Hybrid Meetings That Work | A Leader’s Guide

23/01/2024

Proven Tips to Improve Communication and Collaboration in Hybrid Settings

We’ve transitioned into a hybrid world, expedited by the pandemic and now it’s hard not to feel like people are in constant meetings everywhere we go. Literally. On average, UK working adults are attending 13% more meetings since the pandemic and to be fair that was a stat from just after, I imagine it’s even higher now. [Really, we’re just making up stats now? – ed] Additionally, 60% are multitasking during virtual meetings, leading to significant inefficiencies in time, creativity, and productivity, and probably a lot more elaborate doodles. As a result, we’re working an extra half-day per working week, on average, with many of us doing even more.

There’s got to be a better way, right?

We’ve been supporting leaders and teams in navigating the hybrid world over the past few years and have had a front-row seat to the inspired thinking, hybrid team hacks, and top tips that make hybrid meetings work. We’re also aware that this is one of those articles that will likely need updating every few weeks, given the pace of change right now! Here are some of those insights anyway:

1) The One Room Vibe

The energy in a room with in-person participants is very different from those dialing-in virtually, which can create a ‘them and us’ vibe. Always start your hybrid meetings with something fun or thought-provoking to bring the group together and create a sense of ‘one room’. This could be as simple as asking everyone for a highlight from the past week, drawing how they’re feeling, or bringing an item to the meeting to discuss.

2) Prepare and Set Up Your Hybrid Meeting Properly

As a facilitator or lead, you can’t rush into a hybrid meeting with one minute to go and expect a great outcome. I mean, you shouldn’t be doing that anyway! Consider yourself told 😉 The setup, sound, and positioning need to be checked, ideally with a remote participant involved beforehand. Designate someone as a connector in addition to the main facilitator – the facilitator ensures the meeting flows and moderates, while the connector monitors the chat box and ensures virtual participants are included. Starting with hybrid etiquette, such as pace, volume of speech, and addressing all parties, is also crucial for a good experience.

3) Co-Create Well

Physical capture tools (e.g., flip charts, non-interactive whiteboards, post-it notes) are unfit for purpose in hybrid meetings. All supporting capture or collaboration tools should be digital, allowing everyone to access and contribute easily. The best meetings enable participants to provide input through different modalities — writing, drawing, speaking, or voting. This includes solo thinking time and shared discussion time where these thoughts are added to a shared digital space like Miro, Google Docs, Confluence, and any of the six billion other options out there.

4) Remember Our Human Condition

Keep a post-it by your screen (whether working remotely or in the office) that says ‘we are all human beings, everyone is different and facing different challenges.’ It’s easy to forget this, but remembering that not everyone will act, think, or react in the same way helps remind us that we are all dealing with our own problems and challenges outside of work. This is especially important during hybrid sessions.

5) Poll Your People

In our hybrid world, asking great questions and really listening to the responses goes a long way. Regularly poll your people to discover what times of day work best for meetings, their comfort level with collaboration tools, or whether they need additional training. Just asking the question builds goodwill, and working with the team to agree on what happens and when builds connection, buy-in, and motivation.

6) Remote First Policy

Companies like Slack are adopting a remote-first policy where all meetings are virtual by default, and the company HQ is a virtual collaboration hub rather than a physical office space. Another element of a remote-first policy is to let remote attendees speak first when the floor is opened for comments in hybrid meetings. This ensures remote participants are included and balances the conversation.

7) Review Every Hybrid Session

Hybrid working and meetings are still relatively new, and there’s a lot of learning through trial and error. At the end of every hybrid meeting, ask participants ‘how was that for you, is there anything that would have made it better?’ Exploring how the session felt for those both in the room and virtually, including the strength of connection and collaboration, is vital. Aim to make each meeting better than the last.

8) Invest in Tech

Technology is essential for remote working, yet 42% of employees still lack necessary home office equipment. Whether it’s second screens for home working or interactive displays in the office, investment in these areas is paramount. Supporting employees with better broadband speeds and more powerful laptops is also worth considering. While this costs money, hybrid work is here to stay, and reducing time wasted on technical challenges is invaluable.

9) Asynchronous Collaboration

Asynchronous collaboration refers to work that can be done without a meeting but still requires teamwork. It includes group tasks, activities, and communication that doesn’t need to happen simultaneously. Teams should start with asynchronous collaboration and only move to virtual or hybrid meetings if necessary. Meetings should be a last resort, not a default, which could lead to fewer meetings overall.

The Jester approach always encourages implementing ‘just one thing’ from the list to make hybrid meetings fresher and more productive. Try it.

If you’d like to chat with Jester about any of your current hybrid, leadership, or culture challenges, we’d love to hear from you – get in touch with the team at team.jester@leadhappy.co.uk.