Successful Academic Meetings: Part 3, videoconference and hybrid meetings
The final installment of a 3-part blog focusing on tips for senior women leaders in STEMM on organizing and chairing successful academic meetings. (AI-assisted graphic)
By Patricia A. Maurice
14 November 2023, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10067184
In Parts 1 and 2 of this three-part blog on Successful Academic Meetings, we provided some tips on how to prepare for and chair an academic meeting as a senior female leader in STEMM. In Part 3, we deal with videoconferences as well as hybrid in-person/remote meetings. Here, we provide a checklist for preparing for videoconference meetings.
This post is not intended to be a ‘how to’ technology guide, especially because videoconferencing technology varies and is constantly changing. Moreover, we do not want to appear to endorse any one software platform. Rather, our intention is to build upon our prior posts (with many tips that also apply here) to address some unique aspects of chairing videoconferences and hybrid (mixed in person/remote) meetings.
Always pay attention to potential security issues for online videoconferencing. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, for example, posts online guidance for securing videoconferencing [2]. Some key issues include: avoiding public hotspots and networks; only using video conferencing tools approved by your institution for business use; requiring passwords/access codes and enabling ‘waiting room’ features; and enabling security and encryption settings on videoconferencing tools.
Many universities have offices of information technology with experts who can help ensure secure videoconferencing and help set up necessary equipment and facilities. Take advantage of their assistance. If your university does not have excellent technical staff who can help set up a videoconferences and hybrid meetings, use the fact that you are a senior leader to help ensure that some are hired.
Why hold a videoconference rather than a traditional onsite meeting?
During the COVID pandemic, many universities moved to primarily online teaching and meetings for public health reasons. Post-pandemic, online video meetings continue to offer flexibility, especially for colleagues living in different time zones. It’s great that a colleague around the world can join a meeting without the huge costs of time and travel. Faculty time is an invaluable resource, and limiting travel time can increase productivity. Often, the only way to get someone from a distant location to join a meeting is to offer a remote option.
Videoconferencing can also be good for the environment and for combatting climate change. According to an article published in Inside Higher Ed in April 2019, “Scholars at the University of California, Santa Barbara, estimate that air travel for academic conferences, meetings and talks accounts for about a third of the campus’s carbon footprint.” [3] A 2021 study of a variety of international universities noted that, “Universities reporting detailed transportation impact data revealed a particularly high impact of international business traveling.” [4] Since academic STEMM research has been key to highlighting the problem of climate change, academics should be leaders in reducing carbon footprints.
Videoconferencing can be helpful for parents of small children, although many humorous examples have gone viral of children (and pets) scooting through their parents’ meetings.
Some people, especially millennials and younger, feel more comfortable meeting by videoconference than in person, although the opposite can also be true.
Videoconferencing is useful to reach out to people you normally might not have been able to connect with and to do exciting new things. Women academics in STEMM have used videoconferencing to ‘meet’ with school children in the US while conducting research in Antarctica [5]. Women astronauts have held news conferences from space [6]. I have used videoconferencing to ‘take school children along’ on geology field trips.
When is videoconferencing inappropriate?
Videoconferencing is inappropriate when some members do not have adequate computer skills, software and hardware, and/or bandwidth.
Some topics are too confidential or controversial to allow for any possibility of a security breach or undisclosed recording.
Some people are unable to participate effectively in videoconferences due to a disability (although some disabilities may be offset by videoconferencing), lack of technical skills, or lack of comfort with the format. Do what you can to help overcome any impediments but also be respectful. Don’t insist on a videoconference if it won’t work for all attendees.
Do’s and don’ts of videoconference meetings
Do:
Pre-meeting:
Read parts 1 and 2 of this blog series as many of the points in the other parts apply here, as well.
Be aware of potential security issues which are constantly evolving. For example, there have been many instances of videoconferences being hacked. Some ways to secure meetings include requiring every participant to enter a password, having someone manually admit each member, or only allowing members of a specific organization to attend the meeting. There are many excellent online resources providing guidance for securing video conferencing; e.g., [2].
