Most of us have got used to remote video meetings over the past two years, and perhaps without realising it, we’ve got a lot better at running them. The next step might be to get better at what’s being termed the ‘hybrid meeting’, with some participants in the room and others located remotely. Having experienced a few recently, I don’t think many of us are very good at that yet.
I always prefer meetings where there’s been a chat group set up beforehand, and if this has been possible, participants will have been able to find out who’s going to be in the room, and who isn’t. That’s a decent start.
Should the physical meeting room be on one camera, or should everyone bring a laptop and sign in separately so that to the remote participants, everyone looks the same? I rather like the latter, as it doesn’t really make much difference to the people in the room once things are under way. In the room, the standard multi-participant view can be projected onto a screen, or just left on the individual laptops.
It’s worth thinking about. I can see meeting rooms of the future having a camera in front of every seat at the table.
Getting a contribution from every participant at the start is, I believe, more important in a hybrid meeting than in an all-physical or all-remote one. The chair then needs to ensure there are no ‘side conversations’ in the room as the meeting continues.
There’s a lot of experience out there from organisations of all sizes – if you’re organising a hybrid meeting, it’s well worth looking at the many hints and tips online.