Good planning goes a long way toward making video meetings more inclusive.

Before the meeting:

• Share an agenda and materials in advance. Send the agenda, process, and any key documents or slides ahead of time so people can gather their thoughts and come prepared to contribute. This especially helps neurodivergent colleagues and more introverted team members who may find vague or last-minute information stressful.
• Clarify the meeting flow. Define when there will be open discussion, when someone has the floor for a longer update, and how turn-taking will work. Also agree on how the moderator will step in to keep things moving.
• Check accessibility of your tools. Confirm that your chat, presentation, feedback, and whiteboarding tools work with assistive technologies used by people with disabilities. If a required tool has limitations (for example, no captions), communicate that early and collaborate on workarounds.
• Gather feedback. Consider sending an anonymous survey (for example, with Google Forms) asking participants what would make meetings easier and more inclusive for them.

There are several simple practices and features you can use in Google Meet to make live calls more accessible:

• Use real-time closed captions. Turn on English closed captions in Google Meet and when presenting in Google Slides. This supports deaf and hard-of-hearing participants and also helps anyone joining from a noisy environment.
• Be visible and audible. Sit close enough to your mic and camera so people can clearly see your face and hear your voice. This helps with lip reading and reading tone and body language.
• Offer a dial-in option. If you’re using Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), add a phone dial-in option to the Meet invite. This gives people another way to join if their internet connection or device isn’t ideal.
• Make shared content easy to see. When sharing Docs or Slides, check that text is large enough and contrast is sufficient so everyone can comfortably view the content.
• Build in breaks for longer meetings. For meetings that run longer than an hour, schedule short breaks. This helps reduce listening fatigue, which can be especially significant for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants, but is useful for everyone spending much of the day on video.

Accessibility is not only about tools; it’s also about how people feel in the meeting.

• Normalize caregiving. Make it clear that parenting and caregiving responsibilities can be attended to and prioritized. Acknowledge that kids, pets, or other family members may occasionally appear on camera and that this is acceptable.
• Include all caretakers. Recognize that anyone, regardless of age, gender, or living situation, may have caregiving duties. Frame the conversation so everyone feels included.
• Acknowledge the broader context. There is a lot happening globally—from public health issues to racial equity efforts. At the start of a call, briefly recognize that people may be dealing with complex situations and emotions.
• Create a low-pressure space. Even with a clear agenda, leave room for people to share how they’re doing if they want to. Emphasize that participation in personal check-ins is optional, so it remains a safe, no-pressure environment.

These practices help reimagine video meetings as spaces where people can bring their full selves, not just their work tasks.