The key to a successful hybrid meeting

The key to a successful hybrid meeting

Hybrid working has proven to work for the past few years and will be the preferred way of working moving forward. With this new way of working, hybrid meetings will be essential for businesses to collaborate. Hybrid meetings are vastly complex due to a mixture of participants attending the meeting remotely and physically. They are easy to do poorly but hard to do well. We usually focus on the agenda and the technology aspect but there are more important factors that can ensure the success of a hybrid meeting.

Communicating in diverse contexts

The participants for a hybrid meeting can consist of people all over the world with diverse cultures. Participants from diverse cultures will require the appropriate environment in order to thrive. The 2 main cultures are categorized into low and high context.

In the next section, we’ll look at common characteristics of low and high context cultures.

Low context cultures

People from a low context culture are more factual with less use of non-verbal communication cues. They communicate using explicit messages and are monochronic, emphasizing the schedule and focusing on a single task at a time. They have the tendency to dominate and dictate the meeting. This will deprive others of having the opportunity to contribute. The moderator will need to be conscious of this and take control of the meeting, ensuring others have the equal opportunity to contribute.

High context cultures

On the other hand, people from high context cultures use a lot of non-verbal communication cues. They are more emotional and communicate using implicit messages. They are polychronic, adapting to the situation and focusing on multiple tasks at a time. They are more willing listeners, usually hesitant to speak up; they will need encouragement to participate actively. An icebreaker before the meeting will be great to warm them up and let them feel more comfortable. Having an inclusive environment is key for participants from a low context culture to thrive. During the meeting, the moderator can nudge them by asking for their opinions and this will get them talking. Any sign of disapproval including non-verbal cues from other participants will greatly deter them from contributing – thus constant encouragement will be essential.

Successful hybrid meetings depend on DEI

With the knowledge of diverse cultures, we are now better equipped to ensure our hybrid meetings are successful. The key to a successful hybrid meeting hinges on the word DEI: