Hybrid meetings increased in popularity in 2020, and as we’ve moved into 2021, they continue to be a necessity. By offering the option to concurrently meet in-person and virtually, they gave us the ability to continue to move forward in business when some attendees may not have been able to participate in person.
While the concept of a hosting a hybrid meeting might seem a bit daunting, it doesn’t need to be. With the right preparation, you can host a highly productive and beneficial meeting that meets everyone’s needs with great success.
What to Know About Hybrid Meetings
Recently, we’ve dived deep into all aspects of hybrid meetings, including best practices to stay on track and get the most out of your event, tips for engagement, and basic etiquette.
BEST PRACTICES
Starting with best practices, we discussed some of the challenges you need to overcome, followed by a few practical tips to ensure that you have a successful meeting with minimal to no interruptions. Preparation is key to having a hybrid meeting running smoothly.
TIPS FOR ENGAGEMENT
Next in the series, we focused on tips for engagement. While participation in a traditional meeting setting might feel natural, one unfortunate side effect of virtual meetings is attendees’ ability to multitask. This often leads to half-listening, offering limited feedback, and having little reason to engage. We provided practical tips such as a gift box to help them stay focused and feel involved, or host in the same building but in separate rooms.
HYBRID MEETING ETIQUETTE
In our third and most recent article, we covered hybrid meeting etiquette. The lines can blur a bit when all attendees aren’t face-to-face. We offer everyone suggestions from the hosts to the in-person attendees, and even those who plan to attend remotely. A couple of tips include checking all your equipment beforehand and to give remote attendees a little extra time to respond due to potential streaming delays.
Here are a few additional tips to make your hybrid meeting as beneficial and enjoyable as possible for everyone involved to wrap up the series.
MAKE THE MEETING EVERGREEN
With incredible technology at our fingertips now, it’s easy to record meetings for future use. If the meeting is one that will be beneficial in days or weeks, even months to come, consider recording it. This would cement its availability to any staff that might wish to look back on it. Furthermore, it could be used for future training purposes. If you’re already streaming, it’s also simple to record and archive the recording yourself.
OFFER EARLY ATTENDANCE FOR VIRTUAL ATTENDEES
Offering early attendance for virtual attendees allows them to address any audio or visual concerns and have those taken care of before the meeting begins. This will also let them ask any questions they might have without holding up the event for everyone.
HAVE AN IN-PERSON CHAT MONITOR
If your video hosting service offers both chat and video conferencing, consider designating someone to be the chat monitor. This would be someone attending in person while also having a login for the chat. They would be responsible for ensuring that any questions needing answers are taken care of, that there is no side chat happening, and assisting with any issues that may arise.
At Stonewall Resort, we offer all of the needed equipment to host a hybrid meeting, the space to keep all in-person attendees safe, and the knowledge to help you make sure that it runs seamlessly. Contact our planning team to get more information about hosting your next meeting with us.
