5 steps to address hybrid meeting equity

1. Deploy cameras so all in-room participants are visible

A variety of approaches enable companies to capture all in-room participants. These include deploying multiple cameras around the room, center-of-table cameras and the use of AI to create more natural engagement for those not in the room. Metrigy research indicated that about 45% of companies use center-of-table cameras, with 47% deploying multicamera systems. Which option you choose depends on the room design and need.

2. Deploy in-room touch displays

Without a way to collaborate on content in the meeting room, those in the office are at a disadvantage when working on virtual whiteboards or shared content. Those relying on dry-erase boards in meeting rooms put remote participants at a disadvantage. The answer is to deploy touchscreens that support the use of virtual whiteboards and other content collaboration technologies. A touchable virtual display in the meeting room means in-room participants don't have to stare at their individual laptops to review or contribute to a whiteboard. They can collaboratively work on the in-room touchscreen, while also seeing input from remote participants. Touchscreens may supplement traditional front-of-room displays or replace them.

Meeting leaders must actively reach out to remote participants to ensure their voices are heard, as well as seek regular feedback to determine if meetings are useful, productive and necessary.

3. Enable in-room chat

Meeting app vendors are increasingly adding features that enable those in the meeting room to see conversations in chat. This eliminates the need to supplement meetings with personal devices or force in-room participants to stare at laptop screens to see the meeting chat.

4. Use AI, as appropriate

Every day, AI-driven meeting capabilities become more common. These include the ability to capture individual in-room participants and display them in a gallery view, as well as flattening the display of those around a meeting room table to present a more face-to-face experience. AI also blocks outside and background noise that can cause distractions, and through the use of intelligent microphones, it enhances the quality of in-room audio. Additionally, real-time meeting summarization and translation enable participants to query meeting content during or after the meeting, improving engagement.

5. Rethink meeting leadership

Implementing the tips above may not be enough to guarantee meeting equity. Meeting leaders must actively reach out to remote participants to ensure their voices are heard, as well as seek regular feedback to determine if meetings are useful, productive and necessary.

Meeting leaders should consider features like persistent chat to continue discussions after a meeting has ended. Employing techniques such as distributing notes, agendas and goals before the meeting begins can help organizations minimize the time employees spend in meeting rooms.

Finally, IT and business leaders should take advantage of analytics that gauge meeting system performance and measure how effectively meeting spaces are provisioned. These analytics can provide IT and executive leadership with the guidance necessary to revise their business strategies. Meeting technology strategies shouldn't simply focus on enabling participants to see one another; rather, they should aim at ensuring everyone shares a common engagement experience.

Editor's note: This article was updated to improve the reader experience.

Irwin Lazar is president and principal analyst at Metrigy, where he leads coverage on the digital workplace. His research focus includes unified communications, VoIP, video conferencing and team collaboration.