¿Cómo puede hacer que las reuniones híbridas sean productivas y eficientes?

Design an agenda with an opportunity for others to contribute by adding thoughts and ideas to the discussion. Virtual meetings and events that lack opportunities to engage are one-dimensional, lack interest and encourages disengagement.

Hybrid meetings are vastly more complex than meeting in-person or virtually. They are easy to do poorly and hard to do well — remote participants are only one slip-up away from losing that first-class status. Just as executives learned how to run great virtual meetings over this past year, they now need to learn how to conduct great hybrid meetings as well. Drawing from our combined half-century of experience designing and facilitating meetings for executive teams and boards, we’ve assembled eight best practices to help make your hybrid meetings more effective:

Match attendees to agenda. If the goal is to brainstorm with a group, you’ll need to cap at about 7 attendees or use a breakout feature to reduce group size and ensure there’s time to be inclusive of each voice. Virtual meetings have an audio lag, and don’t allow the buzz of multiple simultaneous conversations that happens with an in person brainstorm. If the goal is a decision meeting, ensure the alternatives are well defined in advance. And if it’s a debate meeting, shrink the attendees to only those representing unique perspectives. People tend to be less candid in a large forum.

Choose your platforms and ensure all have access and can connect in this hybrid setup. Test and resolve all issues. Set the agenda ahead of time, invite key stakeholders, make sure you give them enough time to prepare on what you want them to present on, share the agenda and stimulate ideas on the type of questions all participants will ask to ensure robust conversations, drive the agenda by giving everyone an opportunity to ask questions, set a rule to have all say something, be the devils advocate to stimulate debate. Guide conversations and create a psychologically safe environment.

Ensuring productivity and efficiency in hybrid meetings requires a thoughtful approach to address the unique dynamics of both in-person and virtual participants. Here are key strategies to consider: 1. Equitable Participation. 2. Technology Integration. 3. Clear Communication. 4. Agenda and Objectives. 5. Inclusivity and Engagement. 6. Logistics and Environment. 7. Flexible Scheduling. 8. Feedback Mechanism:** 9. Preparation and Documentation. 10. Continuous Improvement. By adopting these strategies, we can create a hybrid meeting environment that maximizes engagement, fosters collaboration and ensures in-person and virtual participants feel equally valued and included.

Clearly defined roles and rules streamline the process, ensuring all participants, both in-person and remote, understand their contributions. Transparency about the meeting's purpose and expected outcomes eliminates ambiguity, fostering an environment where each member can prepare and engage effectively. Establishing a solid structure, including guidelines for interaction, not only respects everyone's time but also promotes a sense of shared responsibility and order, essential for a successful hybrid meeting.

Setting clear expectations in hybrid meetings is absolutely essential. When everyone knows their role and what to expect, the meeting runs smoothly and time is used more effectively. To add to this, I'd emphasize the importance of proactive communication and flexibility. It's vital to encourage participants to share their preferred communication methods, whether it's through the chat, raising a virtual hand, or speaking up. This helps ensure that every team member is comfortable and able to engage fully in the meeting, which ultimately contributes to a more collaborative and productive environment.

Creating productive and efficient hybrid meetings is essential in today's work landscape. Always set clear expectations regarding attendance, participation, and engagement for all team members, whether they're joining in person or remotely. This involves communicating the importance of active participation, contribution during meetings, and cameras on to foster a culture of engagement.

Setting expectations, goals, and desired results, helps to align focus and ensure that all participants, both remote and in-person, come prepared to engage and contribute to the discussion. Additionally, this can encourage inclusivity and promote participation from remote attendees that would otherwise feel disconnected from the team. Lastly, this agenda outline will enhance efficiency with concise communication, covering every topic and allowing time for collaboration and team-building dialogue.

Don't forget people online! It's often something I have to conscientiously think about to make sure that everyone feels involved/engaged and can participate. I used to use more interactive method when we were all remote. Good point, in hybrid mode we should do it too

Per my experience, in case of hybrid meetings, it would be better if all participants join via chosen online platform even if few members are available in one building. Example: Let’s say 5 people join from one room and 5 are joining from different locations each. Sometimes people in a room communicate with each other and that conversation is not clear to people on online platform. This leads to communication gap or repetition sometimes. This is my personal perspective based on the experience gained over the last 2 years. Everyone in the team must have a level playing field. PS: People in one building have an opportunity to interact outside that particular team meeting as such.

Some participants process information differently so I share an agenda ahead of time. This allows my internal processors to consider the information and come to the meeting with ideas in hand. This especially true in a hybrid meeting when it can be harder to speak up.