Make use of university technical staff to help set up videoconferencing software and hardware, microphones, lighting, etc. Know how to contact experts during the meeting if needed (and if not on site)
Prepare for videoconference and hybrid meetings in advance.
Have a detailed agenda and be prepared to stick to it.
Check all equipment/software in advance and run a ‘dress rehearsal’ if possible.
Make sure you are aware of time zones and that everyone knows in advance whether the meeting time is in GMT, DST, etc. Know what time zone each of your attendees is in so you will understand whether they are working early morning, late at night, the next day/on a weekend, etc.
Know how to use mute and video buttons, chat windows, etc.
Consider using ‘audio only’ to save bandwidth when appropriate.
Use a neutral background to your video, and make sure you are not exposing your surroundings more than necessary.
Use a headset with a microphone if you have them and are comfortable using them.
Follow university rules and regulations, particularly with respect to recording online meetings.
Make sure someone (hopefully an administrative assistant) is assigned to take notes. You don’t want to have to watch an entire recorded video after the fact to create a succinct written record.
Understand screen sharing and have slides and presentations prepared in advance.
Be prepared with a backup plan in case of technical problems. This may include, for example, switching to an audio-only meeting, or taping a presentation or demo in advance as a backup in case a real-time presentation/demo develops glitches. Make sure any slides are available to everyone in advance in case of real-time screen share failures.
Wear clothes appropriate to a senior leader in the field. Note that some jewelry and glasses can create unwanted noises or glare.
Once the meeting has started:
Make sure everyone is introduced, as this can be even more important than for an in-person meeting where people can often meet and greet in person before the meeting starts.
Set a protocol for how people should join the discussion. Raised hand? Jump in and speak? Send a chat comment/question? etc. The protocol might be different depending on the number of attendees and the objectives of the meeting.
Speak up if you can’t hear someone and ask for repetition or clarification if needed. If you can’t hear or understand a speaker, probably others can’t, either.
Keep abreast of comments made by chat, if it is used during the meeting, and know how to save the chat stream.
Use online real-time multi-person online document editors (e.g., google docs) to write and edit together online when appropriate. They can be time savers.
Take advantage of multi-tasking opportunities, but only with caution. If you are part of a meeting, the other attendees deserve your attention. Multi-tasking can lead to mistakes and ‘bloopers.’
Make use of break-out sessions so that small groups of people can work together effectively then report back to the larger group. If break-out groups are used, be sure everyone knows how and when to re-join the larger meeting and what’s expected in terms of reporting back. It’s good to ask each breakout group to have a team leader who will present key decisions or accomplishments concisely when the larger meeting reconvenes.
Make every effort to speak a bit more slowly and to enunciate more carefully.
Let people know when you need to step away but plan to return.
Don’t:
Pre-meeting:
Don’t try to do everything on your own. Even if you are very knowledgeable about videoconferencing software and hardware and good at multi-tasking, it’s overly ambitious to try to manage the technical aspects of a meeting while chairing it.
Don’t let the list of attendees get too long, unless the actual number of speakers is limited. In a larger meeting, non-speakers can perhaps ask questions by email or chat, which may be read and answered at the end of the meeting.
Don’t force videoconferencing on people who are uncomfortable. Offer assistance and be patient.
Don’t let your computer desktop (both real-world and virtual) be too messy during videoconferencing. A messy desktop can expose unwanted materials during screen sharing and there may be something confidential you didn’t realize was visible.
Don’t expect that just because you may be meeting with people with scientific and technical skills that they are computer savvy and technologically literate in videoconferencing methods.
Don’t sit in a location where you will be backlit; make sure that your face can be seen clearly on the computer screen. Although I seldom wear makeup, I usually do put on a little for videoconferences lest my face look washed out.
Don’t allow online meetings to extend the workday-work week unnecessarily and inordinately. While it’s great to be able to work from home, the ability to do so shouldn’t mean faculty are on call 24 hours a day. As a senior leader, remember that academics need time to write, work quietly on their own, and spend time on their mental and physical health, families, etc. Pay attention to where attendees are located and their time zones.
Don’t hold an online meeting if the topic is too controversial or confidential. If you can’t get together in person, a phone call might be better in some circumstances. Realize that sessions can be recorded without your knowledge or that other people may be present at a remote node, without your knowledge.
Once the meeting has started:
Don’t assume your microphone is muted and/or your video stream is off. Careers have been ruined.
Don’t let anyone monopolize the meeting; just like in an in-person meeting, it’s rude for one person to cut other people off or drone on and on. Small time lags can sometimes cause people to cut each other off inadvertently. In such cases, people may need to slow down and be patient.
Don’t forget to eat, which is easy to do when you spend many hours videoconferencing. But, if you do eat during the meeting, please mute your microphone. Be careful with liquids (food and drinks) next to computer keyboards; they don’t generally interact well.
If the meeting doesn’t go well, try not to close your mind to all videoconferencing or hybrid meetings. The technology keeps changing and people are learning how to use it more effectively. When problems arise, note them down and work on fixing them for the future. It’s hard to know what new situations might arise in the future requiring remote meetings.
Special opportunities and challenges of hybrid meetings
Hybrid meeting, where some people are present together in a given location and others are off-site, using videoconferencing software, can present extra challenges. But sometimes, they’re the only way a necessary meeting can happen.
In hybrid meetings, it can be difficult to ensure that remote and in-person attendees feel equally valued. For example, if one group of people is meeting together in person, perhaps going out for meals together and socializing while others only pop in for a formal meeting, the latter can feel excluded. Be especially welcoming and attentive to the remote colleagues. Make sure everyone is introduced; don’t just do one-way introductions. When someone joins a meeting from a remote location, they need to be introduced to everyone attending in the group. If someone joins a meeting already underway, make sure they are introduced as soon as possible but without interrupting a speaker.
Pay special attention to the technology and set-up of computers, lighting, and microphones. As mentioned above, most universities have dedicated technical staff who can help set up remote or hybrid meetings. Technical staff should be able to recommend the right software and hardware and help make sure everything is loading and working (on site and remotely) in advance. Remote participants need to feel fully engaged and appreciated, not like they are just observers of the ‘real’ meeting.
The need for dress rehearsal can be particularly important for a hybrid meeting. You want to be sure that the remote attendees can hear everyone in the group and vice versa. It can feel very isolating to join a meeting remotely and not be able to hear all of the discussions going on around the conference table.
As the chair of a hybrid meeting, plan the agenda to include adequate time for contributions of on-site and remote participants. Make sure that you manage the conversation and flow so that everyone is involved.
Hybrid meetings are relatively new, so be sure all participants know in advance what to expect and what the logistics will be. Expect that there may be some glitches, so allow a little more time in the agenda and take responsibility. Don’t set expectations too high for the first few hybrid meetings. Try to avoid inviting particularly high profile or unforgiving people to your first hybrid meetings. Let the embarrassment of glitches fall on your shoulders, as the chair, not on those of attendees. Learn from mistakes so the next meeting will be a big improvement.
Questions for further consideration
· How effective are you at leading video or hybrid conferences in STEMM academics? If you consider yourself a ‘pro’ then contact us about contributing a follow up blog to this series.
· What is the worst experience you’ve had with video and/or hybrid conferences and what could have been done to avoid the problems?
· How would you like to see videoconferencing technology evolve in the future? What would make for more effective platforms?
Notes and references cited
[1] AI-assisted illustration generated (June 3, 2023, P. Maurice) using Stable Diffusion v1.5 on the Draw Things app
[3] Bray, S. et al. 2019, “Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Academic Travel” Inside Higher Education, https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2019/04/18/12-scholars-share-ideas-reducing-carbon-emissions-academic-travel-opinion accessed June 2, 2023.
[4] Helmers, E., Chang, C.C. & Dauwels, J. Carbon footprinting of universities worldwide: Part I—objective comparison by standardized metrics. Environ Sci Eur 33, 30 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-021-00454-6
[5] https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna27455231 accessed June 3, 2023
[6] https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/in-space-news-conference-to-review-first-all-woman-spacewalk
accessed June 3, 2023