Page 26 - ART of Remote Communication

Hybrid:
What used to work no longer does
Communicating across various mediums or modalities is not new. We've always done meetings where some participants are in the same room, while others are calling in or on video, or some combination thereof. Things are different now because it's been flipped–few are in-person and the majority are virtual. Additionally, when communicating virtually (phone or video) we expect more; we want to be seen and heard more clearly. We have less tolerance for poor digital skills and execution.
When one, two, three, or more communication experiences are happening in a single meeting, we need to be hyper aware of the different communication needs that are present. It's hard to master and meet the needs of all of these various communication modes. There are techniques to make juggling the messiness of hybrid communication more efficient and effective.
Assign a Commentator in the Shared Space: It's helpful for the people sharing the same space to assign someone to be the commentator. It's this person's job to voice what's happening in the room. When several people are in the same space they're communicating non-verbally and with their spidey sense; this is something the virtual participants can't experience. Assign someone to share the play-by-play, "Lee just made a funny face that's why everyone is laughing.", "Pat walked by the door and distracted us. We're back."
The commentator helps to build trust by creating transparency in the space.
Assign a Commentator for Virtual Participants: The virtual commentator is in charge of the chat and can also monitor the video boxes. They can call in the person who has raised their hand or is trying to contribute. The commentator helps to take care of everyone in the meeting making sure that input is heard from all modes of communication that are present in the meeting.
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