procedures are for in-person meetings.

Zoom Meetings:

Meeting online has become the norm and we should strive to keep them as efficient as possible.  Here are a few tips:

• • Be organized, if there are a number of individuals from your company participating make sure everyone has a role.
  • Having a short slide deck or document for people to look at can break up the video and direct attention, which could be a good thing. Just make sure to take it down at the end so that they can see you.
  • Also, set up a way to send them additional information to continue the dialog after the meeting is over. Think of it as a leave behind you would do at an in-person meeting.

Soon many of these things will be effortless as we move through 2021.  Keep planning ahead, looking for opportunities, and keeping an eye out for potential roadblocks.  Learn from what has happened in the past as you plan for the future.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.