The trend towards hybrid meetings, which combine both in-person attendees with remote attendees through video conferencing, has been fueled by the rise of remote working, virtual collaboration, and travel restrictions from COVID-19 pandemic. Increased globalization and remote work have revolutionized the way we hold meetings.As the world has suddenly become forced to accept video calls and hybrid meetings as a new form of working, people must adapt to this new trend. Here’s how to prepare for successful hybrid meetings.
What is A Hybrid Meeting？
A hybrid meeting is a type of meeting in which some participants join in person from the office and some join remotely via video conferencing technology. This unique combination of in-person components and virtual online components allows participants who may not be able to attend in person due to location or other reasons to still participate in the meeting.
Hybrid meetings are useful for organizations that want to bring together remote employees with those who are able to attend in person. It combines the best features of both meeting types: face-to-face and the information sharing, recording and interactive advantages of a virtual meeting.
Why do we need a hybrid meeting?
Hybrid meetings are becoming increasingly popular because they allow people to connect and collaborate regardless of physical location. Some benefits include increased flexibility to join the meeting from anything, which increases participation; cost-effectiveness so organizations can reduce the need for employees to travel, which can be costly and time-consuming; and business continuity, to ensure meetings can still take place even if there are unexpected events like extreme weather conditions or travel restrictions.
Hybrid meetings allow employees to easily and quickly come together in person, then collaborate virtually with other employees, clients, suppliers, and various other stakeholders, even if they are in different time zones and working hours. This increases the efficiency of any organization.
Years of lockdown and isolation measures have made traditional real-time socializing and working methods unsustainable, forcing people to create new ways of communication and collaboration., More people are turning to hybrid work, which increases the flexibility to socialize and communicate at work.
Tips for a successful hybrid meeting
In order to make hybrid meetings as intuitive and straightforward as face-to-face meetings, put technology first. At the very minimum, use a decent FHD (1080P) display, camera and microphone peripheral, and most importantly, video conferencing software for attendees to easily join the meeting. The experience should be user friendly and easy for anyone to join.
Here's a list of things to prepare for a successful hybrid meeting.
1.Have a clear agenda
Never go to a meeting without a clear and well-organized agenda. This is important for any meeting, but especially hybrid meetings in case there are any hiccups when starting the meeting. Clarify the agenda so everyone knows what to expect.
2.Test the audio technology
If you are the meeting organizer, be sure to test all technologies before the meeting starts to ensure the meeting runs smoothly. Use high-quality microphones and speakers, preferably with an audio solution that not only picks up the speaker’s voice clearly but also eliminates background noise such as keyboard tapping, air conditioner, etc. Turn off all audio notifications from your phone or PC that could interrupt the call. It is crucial to be able to see and hear remote participants in the meeting room, so an audio check on your microphone is necessary.
3.Use cameras to capture everyone in the room
All participants in the meeting are equally important, so everyone should receive equal attention. Laptops work well for one-on-one video conference communication, but when participating remotely in multi-person conference meetings, you can only see part of the room, which can cause remote attendees on the call to feel not included in the meeting. Use a camera that can see all participants in the room whether mounted in the front of the room with a true 180-degree view or a 360-degree camera in the center of the room to make remote participants feel immersed in the meeting.
4.Encourage participation from everyone
Make sure both in-person and remote participants have an equal opportunity to participate in the meeting. Encourage everyone to speak up and contribute their thoughts.
5.Information Security
Information security issues have attracted much attention, especially when it comes to government or high-level meetings. Ensure that the content of the meeting is not leaked or recorded with a video conferencing application with built-in security features and certified conferencing hardware that has been developed in compliance with security processes and international safety standards.
How can you benefit from Kandao Meeting Pro in your hybrid meetings?
To maximize the benefits of hybrid conference meetings, it is recommended to invest in conference devices with excellent audio and video quality, allowing for streamlined information sharing and increased participation from in-person and remote attendees. One device to meet these standards is the Kandao Meeting Pro for the following reasons:
Portable 360 conference device
Firstly, it is a portable 360 conferencing device with built-in mics, speakers, and two fisheye lenses to capture 360 views, enabling an entire room to participate in the meeting rather than just a single person. This device uses smart cameras and microphones with wide-angle or 360 degree lenses along with Meeting AI tracking and customized views to create an immersive and engaging meeting experience.
Standalone System
The Kandao Meeting Pro has a built-in Andoird operating system, which simplifies the meeting process. The Android OS enables users to plug the device directly into the monitor using HDMI, connect to Wifi or ethernet to download any major video conference software like Zoom or Teams, and have a meeting right off the camera, without needing to use an external computer.
Excellent audio & video quality
The device’s eight microphones help identify the active speaker anywhere in the room, and features echo and noise cancellation to keep calls clear. The Meeting Pro also functions as a speaker so remote participants can be heard in the room. The camera lenses capture in 8K, but compress video input into 1080p for the video conferencing software, ensuring everyone always looks their best.
It’s important to actively include remote employees when speaking because of the additional challenge for remote employees to join discussions: signals indicating they have something to say can be missed because of screen placement, and the audio delay can make it difficult to interject at the appropriate moment.
Multiple meeting modes available
Through Kandao Meeting AI algorithm, the Kandao Meeting Pro uses motion vision and audio inputs to automatically detect an active speaker and highlight them with a blue frame so remote participants can see exactly who is speaking. What is seen on local screens is exactly what remote participants will see in their video conferencing software.
The most important point is that the Meeting Pro creates a much more immersive and collaborative meeting for both remote dialers and people in the room. As you walk around the room, the camera will pick up on the movement and also track the person.