It’s been a couple of years since the pandemic turned many of us into hybrid workers. How did this change affect our meetings?
We asked 1,500 US office workers about their meeting experiences.
What did we find out?
In short, remote work has sparked an unexpected revolution toward more engaging, democratic, and inclusive meetings.
For a longer answer, get your PDF copy of The Online Meeting Revolution Trend Report.
Inside, you’ll discover plenty of interesting meeting stats as well as practical tips from several experts and industry leaders.
As a teaser, here are 10 thought-provoking findings from the report.
#1. 61% of US office workers believe online meetings can be more engaging than face-to-face meetings.
The same percentage of respondents (61%) said that they believe meetings can also be more productive than face-to-face meetings.
For us, this was a revolutionary revelation. You’d think that people can’t wait to get back to the office but for many, clearly, remote is a way to go.
#2. 50% of home workers said their boss listens to them more when they’re at home than when they’re in the office.
Video tool design helps: Everyone’s video window is the same size, and the speaker is always in front of the meeting leader, with a name tag too. There are no forgotten names or seats too far away.
#3. Four in five home workers said they attend more meetings now than they would in the office.
We have more meetings and for more reasons than ever before. With remote work, meetings were a valuable source of human connection.
Besides getting things done, we now use meetings for building social capital and strengthening team spirit. Being geographically divided, online meetings bring people together.
#4. In the office, 55% of meetings were unengaging. Online, 47% of remote meetings remain unengaging.
We saw a step in the right direction, but not a giant leap. While people believe that online meetings have the potential to be more engaging, lots of our meetings still remain unengaging.
In the report, we identified the three key barriers that keep meeting organizers from running truly engaging meetings. You will find them in the third chapter called ‘The Action Plan’.
#5. 42% of attendees have left a meeting without saying what was on their mind.
Imagine how many things left unsaid were good ideas! In the USA alone, it’s not unreasonable to think that millions of ideas a year may go unheard.
In the report, you’ll find tips that will help you democratize your meetings and open the way to a diversity of ideas and opinions.
Read also: Diverse Meetings Lead To Better Decisions
#6. One in three US office workers who couldn’t say what was on their mind said they’d left the meeting thinking of getting another job.
In this day and age, with so many engagement tools and best practices at hand, there is no reason for people to feel unengaged or unable to contribute.
Running meetings where people feel heard and listened to is a way to retain the best talent.
#7. 54% think their manager needs to get better at facilitating discussions in meetings.
In addition, 62% of home workers think their manager needs training to get the best out of remote teams.
We teamed up with experts and crafted a full-on battle plan to help you embrace technology and hone the new skills necessary for running meetings your team will love.
Read also: How to Master Hybrid Meetings: 22 Best Practices
#8. 57% of people multitask during meetings, 48% daydream and 49% lose track of what is being said.
It’s time to consider your return on meeting investment. We call this the ROMI factor and we introduced it specifically for this report.
A crucial factor for ROMI is time management. Are your meetings time-efficient? Are expectations communicated clearly? Do decisions get made?
#9. While 47% of people think aloud in meetings, 53% think quietly and speak occasionally.
The idea of more than half are prone to die in the noise. Unequal airtime and the failure to include everyone are problems that can easily be overcome these days thanks to technology.
By using interaction technology such as Slido, collaboration tools like Miro, or working in shared documents, you can give voice to everyone, regardless of how vocal or shy they are.
Read also: Interaction Is the Tip of the Meeting Iceberg
#10. The top factor that people say makes meetings engaging is clear communication (59%).
The next most important things that make meetings engaging are:
- Organizer is clearly prepared (56%),
- Decisions get made (56%),
- Time management – meeting begins and ends on time (54%)
- The meeting organizer really listens to what people say (50%).
In the report, you’ll find a lot more valuable insights and tips that will help you maximize the potential of your meetings – online, hybrid, or face-to-face.
