During our most recent Webinar: “Mastering the 2022 Meeting: Some in the Room & Some in the Zoom” we discussed how working remote or hybrid is becoming the new norm for a lot of companies. This is creating complications for our standard meeting that has some people in the same room, others sitting at their desk, and others yet working remotely. Keep reading to learn a few best practices along with some technology recommendations for how to hold an everyday hybrid meeting that works for both in-office and remote participants.
Types of Everyday Hybrid Meetings
There are several types of meetings that most companies hold on a daily or weekly basis that are being affected by this post pandemic shift. This includes your standard, everyday 1-on-1 meetings, sales meetings, brainstorming meetings, weekly team huddles, or management meetings.
Challenges within the Current Landscape
Before 2020 remote work was still considered a job perk. By the end of 2020, working from home was the new normal. Most employees enjoy remote working and would prefer to continue a remote or hybrid schedule.
58.6% of the total workforce are remote workers and 70% are predicted to be remote by 2025
While working remotely does have a lot of benefits such as reduced stress, better work-life balance, and positive environmental impact, there are some challenges and disadvantages, particularly when it comes to hybrid meetings such as:
- Technical issues and losing time
- Communication gaps
- Reduced focus and productivity
- Remote participants feeling excluded
In exit interviews, 1/3 of employees say a key reason they decided to leave is because of technical issues dealing with remote work.
Make Audio and Lighting a Priority
Poor audio is the #1 enemy of online and hybrid meetings. There are a few things you can do to ensure that you have the best audio possible during your meeting:
- Make sure you have a stable internet connection and are in a space with little background noise or echo
- Don’t call from your car or other unreliable locations
- Ensure your meeting participants can hear you by using earbuds or a headset
Lighting is also very important! Good lighting is key to a good video experience. Direct light that is in front of you (not behind you) is what you want. Here are a few tips to make sure your lighting is on point:
- Be sure to have light in front of you to properly illuminate your face
- Never sit with windows behind you, because the daylight will silhouette you
- Don’t use virtual backgrounds or filters that can be distracting (Google “Zoom Cat Lawyer” for reference as to what not to do)
Recommended Equipment for the Office or Conference Room
As many companies are transitioning into hybrid work, they will need videoconferencing-ready spaces and updated tech to ensure the best possible experience for their employees. Here are a few recommendations on equipment that will make this transition much easier:
- BiAmp Parle Microphone – a low-profile ceiling microphone with Beamtracking technology to track the active speaker.
- Huddly L1 Camera – This camera captures everyone in sharp detail with a 6K sensor and a fixed-focus lens. The camera intelligently frames participants and offers valuable insights with room analytics.
- Neat Bar – The Neat Bar is a simple and elegant, compactly designed yet highly capable meeting room device for Zoom or Microsoft Teams. It’s perfect for bringing superior-quality audio and video to your meeting, huddle or focus rooms for up to ten people.
Recommended Equipment for at Home
With more and more employees working remotely, it’s important to ensure they have the right tech at home too! Some companies are even opting to provide remote work kits for their employees that include high quality videos, cameras or lighting that can be used in home offices. Here is some of our favorite tech for the home office:
- Yamaha Portable Speakerphone – Take important calls wherever, whenever with this personal speakerphone, designed to offer professional-quality audio while connected to your laptop, phone or tablet.
- Huddly One – Converts your home office into a high-end video conferencing setup and ensures you look your best.
Looking for more information on how to make your home office more efficient? Check out more Pro AV Tips for the home office.
Best Practices for Hybrid Meeting Attendees
As employers try to find a new normal, it’s increasingly clear that hybrid work will be a staple for most businesses. Use these best practices to make the most of your hybrid meetings:
General Etiquette Reminders
- Keep everyone engaged
- Utilize mute unless it’s your turn
- Avoid side conversations
- Be on time
- Make sure everyone is on camera
- Utilize the “raise your hand” feature
- Ensure your workplace is quiet, clean, and has an appropriate background
Technical Best Practices
- Give a digital whiteboard option
- Check your lighting & audio before the meeting starts
- Standardize one conferencing platform
- Share meeting content in advance In case there are technical issue during screen share
- Before the meeting, ensure that nothing else is draining your connection, like any background downloads or someone streaming Netflix in the next room.
Ready to make some changes to accommodate your hybrid workforce? Bluewater is ready to guide you. Reach out today to get started!
