The Challenges of Running Hybrid Workshops or Meetings

Hybrid meetings or workshops can be particularly challenging. They require careful planning, solid preparation, and top-notch facilitation skills.

How to Bridge the Gap Between Remote and In-Person

We’ll show you how. Consider this your complete and definitive guide to hybrid workshop success. It covers all the steps, tools, and tips you need.

What is a hybrid meeting or workshop?

A hybrid meeting or workshop is one that involves both in-person and remote attendance. You’ll have some people in the room with you, and others connecting virtually.

Read more about How Hybrid Events Have Proven Continuous Success.

Challenges of the Hybrid Model

Perhaps one of the biggest question marks is around employee engagement and team culture.

How do you ensure that all employees feel engaged and included, regardless of whether they choose to work from the office or from home?

This is especially relevant when it comes to hybrid meetings and workshops. Let’s explore some of the specific challenges associated with hybrid workshops now.

There are three main challenges to be aware of when running a hybrid meeting or workshop:

Challenge #1: Creating an Equal Work Environment

In a hybrid meeting, it can be difficult to ensure that remote and in-person attendees feel equally valued.

Without the right setup, remote participants may end up feeling like outsiders or observers—or that their contribution is less important. This is something to be aware of when planning your workshop.

Challenge #2: Technology Issues

Technology issues aren’t unique to hybrid meetings, but they can be particularly detrimental when you have a mix of in-person and remote attendees. This ties into the challenge of creating an equal work environment; if your technology setup isn’t ideal, remote participants may struggle to keep up with what’s happening.

Similarly, if remote attendees have poor internet connections or unstable video quality, it can be difficult for in-person participants to enjoy and appreciate their presence.

Challenge #3: Keeping Everyone Involved

The most engaging meetings and workshops are those that are interactive, maximizing attendee engagement while keeping “listening” time to a minimum. This becomes especially tricky when you have some people in the room who are able to physically participate in the activities and others who are relying solely on technology.

It’s essential to plan activities and discussions that all members can participate in, otherwise, you’ll see participant engagement drop dramatically.

How to Run a Successful Hybrid Meeting or Workshop

With the right setup, a well-thought-out agenda, and top-notch facilitation, you can run hybrid workshops that are engaging, productive, and enjoyable for everyone.

Consider your digital setup: What software and tools will you use?

Running a hybrid workshop is all about bridging the gap between the people in the room and those connecting remotely. The first step is to plan your digital setup—what platforms, tools, or software you’ll use to connect everyone in the meeting.

If your workshop requires additional materials, how will they be made available to both remote and in-person participants? For example, you could create a PDF that can be printed or accessed on your computer.

Start by making a list of every possible digital tool or capability you might need. From there, do your research and narrow down your search.

Your physical setup: How will you optimize your meeting space for in-person and remote participants?

Now you’ll plan the physical logistics of your hybrid meeting.

You want to design the space in a way that allows remote participants to see as much as possible. How can you make sure they feel like they’re in the room?

Ideally, those dialing in from another location will have a clear view of the meeting space and will be able to see everyone in person. Likewise, remote participants should be as visible and present as possible.

These ideas can help:

• Place the main presentation on a large screen in the center that everyone can see (either via camera or live)
• Place webcams on tripods strategically around the room to give remote participants a 360-degree view
• Give remote participants a seat at the table, with a dedicated screen for each person calling in

Getting the physical configuration right can take some trial and error, so it’s worth experimenting with a few different setups beforehand to make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.

Make remote participants as physically present as possible

You might be tempted to bring an extra laptop and have all remote participants visible on one screen. But by making remote participants smaller and less visible, you’re diluting their presence in the workshop.

If space allows, give each remote participant their own screen and dedicated ‘seat’. So, if you have five people calling in from home, you’ll need five additional screens ‘sitting’ around the table. If that’s not possible, consider two or three larger screens.

The more visibility and physical presence you provide to remote participants, the more cohesive your hybrid meeting will be.

Optimize Your Technology and Devices for Smooth Communication

No matter how simple or advanced your technology setup is, it should be optimized for a hybrid environment.

Most importantly, you want to ensure a stable internet connection, high-quality video, and clear audio. If you have in-person participants sharing a single video and microphone (i.e., through a single laptop), make sure everyone can still be heard and seen.

Depending on the size of the group and the space, it may be worth bringing a portable speakerphone for conference calls.

And if you have the budget and

If so, consider upgrading your setup as follows:

• Bring extra monitors (large screens)
• Keep a WiFi booster on hand if your internet connection is likely to cause issues
• Equip your meeting space with high-quality speakers and microphones
• Invest in high-definition webcams (you might even consider AI webcams that can track and zoom in on who’s speaking)
• Weak audio and shaky video belong to the remote working era of early 2020. Spend the extra time and money upgrading your tech setup – your workshop participants will be forever grateful!

Be clear about the structure of your workshop (and communicate it in advance)

The hybrid workshop model is still relatively new, and participants may not be sure what to expect. Once you have all the physical and digital logistics cleared up, it’s important to share them with the group in advance.

You don’t need to reveal the entire agenda, but a brief email before the workshop is very helpful.

Take a walkthrough

If this is your first hybrid workshop or your first time trying a particular hybrid setup, take a walkthrough.

A lot of your success depends on all participants being able to see and hear each other clearly. Once you have the room set up with all the necessary equipment, take a mock walkthrough with one other person in the room and one other person calling in.

It’s so simple but so important. A minor technical glitch can throw off the entire workshop. Or accidentally exclude remote participants. Do your due diligence ahead of time and make sure your setup is spot on.