Leading hybrid meetings can be a challenge. It means you need to turn two different experiences into one. Our best tip is to try to make the digital participants more "real" and the "real" ones more digital. Mix the experiences so that it's more even. Here are 10 ways to create participation and engagement for everyone!
What are hybrid meetings?
Hybrid meetings are when some participants attend the meeting digitally, remotely, and some attend physically in the same room as the meeting leader.
What are the characteristics of physical meetings?
The physical meeting gives us a shared experience and allows us to use all our senses.
We start from the room and the tools that are there. Sometimes the physical meeting is best, like when something sensitive is being discussed and you want to be able to read reactions.
What are the characteristics of digital meetings?
It is possible to meet at any time and place. The digital meeting is based on the platform and what can be done there, e.g. with a show of hands, Q&A, Mentometer or a digital shared whiteboard.
Good meeting routines
Start by setting good routines for your meetings, whether they are digital, physical or hybrid. Nobody wants to have meetings for the sake of having meetings. Everyone would agree that effective meetings are critical to your business. Are your meetings achieving their purpose and objectives?
Checklist for leading good hybrid meetings:
- Make sure everyone is seen and heard well.
- Be confident in the tool, whether it's Google Meet, Teams or something else. Practice!
- All participants log in on their own computer. Sound off for those sitting in the same room.
- Use the tools of the meeting service such as handshaking and chat. Also applies to those in the room.
- Every two meeting leaders. Helped keep track of chat and handouts.
- Be clear that "here we go" and look into the camera as often as out into the room.
- Do not distinguish between "we in this room" and "you there".
- Everyone should have their say and be able to speak. Start by asking or addressing those who are digitally present.
- Build in the social digitally. Organise a digital pre- and post-meeting in group rooms or run a workshop in digital group rooms.
- Use other tools such as digital whiteboard and Mentimeter to vary the content and create engagement. Choose a simple tool that everyone can use.
What is the difficulty of leading hybrid meetings?
Most find the challenge of hybrid meetings to be participation and engagement. There is a high risk that remote participants feel excluded. Similarly, participants are unlikely to share the same experience.
Digital participants are communicatively limited because they have only a small screen area. The effect is that they do not have the same opportunity to participate and their engagement decreases.
Don't let digital participants become flies on the wall while the actual meeting is taking place in the physical space. A door opening in the middle of the meeting, the snickering before and after, body language and facial expressions - none of this is visible digitally
The person leading the meeting needs to be aware of this and actively create participation and give everyone an equal chance to contribute. Try to bridge the gap between the physical and digital space in every way.
What creates a sense of we in hybrid meetings?
It's not one-size fits all. Decide what works for you. A tip might be to go around the team with a question. Another is to put the screen with digital participants in the middle of the table instead of on a big screen.
When are hybrid meetings not suitable?
If you're having a very important meeting that requires a high level of engagement, we recommend choosing to conduct the meeting entirely digitally or entirely in person. Otherwise, those attending digitally will feel that they are not getting the same opportunity.