Manage HR Magazine | Friday, February 23, 2024
By combining remote meetings with in-person communication, nonverbal communication, and spontaneous collaboration, hybrid meetings can provide the best of both worlds.
Fremont, CA: Hybrid meetings offer many benefits, but utilizing them requires overcoming our intuitions and gut reactions. Invest in quality audio-visual equipment, develop revised meeting norms, and train participants on how to use the equipment.
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Meeting AV technology should be excellent
Having excellent audio and video (AV) technology that allows all participants to see and hear each other clearly is key to a successful hybrid meeting. Long and narrow conference rooms are common. Video cameras are usually placed at one end of the table so that those at the other end cannot be seen easily. It creates a problem for remote attendees since they cannot see in-person attendees' body language and gestures. The remote attendees should also be able to hear what everyone else has to say. Audio is typically not picked up well in narrow meeting rooms, only by those at the head of the table.
At any given time, remote participants must see the speaker. Using a camera that tracks and focuses on the speaker is required to accomplish this. Second camera to catch nonverbal cues from in-person colleagues is also needed. A meeting isn't just about one-way communication; it's also about watching the reaction of the meeting participants to the speaker. For PowerPoint and/or whiteboards, they need a third camera.
Remote attendees must be able to see in-person participants clearly. On one side, they should sit at the table and on the other, they should see a conference room screen with remote attendees. Attendees are naturally focused on remote participants rather than each other.
Remote attendees need a separate facilitator in hybrid meetings. Meeting facilitators manage the in-person portion of the meeting and the agenda while also participating. A remote facilitator should be appointed instead by the team leader. Participation by remote attendees is ensured by this person. They are also acknowledged for their contributions. Tech issues can also be handled by them. Feedback and input should be sought from remote attendees, and the remote facilitator should provide input on their behalf. The remote facilitator must also read out loud chats typed by videoconference attendees.
Participants in a training meeting
In order to change norms and overcome cognitive biases, facilitators and attendees of both in-person and remote meetings must be trained. At first, everyone will feel uncomfortable about the new norms due to miscalibrated intuitions. Hybrid meetings are typically troublesome, but this will help maximize participation. The training - which should include practice and role-play - will help overcome the initial discomfort.
Setting up feedback systems for continuous improvement is part of the required training. As teams redefining meeting norms, they need to measure the hybrid meeting experience and get feedback. Especially for online and in-person attendees.
Meeting facilitators need specific feedback, including watching recordings with a coach who can point out specific moments where they performed well, and other areas in which they could improve.
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