There's a lot written by folks like me about why virtual is not always as effective as it could be.  Let's face it, we have all experienced bad meetings, virtual and physical so maybe it's less about the medium and more about designing effective meetings. Virtual can be extremely effective, and in some cases BETTER than face to face and it's not just about saving money by reducing travel costs.

Here are three things you can do to make your virtual meeting as effective as, or even more effective than a face to face:

Content - involve your participants in the agenda development and then ensure you distribute it at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting. Indicate on the agenda in different colours, or bold, where you are seeking input from the participants, and flag this with a few questions for them to ponder prior to connecting. If you want an open discussion during the meeting, speak to a couple of participants in advance, give them the topic, and ask them to start the discussion during the meeting.

Connection - set aside a few minutes at the beginning of the session to do a quick "how to" on using the features of the technology platform you are using. In particular, how do participants get the attention of the meeting chair, and also communicate with each other?

Creativity - consider not using slides, or at the very least, use a more engaging slide deck that has less words and more pictures. Make sure you, as the meeting chair, are ALL OVER the technology and have practised many of the features. You have the opportunity to both conduct the meeting, and educate others on functionality. Consider using the interactivity features like break out groups, whiteboard, or instant surveys to create more engagement. Each of the virtual platforms have different options and it's in your interest to find out about all of them and use them effectively.

This is not rocket science, and there aren't any special tricks. It's about preparing yourself, preparing your participants, and preparing the session. 

Not that different to effective physical meetings, eh?