By Guest contributor |
Organisations across the globe have had to change the way they conduct meetings, presentations, and idea-sharing sessions since the explosive growth of hybrid working over recent years. With some colleagues present in the conference room and others dialling in from home, the challenge has been to ensure hybrid meetings are beneficial and productive for every attendee.
Crestron research suggests the most successful meetings begin with every colleague having access to the right technology, as well as up-to-date training to ensure employees know exactly how to use the technology provided.
Just because meetings can take place from anywhere doesn’t mean they should; every space should have the proper connectivity and the right equipment for any scenario. Every participant needs to be seen and heard by their fellow attendees, which means organisations need to provide high-quality audio and video for both in-room and remote colleagues.
With a history of working with Microsoft for over 15 years, Crestron has a portfolio of products able to integrate with Microsoft Teams to improve the hybrid meeting experience for everyone. Crestron’s portfolio has intelligent video and intelligent audio integrated into every camera, microphone, speaker and other audiovisual equipment, all with tabletop touch screen control. The solution can be fully customised to enable organisations to turn any room into an effective hybrid meeting room.
Crestron Intelligent Video has been designed to bring everyone closer by combining technologies including Visual AI for group framing, presenter tracking and speaker tracking with composition, Visual AI Direction, and Intelligent Switching. Meanwhile, Crestron Intelligent Audio automatically adapts to any space so every participant, both in-room and remote, benefits from clear audio. Crestron’s Automate VX solution equips cameras with multiple optical zoom and advanced speaker tracking, which not only allows remote attendees to see everyone, it ensures in-person participants never have to think about where to look to engage during the meeting.
The Crestron Flex videoconferencing platform automatically enables remote attendees to better see and read the room and the non-verbal communication happening on the faces and in the body language of the in-room attendees. Having multiple monitors can also improve the experience for employees attending the meeting onsite, as it actively encourages collaboration – no one is relegated to attendees’ peripheral vision – everyone is in the line of sight, often making the experience better than an all-in-person event.
As well as having access to the right equipment and connectivity, the meeting leader plays a huge part in the overall success of any meeting. Leaders should consider sometimes attending meetings virtually and sometimes attending in person to emphasise to the wider team that it doesn’t matter how you attend a meeting, it’s how you participate that matters, and everyone’s contributions are valued equally, regardless of their location.
To boost participation from virtual attendees, leaders should acknowledge and welcome them specifically, as Crestron research shows this makes remote attendees feel more a part of the team. It’s also advisable for leaders to give all attendees the opportunity to speak, or pass on the opportunity to speak, by calling on them by name to ensure no one is unintentionally overlooked. Virtual meeting functions, such as the hand-raised emoji, can also help to boost remote attendee engagement. By proactively facilitating participation amongst all attendees by using all the tools available, leaders will find both participation and meeting satisfaction levels increase.
Leaders should also consider leaving the meeting last – don’t click ‘end meeting’ until everyone in the conference room has left. This allows virtual attendees to hang on the line to make sure they’re not missing information from the conversations taking place after the official meeting has adjourned.
Oftentimes, the technology developed to improve the hybrid meeting experience makes these types of meetings more effective than traditional meetings – and that’s how we know we’ve done our job.
Brad Hintze is executive vice president of global marketing at Crestron
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