How to Improve Hybrid Meetings with High-Quality Audio-Video Solutions

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Hybrid meetings are part of modern work. According to a survey from recruiting giant Robert Half, 48% of job seekers are looking for a hybrid role, while 25% say they prefer a fully remote job. These numbers make it clear that employers can ease recruitment woes with flexible working opportunities.

Unfortunately, meeting the demands of a successful hybrid workforce can be challenging. Companies need ways to maintain strong communication and collaboration with all employees, no matter where they're located. For many businesses, hybrid meetings are the best solution. But without the right technology, these meetings can be filled with interruptions and distractions, limiting how much teams get done.

Holding effective hybrid meetings requires a clear understanding of potential issues and what you hope to accomplish. Here, we'll explain exactly what hybrid meetings are, the challenges that may arise, and how the best hybrid meeting technology can facilitate effective hybrid collaboration.

What Is a Hybrid Meeting?

A hybrid meeting is a meeting where participants join both in person and virtually. Some team members will gather in a typical meeting room, but others will join from a distance using audio and/or video technology. The hybrid meeting approach is often used to include remote workers or conduct meetings between company branches with a format that supports flexible schedules and companies with partners or branches in distant locations.

Hybrid meetings often take place in company meeting rooms outfitted with specialized equipment to support virtual participants. Creating an inclusive environment where remote participants can effectively participate requires special planning and meeting technologies. Hybrid meeting rooms may include multiple large screens, personal devices, and endpoints like headsets or earbuds. Virtual participants typically join from individual devices in various locations: home, the office, coffee shops, or other places.

Common Challenges in Hybrid Meetings

Hybrid meetings bring participants together from various settings, including meeting rooms, work desks, offices, homes, and public spaces. But the variations in these settings create challenges that can undermine a meeting's effectiveness with distractions and disturbances.

Some of the most common challenges affecting hybrid meetings include:

Technical difficulties. Hybrid meetings require technology that supports multiple settings. From basic issues like inadequate bandwidth or glitches to integration difficulties or poor video and audio, technical difficulties can completely derail a meeting.
Lack of inclusivity. Hybrid meetings should make all participants feel like they're in the same environment. Limited technology can make virtual participants fade into the background, hurting their ability to participate actively in the meeting.
Low engagement. Virtual meetings reduce the contribution of body language and natural connections that come naturally with face-to-face interactions, leading to reduced attention and participation.
Zoom fatigue. A combination of missing visuals and one-dimensional audio makes the brain work harder to fill in the gaps. This extra cognitive load decreases concentration and engagement, reducing the meeting's effectiveness.
Noise control. Video conferences often have one-dimensional audio where mixed sounds and voices come from a single source. This can make it difficult to understand people in large hybrid meetings.

Hybrid Meeting Technology

Reliable technology is a crucial part of conducting successful hybrid meetings. Typical equipment includes cameras, video switchers, event platforms, communication platforms, speakers, headsets, and microphones. But not all meeting technologies provide the same experience.

The best hybrid meeting technologies can address technical issues and improve inclusivity and engagement for productive meetings with contributions from all participants. These innovative solutions can take your hybrid meetings to the next level by enabling you to develop a fully inclusive environment that feels like all participants are truly in the same room.

Video Conferencing Platforms

High-quality, robust video conferencing platforms are the foundation for facilitating seamless communication between in-person and remote participants. Video conferencing platforms use built-in software to seamlessly connect to cameras, microphones, and other third-party components to create your ideal meeting space. With choices like Bluetooth and USB connectivity and a range of available accessories, these systems provide a personalized meeting experience that meets group and individualized needs.

Spatial Audio Equipment

Crisp, clear sound is vital for effective communication. But achieving clarity can be difficult when meeting participants sit in a wide range of environments, each with its own unique sound.

Meeting equipment that supports spatial audio technology eliminates sound issues, like background noise and one-dimensional sound, making remote meeting participants easier to hear. Headsets, earbuds, speakers, and other audio devices supporting the technology replicate the natural sound experience, making noises appear from different spaces and times. With these tools, remote participants experience the meeting in the same way as in-person participants, increasing engagement and productivity.

Smart Camera Technology

Hybrid meetings can make it difficult for all participants to feel equally seen. Remote participants often face challenges seeing everyone in the conference room because the camera doesn't capture everyone. Those who aren't seen are less likely to make their voices heard and participate fully in the meeting.

Smart camera technology improves the video conferencing experience with advanced AI and machine learning that uses camera framing and tracking modes to capture human expression and body language better. The technology enables teams to remove wasted screen space in various ways to focus on everyone for a more collaborative meeting experience. Cameras can frame groups, individuals, speakers, or presenters and also automatically switch between views for optimal efficiency.

Embrace the Future of Hybrid Meetings With Advanced Technology From Poly

Interactive meeting technology bridges the gap between in-person and remote participants to ensure effective communication in hybrid meetings. When you have the tools to create a realistic atmosphere with 3D audio and smart camera framing and tracking, virtual participants and in-person attendees collaborate in the same environment.

The line between physical and virtual workplaces is fading away. So, you need technology to keep up with the future of meetings. Poly empowers businesses with the resources employees need to create seamless interaction between team members, regardless of their physical location. Connect with us to learn how we can help you develop inclusive hybrid meetings that enhance collaboration and productivity.

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Hybrid Meetings 101: Technology, Rooms, and More

What Is a Hybrid Meeting?

Common Challenges in Hybrid Meetings

Hybrid Meeting Technology

Video Conferencing Platforms

Spatial Audio Equipment

Smart Camera Technology

Embrace the Future of Hybrid Meetings With Advanced Technology From Poly

Select Your Country/Region and Language

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HP Poly HP Poly HP Poly

Hybrid Meetings 101: Technology, Rooms, and More

What Is a Hybrid Meeting?

Common Challenges in Hybrid Meetings

Hybrid Meeting Technology

Video Conferencing Platforms

Spatial Audio Equipment

Smart Camera Technology

Embrace the Future of Hybrid Meetings With Advanced Technology From Poly

Select Your Country/Region and Language