Mel Houser, M.D., Executive Director, All Brains Belong VT (10/15/2024)
There are MANY reasons people benefit from meetings being offered in hybrid format. Yes, it’s extra work. And yes, it takes some intentional thought behind it. But this is about ACCESS – full and meaningful participation. Whether it’s accommodating remote participants, supporting neurodivergent folks, or simply providing more flexibility, hybrid inclusivity can make all the difference.
So how DO you create hybrid meeting experiences that work for everyone?
Before: Laying the Groundwork
- Choosing a Venue
Often we don’t have control over the venue – and if that’s the case, we’re going to focus on optimizing what we can to ensure an inclusive experience for participants. But when we do have choice of venues, here’s what to look for:
- Strong Internet connectivity – if that’s not possible, consider having a virtual person be the host of the Zoom meeting, in case the in-person computer loses Internet and shuts the meeting down
- Plenty of power outlets (located close to where your computers will be)
- Ideally an outdoor space for as much as possible (at least 1 in 5 people is at increased risk of complications from COVID-19) – a surefire way to make an immunocompromised person feel excluded is to have no place for them to safety eat and drink.
- At All Brains Belong, all of our hybrid events are held outdoors. What has worked the best (as shown below) is being under a shaded cover. The most difficult experiences I’ve had as a hybrid outdoor host was on bright sunny days when I could not see my laptop screen!
2. Technology Setup
- High tech: Choosing a venue that is already equipped with state-of-the-art cameras, microphones, and speakers (as well as a team that knows how to use those things) – locally, ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain has an awesome new AV system (plus a staff team that is trained in neuroinclusivity).
- Low tech: 2 laptops. Ideally one laptop can connect to an external monitor so that in-person folks can see the virtual folks on the Zoom grid. Shown below is a low tech setup that All Brains Belong recently used for a hybrid meeting held at the Grand Isle Lake House, made possible by Preservation Trust of Vermont and Common Good Vermont.
In this photo, we show our setup using:
- 2 laptops both logged into Zoom
- 1 external monitor connected to one of the laptops
We kept participants in a semi-rectangle at one end of a table. At one end of the table was an external monitor, connected to the Virtual Liaison (see below)’s laptop.
At the other end of the table sat the facilitator, with a second laptop facing the person speaking.
In our setup, the facilitator’s laptop served as the camera and the speakers (for virtual participants to be heard in-person). The virtual liaison’s laptop served as the mic (because it was easier for the virtual liaison to be muting/unmuting) than the laptop being passed around. The facilitator and the Virtual Liaison had a clear line of sight view between them.
Don’t forget about closed captions (both for virtual participants and in-person). Do not wait for people to request this.
And by all means, please test your tech setup beforehand. We’ve all been in hybrid meetings where this was not done until 5 seconds before a presentation starts.
3. Explore participant access needs
Send out a pre-meeting survey to all participants (both in-person and virtual) to ask about access needs — that is, what they need for full and meaningful participation. Here is a post about normalizing access needs discussion in the workplace. All Brains Belong offers consultations to organizations seeking to develop customized access need menus for their organization. In addition to access needs that require advanced arrangements (such as an ASL interpreter or a live captioning service), we find it helpful to probe for access needs that a facilitator can implement at the time of the meeting (for example – “I want the facilitator to call on me” or “I want the facilitator to NEVER call on me.”)
4. Identify a dedicated Virtual Liaison
Assign someone to act as the point of contact for virtual attendees. This person ensures that remote participants are seen, heard, and fully included in the conversation. Their role includes troubleshooting tech issues, relaying questions from the chat, and monitoring engagement. This person ideally would be located in-person.
