Make hybrid Meetings work

First they were all on site, then all remote. And soon — some this way, some that. Our meeting world is becoming hybrid. Hello hybrid meeting.

But good hybrid meetings don’t fall from the sky any more than remote meetings do. But how do you make a hybrid meeting good? And when would you be better off leaving it alone?

A hybrid meeting becomes good when it succeeds in consciously using the spatial proximity of individual participants.

For this to succeed, a different, conscious meeting design is needed.

What is a hybrid meeting anyway?
We call a meeting hybrid when…at least two participants
physically participate in one place (we call them “onsities”),
while others are present from at least one other location (our “remoties”).
Based on this, any other variation is conceivable — 5 in one room, 3 in another, 4 remote, …

A challenging setting that succeeds with these success factors:

The 4+1 success factors for a really good hybrid meeting.
> Technology — what do we actually need to even think about it?
> Equality — or how do we engage everyone well, regardless of how they participate?
> Meeting roles — who actually does what here?
> Impactful methods — or how do we actually get to the goal?
> +1. the special factor

Here’s our recipe to follow, try and adapt:

Technology — what do we actually need to even think about a hybrid meeting?

Without technology, virtual collaboration is simply impossible. This is just as true for hybrid meetings. Of course, you can invest endlessly here as well. However, there are a few basics that are essential to make it a good hybrid meeting.

Video conferencing system to bridge the distance. Examples are Zoom, Teams, Skype or GotoMeeting.
To make sure everyone can see and hear each other equally well, you need cameras, microphones and speakers. A good Internet connection helps to ensure that those speaking at any given time are clearly transmitted.
“Remoties” ideally need an external webcam as well as a headset. Alternatively, echo-canceling internal or external microphones and speakers will work.
On site, there is ideally at least one powerful room camera as well as room microphone and speakers.
Depending on the technical equipment, the number of participants, and the goal, it may make sense for each of the “onsities” to have a notebook (or anything with a camera) in front of them anyway, so that participants are clearly visible.

The special ingredients:

A smartboard or projector screen helps the “onsities” to keep a good eye on the “remoties”. Best of all in “Together mode” or with active speaker.
A good meeting is characterized not least by jointly developed and documented results. A digital whiteboard helps here, which the “remoties” fill from the local PC, while the “pre-orrties” ideally work shoulder-to-shoulder on a shared smartboard. This way you create a “common ground”. Our favorites: miro, mural or conceptboard.
There are many powerful cameras that, for example, automatically detect who is talking and then zoom in on them. There are no limits to both the possibilities and the prices.

Equality — or how do we engage everyone well in the hybrid meeting, no matter how they participate?
If your goal is not only to advance content, but also to take advantage of the physical proximity of at least some participants, then a hybrid meeting is the right choice. At the same time, we are convinced that meaningful results in meetings can only be achieved if everyone feels as equally addressed and included as possible. In hybrid mode, you can achieve this in the following ways, for example:

The basic ingredients:

Inform everyone in advance about which tools will be used. For example, if you want to actively work on digital whiteboards like Miro or Mural, everyone should try to sit at a notebook or computer (whiteboards just don’t work as well on tablets (yet)!).
Start your meeting with a good check-in where everyone participating gets space.
Agree on sensible meeting rules. Our favorite: “Remoties first.” In this case, to an open question, for example, the Remoties would always answer first and only in the second step the Pre-Orties.
The special ingredients:

An evenly rotating composition within a team between “Remoties” and “Vor-Orties” can ensure a balance of advantages and disadvantages — is it possible for everyone to be on site at some point?
There are certain meeting objectives and content for which hybrid meetings are simply the last choice. Pure presentations or information transfer. To ensure that everyone feels involved and no one feels left out, it helps to make only those meetings hybrid in which the active participation of the participants is desired.
If extensive contents play a role (e.g. long evaluations or concepts), these can be provided to everyone asynchronously (before the meeting) for preparation. In the meeting you can then concentrate on the exchange.

