Suddenly Hybrid

Discover the challenges and opportunities of hybrid meetings with this science-based guide from an Emmy-award winning communications expert and renowned organizational psychologist

As remote work becomes less of an unusual exception and more of an everyday necessity, hybrid meetings—meetings in which some attendees are physically present while others are virtually present—are becoming the norm.

In Suddenly Hybrid: Managing the Modern Meeting, Emmy award-winning communications expert Karin Reed and veteran industrial and organizational psychologist Dr. Joseph A. Allen deliver a practical and actionable framework for attending, hosting, and managing hybrid meetings. The authors draw from their extensive experience in research and business, as well as firsthand stories and up-to-date studies, to offer a guide that’s grounded in science and proven in the real world. You’ll learn about:

• Best practices based on research from the height of the pandemic and the unexpected paradigm shifts that resulted
• The challenges and opportunities presented by the trend towards hybrid meetings
• New research insights gathered from those early in the transition to hybrid meetings, as well as those who are well on their way to implementing a complete framework

Perfect for senior business leaders, managers, and even individual contributors, Suddenly Hybrid: Managing the Modern Meeting is required reading for anyone expected to organize, host, or attend virtual or hybrid meetings in their workplace or school.

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xvii

Part One From Suddenly Virtual to Suddenly Hybrid

1 The Inevitability and Promise of Hybrid Meetings 5

2 Considering Meeting Modalities 25

3 Lessons Learned from Our “Suddenly Virtual” Work Life 39

4 New Insights: A Recalibration of Video Use 63

Part Two Leading a Hybrid Meeting

5 The Complex Communication Network Environment 93

6 Strategies for Running a Hybrid Meeting 111

7 Potential Pitfalls When Leading a Hybrid Meeting 125

Part Three Participating with Impact – The Attendee’s Turn

8 Being Seen and Heard in Hybrid Meetings 143

9 Creating Team Meeting Ground Rules 161

Part Four Power Up – Tools to Bridge the Physical and Virtual Workplaces

10 Creating Presence for All 195

11 Enabling Collaboration for All 215

Part Five Setting Expectations

12 Skill Up for Hybrid Collaboration Success 239

13 Signs of a Healthy Hybrid Transition 259
Conclusion: What to Focus on When the Future Still Seems Blurry 277
About the Authors 283
About the Website 285
Index 289

KARIN M. REED is CEO of Speaker Dynamics. She is an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist and now focuses on helping business professionals to be confident communicators on any platform— in person, on camera, or through virtual communication tools.

JOSEPH A. ALLEN, PHD, is Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Utah. His research focus is on the study of workplace meetings, organizational community engagement, and occupational safety and health.

Before March of 2020, the phrase “let’s have a meeting” typically translated into people gathering around a table, face-to-face. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged that notion and sent practically all meetings to the virtual realm. As the virus slowly relaxed its grip, a new type of meeting came to the forefront—hybrid meetings—meetings in which some of the attendees are present in person while others are present virtually. And their complexities soon made themselves painfully apparent.

In Suddenly Hybrid: Managing the Modern Meeting, Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist turned executive communications specialist Karin M. Reed and veteran meeting expert and researcher Dr. Joseph A. Allen team up to offer a comprehensive guide to participating in and leading hybrid meetings. Exquisitely balanced between up-to-the- minute scientific data and effective, tested strategies, the book draws on the respective expertise of each author to help you get the most out of hybrid meetings.

This book is filled with valuable tools: checklists to allow you to apply the concepts explored and discussed, chapter takeaway sections that summarize key learnings in easy-to-remember bulleted lists, and reflection activities to assist you in recognizing areas for improving your hybrid meeting strategy. In addition, readers also have access to a companion website offering supplementary resources and digital copies of many of the tools included in the book.

Suddenly Hybrid is a timely, necessary, and unsurpassed resource expertly written to help you gain confidence in your ability to conduct, manage, and take part in hybrid meetings. It belongs on the bookshelves of executives, managers, and other business professionals for whom the interplay between the virtual and real worlds is now a fact of life.

PRAISE FOR SUDDENLY HYBRID

“An important guidebook for leaders on what hybrid work is and how to make it a successful reality in their organizations. Suddenly Hybrid is filled with practical advice, research, and strategies that make this an invaluable resource!”

—JACOB MORGAN, founder of FutureofWorkUniversity.com; bestselling author of The Future Leader, The Employee Experience Advantage, and The Future of Work

“Hybrid meetings are here to stay, but your star performers are not if you don’t keep them connected in a post-pandemic workplace. Karin and Joe unlock the secrets—in a deeply researched and immediately actionable new book—to engaging your team across technology and distance so that they can be closer than ever to your organization’s goals.”

—LAURA GASSNER OTTING, Washington Post bestselling author of Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life

“Hybrid meetings are at the heart of business where flexible work is the norm. Karin and Joe offer what leaders need to make these meetings work —science-based best practices that can help you navigate them well.”

—DORIE CLARK, author of The Long Game and executive education faculty, Duke University, Fuqua School of Business

“Your success—regardless of your role—relies on your ability to master hybrid communication. Suddenly Hybrid provides you with data-based, actionable tips and techniques to ensure you can successfully run and participate in hybrid meetings. This is a must have on every business person’s reading list.”

—MATT ABRAHAMS, Lecturer of Strategic Communication at Stanford GSB, co-founder of Bold Echo, LLC and author of Speaking Up Without Freaking Out