Post-pandemic, many workplaces have invested in video conference solutions for their boardrooms and meeting rooms, and hybrid meetings have become the norm.
The trouble with hybrid meetings is that if you’re the one joining remotely, you see a single video of a room full of people, and it’s often hard to make out the individual faces. Their images are tiny, and in many cases, you might not even be able to recognise who is in the room.
When you can't see faces, you miss out on body language and other important visual cues such as frowns, smiles, or eyebrow raises.
For this reason, remote participants in hybrid meetings are less engaged and are less likely to contribute and collaborate.
John Hegarty, National Sales Manager - Technology for OfficeMax, says it's time for businesses to take a moment and re-think their meeting room setup.
“To facilitate more engaging hybrid meetings that correctly reflect/capture the personalities of each participant, businesses need to adapt to new technology and adjust their current video conferencing setup.”
Microsoft’s Front Row technology allows meeting participants, whether physically present or joining remotely, to be featured individually on screen so their visual and verbal cues are not missed.
“Each attendee can have their individual and equal real estate on the screen that is enabled by advanced AI-powered cameras that work on all video conferencing platforms,” John says.
Here are five ways that Front Row can optimise the hybrid meeting experience and empower/enable equal participation.
1. The individual approach in group settings:
The camera frames each attendee individually on the screen, whether seated in a group in a boardroom or joining the meeting remotely.
2. Vocal and physical cues are captured:
Unlike other group meetings where people’s subtle communication nuances are missed, such as expressions, voice modulations, raising a hand, etc., these advanced cameras capture all.
3. Mics are directed at the speaker:
AI-powered mics recognise the voices of each attendee in a group setting. The mic gets directed to them, and their video frames also get highlighted when they speak.
4. More engaged attendees:
Using the advanced intelligent camera so that the remote attendees in hybrid meetings feel they are actually seated at the table and form a greater sense of connection.
5. Personalised experience:
Makes hybrid meetings a personalised experience for every participant, regardless of how they attend – in groups, remotely, or from their desks. They occupy equal space on the screen, and their opinions/contributions are heard and acknowledged.
Here are some of the tools that you can integrate into your meeting rooms that will revolutionise how you conduct hybrid meetings.
Logitech Sight Video Camera: Logitech Sight is a front, and tabletop camera set up with intelligent multi-participant framing to get a front and centre view of the room and give a more inclusive hybrid meeting experience. This AI-powered meeting room camera helps remote attendees feel like they are seated at the table. The camera follows everyone seated at the table with a 315-degree view and 360-degree audio capture up to 2.3 metres away.
Jabra PanaCast 50: Jabra PanaCast 50 is an intelligent video with a 180-degree view of the room. The device enables the Microsoft Front Row feature that allows an immersive meeting layout for in-room and virtual participants in hybrid meetings.
Logitech Scribe Whiteboard Camera: Scribe is a wall-mountable camera that can broadcast whiteboard content into video meetings. Its wireless share button can seamlessly enable sharing whiteboard on video meetings with outstanding clarity. It can even make the presenter disappear so the view of the content on the whiteboard is unobstructed.
CommBox Interactive Display: Commbox touchscreens are advanced display screens with interactive features ideal for meeting rooms. CommBox comes with built-in whiteboard software and the ability to access cloud storage to access files and run presentations. Add a Logitech Rally Bar or PanaCast camera to get the Microsoft Teams Front Row experience.
Whether you are looking at setting up a meeting room from scratch or want advice on how best to utilise the equipment you already have by changing your room layout or installing acoustic panelling to assist with audio-video issues, our specialists are here to advise and assist you.