You might have finally got the video call down to a fine art, or maybe you’ve only just stopped hearing “you’re on mute” every time you catch up with your team. Either way, the workplace is likely to change once again as many offices are set to be reopening soon (or already have done in some parts of the world).
Among the many things that marketers will be reacquainting themselves with are in-person and hybrid meetings. Here we share some tips for making them a success in 2021.
Plus, as team members might be hesitant to participate in meetings post-lockdown, we’ve put together a handy checklist for you to determine whether a meeting is necessary, and who absolutely needs to be involved based on its particular requirements.
How to nail the hybrid meeting
1 in 4 meetings in 2020 were hybrid meetings and this is very likely to grow as lockdown restrictions are eased. Hybrid meetings bring together a mixture of in-person and remote attendees and are ideal for companies looking to accommodate the individual needs and preferences of employees post-lockdown.
However, according to research by Barco, there is still the general feeling that in-person meetings are still essential for more formal types of discussion, such as important decision-making, or resolving internal conflicts between colleagues.
With the abundance of remote working tools and software available, companies embracing the hybrid meeting have the potential to combine the best of both worlds. However, the data above makes it clear that there are a few extra things for organisers and hosts to consider in order to make sure they are engaging, professional and productive when it really counts for example:
Balance
One of the major challenges of hybrid meetings is keeping them balanced. Because remote speakers are not physically present, they may have less context and it will be harder for them to make their points land with impact. This makes proper introductions (preferably prior to the meeting happening) especially important.
Technology
The variety of tools and software available for hosting and running professional hybrid meetings can get a little overwhelming. Luckily, many software providers offer expert advice on choosing the perfect setup for your needs as well as training for getting the best from it.
Professionalism
To ensure that hybrid meetings run smoothly, appoint a facilitator as well as someone in charge of setting up and resolving any technical issues that occur. This can make all the difference when it comes to maintaining professionalism and keeping attendees fully engaged. It’s also important to make it clear which participants are attending remotely and who are there in person to help establish an existing level of trust and understanding.
8 meetings we still need in 2021
In a recent survey, 58% reported that they have been more productive while working from home. While being far from ideal, lockdown has taught us a lot about not just productivity, but the workplace in general. Reducing time-wasting meetings was one of the more positive lessons to come out of more than a year spent working from home.
According to research by eShare, in 2018, the average office worker spent 10 hours 42 minutes every week, preparing for and attending 4.4 meetings, with 2.6 of those deemed unnecessary. While cutting down on unnecessary meetings is undoubtedly a good thing, there are some that we just can’t do without:
#1 Status Updates
What’s the purpose?
Communicate the progress or state of a project or the current direction of the business as a whole. It’s also a good chance for teams and departments who might be working separately to get aligned on shared goals, priorities and decision making.
How do you make it work?
- Keep it as succinct as possible
- Get input from those directly working on the tasks covered
- Stick to a consistent structure so that teams understand the expected outcomes
- Document the goals put forward for the next meeting
#2 Kick-off meetings
What’s the purpose?
When you’re starting any new project, you need to get your team up to speed. As well as covering long and short term goals, kick-off meetings should let individuals know what part they play in the project and build enthusiasm around the job. Starting a product off on the right foot will make a huge difference to its final outcome.
How do you make it work?
- Agree on the clarity of the project brief
- Get everyone aligned with the goal and scope of the project
- Give them a clear understanding of what needs to be achieved
- Plan how you’ll be working together
- Establish individual roles and responsibilities
- Set timelines, deliverables and workflows
#3 Feedback meetings
What’s the purpose?
Building a culture of continuous feedback is important for growing the skills and performance of an individual, but also for highlighting how your organisation can help them do their job better.
How do you make it work?
- Communicate the purpose of the meeting before you start
- Make sure you have the relevant information as well as input from other team members
- Give employees the chance to share their point of view
- Set actionable goals if necessary
- Summarise everything you’ve covered to make sure it’s understood
#4 Budget and finance meetings
What’s the purpose?
Holding budget meetings on a regular basis will help prevent any miscommunication regarding marketing finance and spending that could cost your organisation. As well as ensuring that everyone is aligned with how much is being spent, and what it’s being spent on, this is a chance for people to highlight any concerns without them getting lost in email chains.
How do you make it work?
- Allocate the amount that needs to be spent
- Make it clear what the money is to be spent on
- Communicate the expected return on investment where possible
#5 Decision-making meetings
What’s the purpose?
There are stages in every project where the team needs to get realigned to before moving forward. This is the time to call a decision-making meeting and make the call on the next steps.
How do you make it work?
- Agree on a set course of action
- Gather everything you need to make an informed decision
- Include subject matter experts to ensure that your decision is accurate and feasible (e.g. designers, developers etc…)
- Establish who will be responsible for making the final call
#6 Problem-solving meetings
What’s the purpose?
Problem-solving meetings should have a singular goal in mind. They are appropriate when it’s time to figure out the cause of an issue that’s holding up a project and determine the action needed to resolve it. A problem-solving meeting could have a long term or short term focus, depending on whether the issue can be immediately addressed, or whether it needs strategic thinking to get its route cause.
How do you make it work?
- Establish whether the problem can be immediately addressed or needs further thinking
- Include key stakeholders
- Decide on a clear course of action you’ll be taking and explain why
- Before everyone disperses, assign and notify individuals of their responsibilities in the resolution
#7 Brainstorming meetings
What’s the purpose?
Bring your team together to generate creative ideas for things like advertising campaigns, potential new projects or even in-house initiatives. The key is to create a relatively informal environment where employees can ‘bounce’ ideas off one another and come away with a list of potential directions.
How do you make it work?
- Create a relaxed environment where people feel free to share their thinking
- Aim for quantity over quality at this early stage
- Include thought starters to give some direction at the beginning
- Don’t expect fully-fledged ideas
- Keep it fast-paced so you don’t lose momentum
- Narrow down your ideas to a shortlist and share them after the meeting
#8 Onboarding meetings
What’s the purpose?
To get new hires up-to-speed while making them feel welcome and enthusiastic about working at your organisation. Onboarding meetings are a chance to start building a positive working relationship, show them where they fit in in the bigger picture and what will be expected of them in their new role.
How do you make it work?
- Don’t leave it too late — it’s important to schedule onboarding meetings on time to make a good first impression.
- Introduce them to the wider team and arrange one-on-one meetings with key team members
- Establish what tools, software and training they’ll need
- Make sure new starters are familiar with HR operations and building facilities
Embrace any working model with BAM by Papirfly™
Whether your whole team is back in the office already, you’re implementing the hybrid approach, or you’ve decided to stay remote, BAM by Papirfly™ can align teams across the globe with a centralised location for localised marketing materials, up-to-date guidelines and more. It’s the only tool you need to help your teams:
- Store and share assets from an easy to use dashboard
- Give teams access to the relevant assets they need
- Streamline your and feedback approval processes
To find out how, book your demo today.