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Meetings are vital in every organization. Due to the pandemic, we are forced to become more flexible in terms of meeting types. Hybrid meetings are a simultaneous mixture of in – person and virtual meetings. The main challenge in leading such meetings is how to conduct engaging, conducive and productive meetings with some people in the room and some joining remotely.
On today’s podcast episode we have Karin Reed–CEO of Speaker Dynamics, an Emmy Award-Winning Journalist, and co-author of the book, Suddenly Hybrid: Managing the Modern Meeting. In this podcast, Karen shares key strategies for implementing and managing hybrid meetings.
Are Hybrid Meetings Working?
According to Karin Reed’s new book, recent survey data around hybrid meeting satisfaction is not what Karin’s team expected. Contrary to their expectations people found hybrid meetings to be satisfying with more participation and less “fake positivity.” The reason for this seemed to stem from the fact that when people are given a choice in the way they can join a meeting, they tend to be more engaged. For some people, they are best when in the room. For others, they are more comfortable joining from home. Based on the survey results, hybrid meetings may be the most effective choice for fostering higher engagement and meeting support.
2 Strategies to Overcome Meeting Fatigue
It is the joint responsibility of both meeting leaders and participants to create a meaningful meeting experience (engaging, conducive and productive).
- Let Remote People Participants Speak First – This puts weight on the concerns of people not present in the room and enhances their presence.
- Actively Manage Discussion Topics – This ensures equal status and mitigates one side or the other dominating conversations. Hence, a turn-taking policy creates variety and highlights that leadership can come from any location–in person or remote.
Keep it Close and Personal
Team cohesion is an important aspect of an organization. This will make or break the company’s productivity and ultimately, revenue. Giving importance to the team’s time together is one way of making sure that cohesion remains intact. Team leaders should schedule one-on-one meetings with team members regularly in order to break down barriers and fill-in the gaps that might surface during hybrid meetings.
Benefits of Hybrid Meetings
As already shared, the benefits of hybrid meetings are increased productivity, employee satisfaction, and increased participation. Yet another positive effect is increased talent retention. Based on a Barco survey, 33%, or 1 out 3 employees, said they would leave an organization that had “disparate and confusing hybrid meeting protocol” and move to a company that has clear hybrid meeting protocol and processes. In conclusion, employees are actively looking for companies that offer hybrid work and meetings– a new disruptor in the evolving job market.
Who is Karin Reed?
Karin M. Reed is the CEO of Speaker Dynamics, a communications firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has made a career out of communicating on camera as an award-winning broadcast journalist, spokesperson, and executive communications specialist.
Karin has been a trusted trainer and consultant for organizations ranging from early-stage start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. She empowers her clients, whether they come from the C-suite or the sales force, to speak with ease to any audience on any platform. Her methodology is based on more than 20 years of personal presentation prowess and the understanding that the best speakers are steeped in authenticity.
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-reed
To learn more about Hybrid Meeting Management download this episode now.
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