Ensure your onsite technology is up to scratch. In the old days (read: "pre-Covid"), remote attendees would typically be the odd ones out and would face engagement challenges due to poor audio or video quality, missing out on collaboration through whiteboards or side discussions. Today, the scenario has shifted, with most attendees joining remotely and a smaller group onsite. It's essential that this group is equipped with the right equipment (high-quality audio and camera) to ensure an engaging experience for all: remote attendees have clear audio, close-up screen sharing, and the use of discreet side chats when necessary, so onsite attendees need to be well taken care of. And of course, coffee and snacks can help too ;-)

In addition to the mentioned strategies, it's crucial to foster a sense of inclusion and active involvement. I would suggest making an effort to connect on a personal level, even in a virtual setting, by sharing a quick personal or work-related update at the start of the meeting. This not only humanizes the experience but also helps build rapport among team members. Moreover, creating opportunities for cross-functional collaboration can be incredibly valuable. Encourage team members from different departments or backgrounds to work together on specific tasks or projects, promoting diversity of thought and innovative problem-solving.

To enhance this aspect further, I'd recommend adopting the "time blocking" technique. Set specific time slots for each agenda item and stick to them religiously. This not only keeps the meeting on track but also encourages participants to prepare in advance, ensuring that discussions are focused and efficient. Additionally, consider using visual aids like timelines and progress trackers to provide a clear visual representation of the meeting's progress. This can help participants better understand how their time is being utilized and create a sense of accomplishment as each agenda item is checked off.

As a CEO valuing work-life balance, I understand the importance of flexible work hours. However, it's also essential to emphasize the significance of active engagement and commitment during meetings, regardless of the working schedule. Being present and contributing meaningfully during meetings is crucial for the team's success and the company's progress. It's not about the hours spent in the office or in a meeting; it's about the impact and value each individual brings to the table.

En el coaching ejecutivo se utiliza la asignación de roles, ejm: una persona a cargo del tiempo, otra persona responsable de que no se desvien de la temática o expectativas, otra persona responsable de dar la palabra de manera ordenada, entre otras ideas.

To further enhance this step, I suggest you consider creating a structured feedback loop. In addition to gathering input after each meeting, establish a regular feedback mechanism where participants can provide real-time suggestions and observations during meetings. This can be done through a chat channel or a dedicated feedback form.

Tambien es muy importante que si durante la raunión surge alguna tarea asignada a algunoi de los participantes del grupo, identificar a la persona y solicitar una fecha de plazo para lograr llevar el seguimiento de las tareas (en este caso incluir tarea en outlook o aluna otra herramienta o nueva reunion asociada a dicha tarea) y no se quede olvidada en las notas de la reunion.

1. Clarify Technology Usage Action Point: Communicate tech expectations. A self paced training video would be great. Outcome: Smooth and uninterrupted virtual collaboration. 2. Highlight Participation Expectations(Time & Decorum) Action Point: Specify roles and contributions on Managing Air Time and Group Decorum. Outcome: Active involvement and shared responsibility.

One of the things I’ve found with remote or hybrid working is that you can often miss out on the “water cooler” moments. These are opportunities to have a casual conversation with a colleague. These are crucial small interactions that build relationships and rapport. I agree with some of the points above and that meetings should be focussed with a clear agenda to avoid unnecessary cost. However, if you have a spare 5 mins, why not start the meeting early and see who turns up. This naturally creates the “water cooler” moment but with the benefit of it being time bound. As more people join, the moment passes and you can focus on the meeting topics. Win win.

One thing that I have found very useful and important is ensuring that all participants are familiar with the meeting platform being used. - Also, engage everyone by ensuring visibility and audibility for both remote and in-person attendees - Use interactive methods like polls and breakout rooms to maintain participation Additionally, ensure technology readiness, inclusivity in participation, a conducive physical setup, and post-meeting actions like sharing meeting recordings and action plans. Always seek ongoing feedback and adapt based on suggestions Lastly, consider accessibility needs for all participants to ensure an inclusive environment.

I conducted a brainstorming session using an interactive digital whiteboard. Attendees contributed their ideas in real-time. This visual representation of collective thinking bridged the gap between physical and virtual spaces, making the collaboration seamless and engaging. To address time zone differences, I pre-recorded mini-presentations from participants who couldn't attend live. These presentations were played during the meeting, ensuring that every voice was heard and included in the discussion. Participants voted on the ideas they found most compelling, using a custom-built app that tallied results in real-time. This not only expedited decision-making but also added an element of interactivity and fun to the process.

I am not a fan of hybrid meetings, so my answer will be biased: do not schedule hybrid meetings, simply because it is largely unproductive. Focus of participants are split between people in the room & people joining online. It is way better to attend meetings online if it is impossible for all members to be in the room, in-person. To be impartial, hybrid meetings might still work if its a lecture-style meeting.

A problem with hybrid meetings is that the online participants are forgotten, as members may get more engaged with the members physically present in the room. In such cases it is best to conduct a full virtual meeting.