Transform hybrid meetings into immersive experiences with these 3 tips

Throughout the business world, corporate leaders have expressed skepticism about hybrid meetings and their ability to keep distributed teams connected, engaged, and informed. This concern isn't without merit, as employees have ranked hybrid and virtual meetings among the top places where they mentally 'switch off' during their workday.

However, even as many employees return to the office, hybrid meetings aren't going anywhere. Businesses continue to rely on hybrid meetings to communicate between company offices, or to connect frontline employees with corporate headquarters. And while RTO policies can draw an organization's own workforce back to the conference room, current and prospective customers, investors, and partners still require the convenience of video calls.

With hybrid meetings still playing an essential role in businesses' communication, corporate teams need to rethink these meetings from the ground up. Instead of trying to recreate a face-to-face meeting virtually, design hybrid experiences that leverage the unique opportunities within the virtual environment to make meetings more successful than ever. 

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How can organizations achieve this? Start with these three steps:

1. Foster a sense of purpose through participation
With employees reporting that they're more likely to tune out during a virtual meeting than in-person, engagement is critical for successful hybrid meetings. A key ingredient for consistent engagement is that attendees feel they have a purpose in the meeting. One of the most powerful ways to foster this sense of purpose is to build in moments where every person can actively participate. Experiences such as brainstorming, input gathering, knowledge sharing and pulse checks can create opportunities for everyone to get involved, while also giving meeting leaders real-time insights into participants' engagement.

For example, Krissy Preble, marketing manager at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices N.E. Prime Properties, shared that they originally used, "a very traditional model of 'get a presenter to talk about a topic, maybe have a little opportunity for Q&A' but it was very one-directional." By adding interactivity, "it creates this bi-directional discussion and engagement."

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2. Deliver more engaging and effective meetings with friendly competition
There are many ways to make a meeting interactive, but one of the most powerful strategies is friendly competition. Competition is naturally motivating, and in a virtual environment, the host can create immersive and captivating experiences for all participants. In many organizations, friendly competition is implemented through game-based learning, which can be introduced in standalone sessions or woven throughout a regular meeting's agenda. 

Game experiences can deliver a range of benefits for both participants and meeting leaders. They can spark connection and camaraderie, especially when using teams or playing cooperatively. Not only does this drive engagement in the meeting; it can boost employee performance overall, as 85% of professionals report performing better at work when they feel a sense of community. 

For meeting leaders, gamified activities — such as quizzes, knowledge tournaments, hackathons, and creative challenges — can also help gauge participants' understanding. At The Adecco Group, for example, candidate engagement specialist Alessandro Ferrario shared how interactive and game-based learning, "helps a lot to keep the attention of people during virtual events." He continued, "It makes the audience much less passive and helps us see how much information has been processed or internalized."

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3. Experiment with digital tools to unleash the meeting's full potential
Some believe hybrid environments are simply incompatible with human connection — whether due to the difficulty of non-verbal communication, or opportunities for distraction. Indeed, over half of employees report checking their emails during virtual meetings. However, employees don't necessarily refrain from this during in-person meetings because of genuine engagement, but to follow rules or courtesy. 

Interactive technology can change this dynamic. Through experiences such as virtual or augmented reality, digital games, interactive presentations, or anonymous feedback sharing, hybrid meetings can set a new standard for active engagement. This can also unearth knowledge, ideas, and insights that haven't yet been shared. With 58% of employees saying they hold valuable knowledge they haven't shared with their coworkers, mainly due to lack of opportunity, opening the floor for these contributions could be game-changing.

The human element in a meeting is not the absence of technology, but the presence of human interaction, creativity, and wisdom. By using digital tools strategically to make it easier, more accessible, and more enjoyable to participate, meeting leaders can create experiences that invite everyone to connect and contribute. As Marisa Doria, associate planner of meetings, events and tradeshows at Teleflex, said, "We need to partner with technology to make virtual experiences as human and interactive as possible."

Hybrid meetings have become a well-established part of the modern era of work, but learning how to use the technology is only the first step to optimizing meetings for a hybrid setting. With thoughtful design that harnesses the capabilities of digital tools in a virtual environment, hybrid meetings can strengthen connections and inspire innovation — both within the meeting space and beyond.