Knowing how to run an online meeting is becoming more and more important in business. Top leaders are equally comfortable working online or face-to-face.

Why learn to run online meetings? Web conferences, done right, will save you money and emprove communications with remote offices. Follow these 8 guidelines and you’ll be ahead of the game.

1. Have an agenda distributed ahead of time. This is even more important online than in “normal” meetings. Having the agenda in front of all the attendees — preferably

2. Learn how to use your internet conferencing software. Invest a half hour in yourself and learn the application. If you’re worried about the cost, most of the vendors offer free trials – sign up for one and practice.

3. Check on whether participants have done their prep work. For reasons I’ve never understood, people seem more willing to blow off preparing for online meetings. You’ll want to gently nudge with a reminder. I prefer to do this over the phone.

4. Keep a confident smile on your face. You’ll find that your tone of voice follows your face. Since the attendees can’t see you, they’ll read more into your voice than they would otherwise.

5. Make sure the background noises are silenced. Don’t speak from a noisy room. If you’re working from home make sure there’s a door between you and the household noises (pets are a perennial challenge here). Turn off your cell phone ringer and ask that others do the same.

6. Don’t be the note-taker. Ask someone else to handle this responsibility. Managing a good online meeting requires your attention. Don’t distract yourself with the additional task of taking minutes.

7. Do participants understand (or agree on) the key points? We don’t have facial expressions to help us know if everyone’s in agreement. Instead, online meeting leaders have to ask specific questions after each major topic — use that feedback to gauge the participants’ understanding.

8. Keep track of who’s joined the call. This is particularly important if it’s going to be an interactive meeting (as opposed to a formal presentation). Your participants will want to know who else is on the call. Ask everyone to identify themselves at the start of the meeting.

These tips will take you a long way in your desire to run a successful online meeting. Still feeling uncomfortable? Sign up for a free trial with a internet conference vendor (see resource box for helpful links) and practice a bit with a friend. You’ll both emerge knowing exactly how to run a meeting online.