Recent research shows that 74% of U.S. companies are currently using or plan to implement a permanent hybrid work model. This means hybrid meetings and events are quickly becoming the new normal for most office workers. When done right, enabling hybrid presentations and workshops is an effective way to provide accessible and equitable meeting spaces for remote and on-site workers.
However, problems with hybrid meetings can arise if a high-level plan isn’t put into place. The fact of the matter is, orchestrating hybrid meetings is infinitely more complex than setting up remote or in-person events on their own. And many organizations simply aren’t sufficiently prepared to tackle this challenge. In fact, a recent McKinsey study found that 68% of organizations do not have a detailed vision in place for hybrid work.
So, what should be done? Alleo’s experts came together to offer their insight surrounding hybrid meeting technology, best practices, and equipment. Ultimately, we hope this guide can help you create a hybrid meeting solution that will best suit everyone’s needs.
Your Ultimate Hybrid Meeting Checklist
Source the Best Equipment for Hybrid Meetings
Your equipment and technology can make or break a hybrid meeting. Having poor audio and visuals easily alienates your virtual audience. In that same vein, solely focusing on the virtual experience of your meeting can cause your in-person attendees to tune out. Therefore, when choosing equipment, you should consider the unique needs of everyone attending your meetings.
High-quality audio and video equipment are vital if you want your meeting to go off without a hitch. Let’s take a look at each of these components in more detail.
- Hybrid Meeting Audio Solutions |Sadly, the microphone on your computer just won’t cut it in a hybrid setting. Microphones for hybrid meetings directly impact the quality of audio received by remote attendees. Although in-person viewers may be able to hear, getting through to virtual viewers requires a little more oomf. Ultimately, choosing a head-worn mic is the best solution for delivering high-quality audio in a hybrid meeting. Because they are situated close to the speaker’s mouth and remain set in place, head-worn microphones deliver the most consistent audio experience for remote and in-person attendees. Additionally, passing around a handheld microphone to in-person attendees who have questions or thoughts will help them be easily heard by everyone in the meeting
- Hybrid Meeting Video Solutions | Luckily, most hybrid meetings don’t need a super high-quality camera. However, how you choose to situate your cameras should be very intentional. Here are a few tips:
- Ensure that your screen can be seen by live and remote meeting attendees.
- Connect the camera to a tripod and laptop.
- Position the camera so it can feature the main speakers and can pan out to focus on live attendees when they wish to speak.
- For an affordable every-day solution, use an external webcam. For more formal meetings or broadcast events, consider making a one-time investment in a video crew.
Choose Your Hybrid Meeting Technology Wisely
Beyond selecting your video and audio hardware, you also need to choose a video conferencing and streaming platform. For starters, less is more when it comes to hybrid meeting communication software. Ideally, you should limit the number of tools you are using, and seek out all-in-one hybrid meeting platforms, like Alleo, whenever possible.
The best technology for hybrid meetings should ultimately help make meetings more valuable by offering dynamic and collaborative solutions that:
- Enable seamless team collaboration for company-wide initiatives and presentations
- Possess multiple screen sharing capabilities
- Use a digital work hub to gather all of your most important content, together with live data streams onto an easy-to-use central canvas
- Allow all users to contribute via video and audio
- Has drag and drop functionalities to create custom and collaborative meeting presentations or spaces
- Bring together all types of content in one place, including:
- Documents
- Maps
- Live video sources
- Sound and video files
- Screen sharing and applications
- Live data
To break away from boring meetings, hybrid meeting platforms must offer a simple, yet customizable, interface that enables greater collaboration and fosters equitable engagement.
Choose the Right Hybrid Meeting Room Setup
Although your equipment and digital conference software often steal the show when discussing a hybrid setup, choosing the right room is just as important. Ideally, hybrid meeting room solutions should possess the following features:
- Large projectors or touch screens for presenting
- High-quality adjustable lighting
- Plenty of spacious seating
- A center stage or equivalent designated space for presenters
Follow Hybrid Meetings Best Practices
Aside from choosing the right equipment, room setup, and technology, there are some additional best practices all organizations should follow when implementing a hybrid meeting solution. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Audit your meeting structure, and eliminate redundant meetings or events
- Choose your meeting leaders ahead of time
- Carefully outline your agenda and objectives for each meeting
- Send invitations well in advance to leave room for questions
- Identify and communicate the meeting’s purpose before it starts
- Keep things interesting by adding interactive experiences to your meeting (virtual polls, on-demand content, collaborative games, etc.)
Continue to Perfect Your Approach
If your first hybrid meeting isn’t a complete hit, it’s fine to take a step back and regroup. A key part of improving, and perfecting your hybrid meeting solution is by gathering feedback from your employees. This can help you clearly identify what’s working, what isn’t, and maybe give you some new ideas.
Every hybrid meeting strategy will continue to evolve and adapt as the needs of your organization change. That’s why it’s critical to receive feedback and stay on the lookout for new and improved solutions. In the end, your goals should be to achieve better meeting outcomes, make faster decisions, and maximize productivity for everyone. How you achieve those goals is likely to be in flux as meeting preferences change, and new solutions present themselves.
Learn more about how Alleo can help you accomplish just that here.
