From Chaos to Coherence: Navigating the Pitfalls of Hybrid Meetings
Navigating the challenges of modern meetings often involves choosing between in-person, virtual, or hybrid meetings. Hybrid meetings, where some participants gather in a room and others join virtually, seem like a flexible solution, but they come with huge drawbacks. At Lizard Brain, we universally discourage the people we work with from using hybrid meetings. Here’s why.
Technological Challenges: The Pitfalls of Hybrid Meetings
The first hurdle with hybrid meetings is the technological aspect, which can significantly hinder the flow and productivity of the meeting. “Idea permanence" is the concept that an idea only truly “counts” when it’s written down. It’s the reason behind the widespread use of sticky notes and flipcharts in meetings. Suppose your goal is to foster an environment where everyone contributes effectively. In that case, all participants must be able to document their ideas in a shared digital space, like a Google Doc or an online whiteboard tool such as MURAL. Software tools are more equitably accessible when everyone is remote. But in hybrid meetings, it’s very difficult to ensure that every participant will have access to a collaborative digital workspace.
Hardware presents challenges for hybrid meetings as well. Even the best room microphones fail to pick up all voices, and participants in the room might lean in to whisper, engaging in side conversations that aren’t accessible to virtual attendees. This leads to our second concern: exclusion.
The Problem of Exclusion and Side Conversations
Hybrid meetings are exclusive in their fundamental design. When some members are physically present and others join remotely, participation can’t be equitable. Often, those not in the room are sidelined. Some participants will have an inherent disadvantage, handicapping their full participation.
Side conversations are a common byproduct of this exclusivity. These visible but quiet exchanges between in-room participants can send a negative message to virtual attendees, furthering their sense of exclusion. All someone in the room has to do to destroy trust is lean over and whisper to the person next to them. Hybrid meetings can create barriers, detracting from the meeting’s effectiveness and inclusion.
A Simple Solution for Inclusive Meetings
Fortunately, there’s an extremely simple and straightforward solution to the hybrid meeting dilemma: stop doing them. Choose either a completely in-person or a completely virtual format. This approach ensures all participants have equal means to engage and contribute.
While hybrid meetings may seem like a practical compromise, they are in fact a monstrous hybrid. Technological challenges and exclusion issues undermine the psychological safety of a meeting, which leads to distrust, which results in participants withholding their best ideas and honest opinions. Ensure a more inclusive and productive environment by opting for an entirely in-person or virtual format. Contact Lizard Brain today to learn more about our in-person and virtual facilitation and remote graphic recording.
