How to hold a successful hybrid meeting

With many of us now working from home some days and commuting other days the importance of having successful and seamless hybrid meetings becomes ever more important.

90% of companies will adopt a combination of remote and on-site work as they emerge from Covid restrictions. It seems that gone are the days of full in person face to face meetings, which is a dramatic change, but for many, a welcome one. The new normal seems to be a hybrid mix of those attending the meeting in person (i.e. on site) and those logging in online.

Hybrid meetings are simple to do poorly and challenging to do well. Please read on for some tips on how to hold a successful hybrid meeting.

Invest in good audio equipment

Gone should be the days of asking someone to speak louder or to repeat themselves. There is now a clear expectation that one should be able to hear everything clearly. Audio is surprisingly often an overlooked aspect of a successful hybrid meeting. As such, a suggestion would be to have microphones located throughout the meeting space or use a hand held microphone for when people are speaking in the meeting room. This will ensure audio is at a consistent clear and suitable volume. 

Test the technology in advance

Test the audio-visual set up for both in person attendees and online attendees prior to the meeting. Outline to attendees what software you will be using to ensure they have this downloaded/updated if necessary. This will allow the meeting to run more smoothly.

Lay the room out face to face

Ideally, and if your office space allows for it, all people present in the office should be facing the video screen (a semi-circle). This gives the effect that all participants (online and in person) are sitting in a circle and this may lead to people feeling more included.

Thank you for taking the time to read some of our tips on running a successful hybrid meeting! Good luck!