Why host hybrid events?
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been forced to learn new ways to gather, learn, work, and connect with one another. The pandemic elevated for many what people with disabilities, people with caregiving responsibilities, people with unreliable transportation access, and people engaged in transnational collaboration have long known: Opportunities for virtual engagement are crucial for equity.
This guide is meant to support faculty, staff, students, and anyone else organizing events for/with the RU community in planning that accommodates both face-to-face and virtual participation. Benefits of the hybrid event format include:
Broader and increased reach of attendees, allowing a wider range of people to take advantage of attending
Enhanced accessibility to reduce attendance barriers (for those with disabilities, with young children, those who live further away and have geographical barriers, those who can’t afford to travel to the site, those with time constraints, etc.)
Increased attendance
Greater flexibility
Opportunities for different types of audience engagement (polls for online/raised hands for in-person)
Before the event:
Determine if the event will be hybrid or virtual only.
When scheduling the event on Zoom (or other platform), consider enabling the waiting room.
Circulate a sign up form that includes a prompt asking for consent to record the meeting (if applicable).
Include an accessibility statement and be prepared to respond to accommodations requests.
Clearly advertise the modes through which the event will occur.
Be clear about whether the event is simply being live-streamed (where virtual attendees may watch but not participate) or if virtual attendees will be able to engage remotely (such as ask questions using a chat or Q&A function).
Research technical capabilities of the in-person location
Do you need to specifically reserve a room that has the capability to live-stream and/or host hybrid events?
What audio/visual technology exists and what is missing?
Is there a computer in the room or does a laptop need to be brought in for this purpose?
If you don’t have a meeting space in your department building, consider other campus meeting spaces, such as the RU Libraries, the Student Centers, the Graduate Student Lounge, and the Division of Classroom Services.
Assign a moderator or coordinator as “co-host” who will monitor the online chat and Zoom room for technical difficulties and questions and, if applicable, to admit people through the virtual waiting room. This should be assigned in advance of the meeting.
Just before the event:
Start the online meeting a few minutes early to allow attendees to enter prior to the start of the event.
Turn on live captioning.
Make sure that, if the speaker is using a microphone, they know in advance not to turn their heads away from the microphone which could make it difficult for remote participants to hear the speaker.
Test the sound to ensure that remote attendees can hear the speaker.
Test the video to ensure that remote attendees can see the speaker.
When sharing screen, ensure that visual aids like PowerPoint slides or documents are visible virtually (i.e., via “share screen”) as well as through a projection in-person before beginning the event.
Ensure that the speaker is not the only one with hosting capabilities. While screen-sharing, the speaker may not be able to simultaneously monitor the chat for technical difficulties or admit people from the waiting room. This person should also have hosting capabilities and be able to mute participants if needed.
Assign a coordinator or moderator with hosting abilities to monitor the online chat and Zoom room for technical difficulties and questions and, if applicable, to admit people through the virtual waiting room. (Another consideration is to disable the waiting room once the event starts to allow virtual attendees to rejoin in the event of disconnection.)
During the event:
If the speaker needs to indicate something on screen, rather than using an actual laser pointer, use the mouse or a virtual laser point so this is also visible to online participants.
Repeat in-person audience questions on Zoom prior to the speaker answering the questions so virtual participants can hear what was asked. (Alternatively, assign someone in-person to bring a microphone to an in-person attendee when asking a question so that the sound may be heard clearly virtually.)
Be clear with attendees about whether they should ask questions in the chat or Q&A and if they should occur during the event or only at the end.
Communicate the etiquette rules for the event. Examples include:
May the audience personally record the event or not?
Should the audience remain muted?
Should the audience have their videos turned on or off?
Should remote attendees ask questions in the chat, the Q&A, or by raising their hand?
Can they ask questions during the event or may questions only be asked at the end of the event?
