Take Away the Frustration of Hybrid Meetings
When you have a hybrid meeting, there are few additional factors you need to consider to make the meeting a success.
In Never Stop Learning this week I will be covering the following 1-2-3:
One Big Thing - Take Away the Frustration of Hybrid Meetings
Two Recommendations - A sensible one and a little fun
Three Actions to take this week.
One Big Thing: How to make a success of hybrid meetings
So, we’re back in the office now. Well, to some extent anyway. For a meeting we now have the usual splattering of people at home but then you usually have a group in an office meeting room.
As we now know, these “hybrid” meetings can cause a few problems.
This new world isn’t going away. Many businesses are mandating three days out of five in the office and there will be some businesses that require the full five days but these are rare and you’d challenge how sustainable this is in the long run.
So, we need to adapt to this situation.
When you have a hybrid meeting, there are few additional factors you need to consider to make the meeting a success.
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.
Let’s take a look at these in a little more detail.
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.
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.
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. That’s a post-COVID thing I’ve had to adapt to! Strange as it sounds.
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, logging in on your laptop 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.
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Two Recommendations - what to consume this week
1. How to Have a Hybrid Meeting That Works for Everyone - Harvard Business Review
2. Back to the Office: When Meetings are no Longer Online
This was one was a little fun so couldn’t resist including. Enjoy!
Three Actions To Take This Week
Here are three things you could try this week:
Sketch out what your perfect (normal - holidays don’t count) week would look like in your perfect life - then, you can start optimising for that life.
Build in dedicated time to get the the body moving in the morning - schedule it!
Put the phone upstairs while you work, I bet you will find you’re more productive. Stop the scrolling!
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I used to lock the door of the meeting room at +2 minutes after start time. Didn’t take long for people to be on time.
Ah meetings. I’m so glad I retired from employment last year. I wonder how many wasted hours of my life are because of meetings?