During: Ensuring Access & Meaningful Participation
In addition to intentional design of engaging meeting content, here are some best practices for hybrid meetings:
- Pre-meeting staff huddle: Establishing logistical ground rules
Neuroinclusive spaces always include a Community Agreement. And in addition to that Community Agreement, hybrid meetings may require a few additional logistical ground rules – and possibly even visual supports created to ensure that these are followed. Here were ours from a recent hybrid meeting:
- No side chats between in-person participants (it is literally the WORST thing as a virtual participant to not be able to hear a presenter because the side chat is louder than the presenter)
- Mute the mics during all transitions (worse than the side chats is hearing papers rustling and chairs squeaking — again, also louder than the presenter)
- Only one mic on at a time. In our setup with 2 laptops, the laptop closest to the person speaking had the mic on. The other laptop was muted. If we needed to switch, the first mic needed to mute before the second mic could unmute. This prevents feedback (which is actually worse than my previous two examples). For this one, establishing up front a good “system” for communicating between staff members as to muting / unmuting is essential.
2. Protect the role of the Virtual Liaison
The Virtual Liaison’s entire focus during the meeting is the virtual participants (both video and chat). If possible, they should be offloaded from additional responsibilities. In a larger space, they may benefit from wearing headphones communicating with a laptop, providing a direct audio feed from the virtual participants. The Virtual Liaison may need to intercede to create space for virtual participants to be able to participate with mouth words, as well as read out comments from the chat. It is very difficult for the in-person facilitator to play both roles. I say this having played both roles many times.
3. Managing technology
As above, following those pre-established logistical ground rules are key. But having a go-to person who knows enough about technology to troubleshoot anything that goes awry is also essential. And, of course, if that happens, the Virtual Liaison is going to be able to keep virtual participants in the loop.
What virtual participants see: Virtual participants can only see what is directly captured by the camera. If you’re using a laptop, that means the laptop camera needs to face the person speaking.
Why we used two laptops is so that one camera can face the facilitator and one laptop could be passed around to each person speaking. A phone or an iPad to pass around is also another strategy.
Shown in this image is the laptop turned toward the person speaking.
What virtual participants hear: Virtual participants can only hear what comes in through a mic. In a small space, a laptop microphone will carry the voices of people speaking in-person. In a large space, all people speaking will need to use a microphone — either coming closer to the computer mic, or using an external mic. Otherwise the in-person participants will not be heard by the virtual participants.
4. An Extra Touch: Creating a Hybrid “Circle” Formation
We are so grateful to Evelyn Gearty from The Vermont Community Foundation and Song Nguyen from the Vermont Department of Health for this brilliant innovation: The Hybrid “Circle.” At their recent event, in-person participants were arranged in a circle flanking the sides of the large screen showing the Zoom grid. At their venue, there was a camera mounted high up on the wall looking down upon the in-person participants. This gave virtual participants the illusion of being part of the circle.
Here’s our much lower tech recent adaptation of this:
We put our in-person participants in a semi-rectangle (because of the shape of the tables available) opposite an external monitor displaying the Zoom grid (thus completing the “circle”). To create the “illusion” for the virtual folks, I stood up and held my laptop to the height of my own head to look down upon the table and in-person participants. It worked amazingly well – though was difficult to sustain through the entirety of participant introductions. A lighter device would have been easier to manage.
The idea is to highlight that all participants (in-person and virtual) are part of the same cohesive conversation and shared experience.
After
- Debrief with your team
Immediately after the meeting, take a few moments to debrief with your team. It may seem like you’ll remember things but you may, in fact, not. What worked? What didn’t? Jot down any improvements to implement for next time.
2. Gather Feedback from Participants
Send out a quick feedback survey to both in-person and virtual attendees. Ask about their experience with technology, accessibility, and participation. Did everyone feel included? Were there any barriers to full engagement? Use this feedback to improve your future hybrid meetings.
Want to learn more?
Visit https://allbrainsbelong.org/education to learn about All Brains Belong’s neurodiversity trainings and consultations, in addition to accessing free pre-recorded educational materials related to neuroinclusive employment.
Conclusion
Hybrid meetings are an essential tool for making meetings more accessible to all participants, but it takes intentional planning and thoughtful execution. By following these steps, you can create an environment where everyone—whether in the room or attending virtually—can contribute meaningfully.
Shout out to Evelyn Gearty from The Vermont Community Foundation and Song Nguyen from the Vermont Department of Health for their insights and support in helping shape this approach to inclusive hybrid meetings.