How to make a success of hybrid meetings

We all know what the formula is for a good Zoom meeting but what happens when some colleagues start to return to the office?

How do you make a meeting work when you have office and remote workers on the same call? Do the same rules apply? Do you need a completely different way of running the meeting?

In this blog I explore this new phenomenon in a little more depth with a few tips on how to navigate some of the problems that occur. Master this and returning to something resembling a more normal office working environment can be in sight for your business. Get it wrong and those who do venture into the office can wonder why they bothered. And those stuck at home could feel left out.

So first, picture the scene. Your company has approved a hybrid working arrangement where employees can work from home for some days of the week and in the office for the rest.

Hybrid working results in hybrid meetings.

So here are my top tips for having great merging face to face and online meetings.

1. Don't forget the normal rules on running a meeting still apply

Simple one this one but I so often see it done badly. A good meeting needs:

• A clear purpose

• Agenda agreed in advance - no AOB (this is just an excuse for people to waffle on at the end. If it's important, it should be on the agenda)

• A Nominated Chairperson - someone who can keep to time but also balance that against having a good enough discussion around an issue.

• Note taker - this is not the Chair. They cant do both.

• Notes circulated afterwards for review and amends - it is always surprising how two different people at the same meeting can take away very different versions of what happened.

Right, so that's the basics out of the way.

2. Start on time - this one is for you in the physical meeting room!

When you are moving between meetings online as we are now all used to, it is simply "click click" and you are out of your first meeting and into your second.

In the physical world this is different but it is so easy to forget this.

You could have meetings in different parts of the building or even a short walk away. Give yourself enough time to get between meetings - especially if you are the Chairperson.

Setting up a hybrid meeting can take a few minutes. In a strange meeting room you might need to turn on the equipment, log in and then find the meeting in your calendar. This all takes time while your online participants are patiently (or not) waiting online and may have even started the meeting without you!

That leads nicely to the next point which again will take some time if you are new to a specific meeting room.

3. Test the sound

Yes, test the SOUND!

There is nothing more frustrating being an online person at a hybrid meeting and not hearing someone at the far end of the table. All the people in the room are nodding and agreeing while those online are getting more and more frustrated.

So test the sound in advance if you can. If you know there is a specific issue with the room make sure that people are sat facing the microphone which is usually in the direction of the screen.

As Chairperson, you should be aware of any sound issues in the room and nudge people to talk in a specific direction if needed.

A simple way of checking the sound is at the start of the meeting ask the online participants if they can hear properly. Better still, if you can check beforehand then it can save significant time.

4. Remember to switch attention between your different groups during a presentation

This is just about being aware of your two audiences and not focusing too much attention on one or the other.

It is easy to fall into the trap of everyone staring at the screen with all the faces staring back but try not to do this and find a balance if you can. It probably comes from staring at screens for so long during COVID that this feels safer for us.

The thought of actually looking into someone’s eyes can actually be quite daunting.

5. For those in the meeting room, try and stay visible

Make sure that you can be seen. Often for those online, the meeting room is simply just another block on their screen which can mean people are so small you can see who each person is!

A way around this is to also log on to the meeting using your laptop too and turn the camera on.

Remember to turn your microphone and speakers off though! The feedback you get can be embarrassing.

6. Be aware that those in the room may not be following the chat

Meeting chat that runs parallel to the meeting can be very useful but when you move into a hybrid meeting it can be more tricky.

Quite often, those in the meeting room will not have their laptops open which can mean any chat going on between the online participants can be lost on those in the room.

Again, the tip in point 5 can really help with this by giving you another window into the meeting.

7. Try not to continue the meeting after the remote attendees have left

Ever been in a meeting that continues into the corridor afterwards? If all the people are physically there you can just about get away with this.

However, hybrid meetings that continue after you have shut down the online meeting link can pose problems. Those employees who have not yet returned to the office may feel left out. This can especially be a problem if something is decided in that side chat post meeting. Try try try not do this if you can.

Conclusion

It is important to appreciate that hybrid meetings are different from the purely online business meetings we have been used to. You need to consider all attendees and their specific needs. Having a strong Chairperson and a clear purpose plus clear agenda is as important as ever. But most importantly, be open to change and learning about a new type of meeting and you can avoid wasting time.

For some extra reading, this is a great post from the Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2021/06/what-it-takes-to-run-a-great-hybrid-meeting

Are you now adopting hybrid meetings? Will any of these tips help you?

Please leave a comment below on your experiences. I would love to hear from you.