Meeting roles — who actually does what?
Without a clear distribution of roles and tasks, a hybrid meeting will hardly succeed. Therefore, determine in advance or at the latest at the beginning of the meeting who is responsible for what:

Moderator: Has the task of keeping the meeting focused on the goal and using appropriate methods to achieve this goal.
Co-moderator/Technical Help: Ensures that any questions about technology are answered. I don’t have sound, I don’t see the board… Takes care of parallel discussions in chat, setting up break-out rooms, and posting important technical info such as links to whiteboards.
Timekeeper: Keeps track of the overall meeting time and the time of individual agenda items. Reminds how much time is left for an agenda item.
Energykeeper:in: It’s time for a break, but nobody says anything? It is the job of the energy watcher to make sure that enough breaks are taken, especially in longer workshops or appointments.
Documenter:in: A result that nobody remembers is worth nothing. The documenter is best to document the results directly in the meeting, visible for all. This way, no further coordination is necessary afterwards and everything relevant has been recorded.
So much for the familiar roles — in hybrid contexts it makes sense to have a tech host / contact person for each location (each physical location and once remote). This person takes care of all questions and technical issues.

Impactful methods — or how do we actually get to the goal in the hybrid meeting?
Method number 1 in most meetings is the free discussion. However, it is only one of many possibilities. Moreover, it is rarely the best one.

You can (and should) consider in advance what the goal of the meeting and the individual agenda items is. Then define methods that match the goal. There are so many meeting methods that you would blow up this article. Therefore, here are just our two favorites:

Decision making: there are countless ways to make (and not make) decisions. In hybrid meetings, the consensus principle from sociocracy often works well. As long as no one says “I have a serious objection with regard to the common goal” the decision is considered made.
Creative: When it comes to developing new ideas, brainstorming or brainwriting are usually used. Besides these evergreens, our favorite is 124-all from the “Liberating structures”. Here, everyone thinks first for themselves, then in pairs, then in fours, and only then is it shared in the large group. As a result, ideas pass through several quality-improving stages and everyone gets a chance to speak. Especially in hybrid meetings, the strength of the pre-orchestrators can be utilized by sharing their ideas with each other.
The secret ingredient for a successful hybrid meeting: awareness of what you are doing!
A meeting is a space where people interact. This space can and should be designed consciously! In the interest of a good result and in the interest of all participants. If you don’t, much of your potential will fall by the wayside.

Depending on how a meeting is designed, this awareness enables or hinders many things.

If I don’t invest energy in a suitable choice of method, this enables me to prepare very quickly. At the same time, however, it very likely prevents everyone from contributing in the meeting. It gives extroverts a big stage and prevents introverts from contributing their views. On the other hand, a methodically strong framework enables a topic to be dealt with in a targeted manner, but prevents focal points from arising spontaneously in the discussion.
In virtual meetings, the balance of power is balanced. No one has a bigger desk, the better chair, or a different aura. In hybrid meetings, it can easily happen that the “onsities” are stronger than the “remoties” on the screen due to their physical presence. As a moderator, you can counteract this and consciously choose methods that counteract this power imbalance. For example, by always having the “remoties” speak first.
However, if the equal involvement of all participants is something that is not at all necessary for the meeting goal, it is better to make a complete remote meeting directly.

That was probably the most important sentence.

All the smart technology is not (yet) available? Then consciously decide what is more important to you: to use the physical proximity of some or to allow as much equality in the meeting as possible. If it is more important to you that everyone is as well integrated as possible, then rather “one remote = all remote”. This means that the “pre-orthies” also participate on their individual PCs or laptops.

Hybrid meetings are a challenge — but with the right awareness and the will to make it good, it can be.

Did you like this article? Then share it with your colleagues and your network so that even more people can benefit from it. Got another special ingredient we forgot?

Hybrid meetings are new territory for you? Feel free to get in touch — and whether it’s an impulse lecture, workshop or training, we’ll find the right one for your organization.