The world as we know it has changed dramatically over the past couple of years. The way we work, interact, and learn has been transformed, and so too must the way we deliver group learning experiences. As the tug back to office spaces meets remote working policies, more and more organisations are having to support hybrid working as the norm. In fact, a recent survey reveals that nearly 30% of all employees in the US work a hybrid model (where employees split their time working from home and from an office). The report says that “Over the longer run, many organizations will likely shift to operating with managers and professionals working a hybrid schedule.”

With this trend, we expect to see more and more learning taking place via hybrid delivery. To date, we've seen some fantastic in-person approaches and some equally impressive remote-only approaches, but a mix of the two often falls short. We believe this is because hybrid delivery presents a unique set of problems.

The problem with hybrid delivery

The core challenge lies in creating an environment where both in-person and remote participants feel equally engaged and included. It's just not as simple as just combining the best practices from in-person and remote learning—the dynamics of a hybrid group are different, and it requires a different approach. 

In addition, ensuring that remote participants don't feel like second-class citizens is quite a feat. It's easy for them to feel left out or overlooked when they're not physically present. This is why we’ve even seen policies that encourage everyone to be on their own device during a meeting, even when most are in the same room! Another challenge is maintaining the same level of engagement and interaction among all participants, regardless of their location.

Tips for delivering great hybrid group experiences

At Makeshapes, we've been on the front lines of this transformation, and we've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't when it comes to delivering to hybrid workforces. Here are a few tips we've learned along the way to overcome some of the common pitfalls when delivering great hybrid group experiences: 

1. Pre-game communication: As Priya Parker says in her book ‘The Art of Gathering’: “Before your session starts, it has begun.” In fact, “the gathering begins the moment your guests first learn of it.” It’s for this reason we believe it's important to clearly communicate the purpose of the session in advance, making sure everyone knows what to expect and how to participate.

2. Use the right tools: Technology is your friend when it comes to hybrid delivery. Use tools that allow for real-time collaboration and interaction that can be shared and is visible to all participants—both virtual and in-person. Don't be tempted to use the whiteboard in the meeting.  

3. Created shared agreements: Communicate and get agreement around simple expectations of how the group should engage to get the most out of the experience. From agreeing to respect opinions and establishing the right to participate to simple video calling etiquette, laying the groundwork makes for meaningful sessions.

4. Foster inclusion: Make sure participants in the minority group (be it virtual or in-person) are given equal opportunities to contribute and participate in the discussion. Digital engagement tools can be useful to ensure everyone gets a chance to speak. 

5. Plan for engagement: Don't leave engagement to chance. Plan activities that involve all participants and work in a hybrid environment. Avoid creating activities for activities’ sake, but focus on activities that build connections within the group, allow people to share ideas and opinions, and spark discussion.

6. Avoid a hardware nightmare: Although most meeting rooms are improving, take the time to ensure the rooms where multiple people will be joining from have effective speakers and microphones. Nothing kills a hybrid experience faster than the inability of participants to hear each other. 

The surprising benefits of hybrid delivery 

Due to some participants being remote, the best hybrid delivery is inherently digital. Instead of seeing this as a restriction, consider how you might use this to your advantage to gather valuable insights from how people interact in the group, respond to questions, or even invite them to give feedback. At Makeshapes, every learner has their phone (or other device) with them to respond to questions being asked, meaning every response is logged digitally.

We’ve also seen an increased sense of psychological safety in hybrid delivery. There is often a greater level of openness to engage groups when participants can use digital tools to respond to questions, avoiding the common reservations, like “my handwriting being spotted” or needing to “walk my Post-it up to the wall”. At Makeshapes, we have specifically designed features to support this safe interaction, and have gone one step further with aggregated response results, anonymous activities, and providing participants the ability to take a break without the entire session needing to know about it.

Finally, in-person delivery is often bombarded with the loudest or most confident voices getting all of the air time. Hybrid-friendly platforms, like Makeshapes, leverage features that prompt engagement from the whole group, ensuring everyone ends up getting the chance to be heard and share their thoughts.