87 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-inperson 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 Photo: iStock.com/xavierarnau Crestron has updated firmware for its 1 Beyond intelligent video cameras
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=