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With the increase in remote work and hybrid office setups, facilitating meetings that include both in-person and remote attendees has quickly become the norm. However, it can be challenging to ensure effective communication and productivity in such meetings. So, what steps can you take to make sure your hybrid meetings are a success?
Follow these four best practices:
Plan Ahead
Effective meetings begin with careful planning. Take the following steps to set your meeting up for success:
- Define the meeting objective: Outline the purpose and goals of the meeting. This will help all attendees understand what is expected and stay focused.
- Create a detailed agenda: Share the meeting agenda in advance with all attendees. Include specific discussion topics, time allocations, and any required pre-meeting preparation. This allows remote attendees to plan accordingly and be prepared.
- Test technology in advance: Ensure the audio, video, and screen-sharing technology work seamlessly before the meeting starts. Troubleshooting technical issues during the meeting can waste valuable time and cause frustration.
Establish Communication Norms
Clear communication is essential for meetings with both in-person and remote attendees. Here are some tips for establishing effective communication norms:
- Encourage active participation: Set the expectation that all attendees, regardless of their location, should actively contribute to the discussion. This helps create an inclusive environment where remote attendees feel just as valued and involved.
- Provide equal speaking opportunities: Select facilitation tools that will give everyone an equal chance to speak and share ideas. This ensures remote attendees are not inadvertently left out or overlooked.
- Use technology: Leverage collaboration tools like chat features, virtual hand-raising, or polling to enhance engagement. These tools enable remote attendees to participate and provide feedback in real-time.
Ensure Productivity and Collaboration
In meetings with both in-person and remote participants, it’s crucial to keep attendees engaged, on track, and collaborating. Consider the following strategies:
- Use visual aids: Incorporate visual aids, such as presentations or shared documents, to support your discussions. Visual cues help remote attendees follow along and stay engaged.
- Assign a co-facilitator: Consider a co-facilitator to help manage the meeting flow, ensure everyone has an opportunity to contribute, and moderate discussions. The co-facilitator can also actively involve remote attendees, addressing any concerns or questions they may have. This is especially helpful when you’re bringing large groups together.
- Use breakout rooms: If the meeting involves group work or brainstorming sessions, use breakout rooms. This allows smaller groups to collaborate effectively, regardless of their location.
Document and Share Meeting Information
To ensure everyone is on the same page and is aware of any action items that need to be addressed after the conclusion of the meeting, it’s important to document and share meeting information with attendees and stakeholders. Here’s what you can do:
- Meeting summaries: Assign an attendee to take meeting minutes and summarize key decisions, agreements, votes, and action items. Share these summaries with all attendees and stakeholders promptly.
- Shared documentation: Use collaborative tools to create shared documents or workspaces where participants can access relevant materials and contribute to ongoing discussions.
Conducting meetings with both in-person and remote attendees presents unique challenges. However, by following these best practices, all attendees, regardless of their location, can contribute meaningfully to the meeting’s objectives.
Be sure to check out our Facilitation Skills workshop where we’ll provide you with a structured process for facilitating meetings of any kind, whether virtual or in person. You’ll also receive a copy of our Facilitation Toolkit, with 45 proven, powerful tools to help you accomplish the objective of any meeting.