Make hybrid meetings better with these 3 tech tools

3 tech tools to fix hybrid meetings in 2024

January 17, 2024 5:30 AM

Mastering the art of hybrid meetings has become a top priority for companies looking to keep both in-person and remote workers engaged. But without the embrace of certain tech tools, success may not be possible.

Hybrid meetings are significantly less productive than completely in-person meetings or completely virtual ones, according to a 2023 report by workplace insight platform Gartner. However, it's estimated that by 2025, 65% of workers worldwide will still primarily be attending meetings in a hybrid fashion — and investing in new, more innovative tech can improve the odds of success.

"We have these hybrid meetings where some people are at home and some people are sitting around a conference room, and that's really difficult to manage," says Neeha Curtis, chief communication officer at video platform Jugo. "We need to start using technology to not only help us bridge that gap but also adapt how we use it so that it's purposeful."

Not only are both in-person and virtual participants struggling with hybrid meetings, according to a 2021 survey from Owl Labs, but 30% of in-room participants reported that their most common challenge was starting meetings on time due to malfunctioning technology. Another 27% of respondents stated that even when the technology worked properly, they had to move and rearrange equipment so that remote employees could get a better view.

"The right tools guarantee that visual communication in hybrid meetings is as clear and effective as if participants were together in one room," says Andrew Cussens, videography expert and owner of photo service FilmFolk. "High-quality cameras, microphones and video mixers do more than render a professional appearance; they forge an environment where ideas flow seamlessly and unhindered by distance and technology."

Here are three vital tech solutions companies can use to give their hybrid meetings a much needed boost of efficiency.

Better virtual platforms

In the early days of the pandemic, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and WebEx made it possible to work in a crisis. But quickly, 49% of employees had Zoom Fatigue, according to a 2021 survey from software company HubSpot. Today, that stress has struck around. These meetings come with a higher cognitive load, according to Curtis, thanks to the need to keep up with too much input — in-person colleagues, various backgrounds of virtual peers, and overlapping audio.

"We hear a lot from HR: Why aren't employees engaged?" Curtis says. "Well, when you have several different screens up, everyone's got a different background. What that tells you primarily is that everyone's in a different location, which instantly tells employees that they are not all together. That is the disconnect."

A platform like Jugo, which eliminates individual backgrounds and sets everyone in a virtual conference room complete with digital seats, podiums and presentations, can level the playing field. Everyone's experience, whether they're in-person or working from home, becomes uniform.

Let go of webcams

Thirty-two percent of employees have had trouble seeing the faces of other participants in virtual meetings, which can lead to the misinterpretation of visual cues, according to a 2022 report by Owl Labs.

"Employers should not depend solely on standard webcams," Cussens says of the cameras built into laptops and monitors. "These devices can hinder a meeting's dynamism, limiting remote participants' ability to interact with both content and speakers. It's similar to observing a play through a keyhole: one never sees the entire scene."

Cussens recommends employers invest in PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras, which are robotic cameras capable of panning horizontally, tilting vertically, and zooming in on the faces of speakers. This way employees run less of a risk of misunderstanding or misinterpreting their colleagues while feeling more engaged.

Invest in video mixers

Making sure that audio and video work seamlessly is also critical for the productivity of a meeting. Video platforms may not have been built to manage the volume of audio and video feeds that certain meetings require, causing contributions from certain people to get jumbled or missed altogether if the platform can't detect who's talking and pan to the right person.

To remedy this, Cussens suggests investing in an external video mixer, such as the Roland V1 HD, that will smooth transitions between speakers and ease the conversation flow.

"Mastering this degree of control and professionalism can significantly enhance the engagement and productivity in a hybrid meeting," Cussens says. "It ensures every participant — whether attending physically or virtually — has an equitable place at the discussion table."