Realizing successful hybrid workshops – the best of both worlds!

While it was rather unpopular for a long time, hybrid workshops will accompany us more and more in the near future. They let us stay efficient in times of quarantine and regional lockdowns, and are also a perfect chance to enrich virtual collaboration. In this article, we will share all we’ve learned so far about the both fascinating and challenging world of hybrid workshops in people development.

What is a hybrid workshop?

A hybrid workshop is any type of learning event with both face2face and virtual participants. It needs appropriate didactics, top-notch technical setup and a co-facilitator supporting the trainer or presenter.

Hybrid workshops have been a rarity in the past. It’s standard in most organizations and development institutes to hold either face2face trainings with all participants joining physically or mere online learning events, most often called webinars or masterclasses. As always, crises force us to be creative and to find new paths to go. Right after the first Covid-19 shock diminished, these hybrids quickly elevated from “no-go” to “to-go” to keep highly necessary development initiates going. One fact that stood out right from the beginning is the “real-life” feeling of hybrid workshops. In virtual collaboration in general, or especially during the global lockdown phenomena, you often face the fact that some participants in a meeting, training or workshop can’t attend physically. This can lead to a series of complications – or creates a perfect chance for development under realistic conditions. 

So here is what our team at Think Beyond learned so far in hybrid leadership workshops!

How to make it work - Hybrid workshop routine 

While you might have your preparation routine for traditional seminars and online formats, it’s worth going the extra mile when holding hybrid workshops. We identified three major criteria: technical setup, technical facilitator and personal setup as trainer or facilitator.

1. Your technical setup

It should be a no brainer: the technical setup has to be super-duper extraordinarily good when working online! Beyond the basics like high-speed internet, correct adapters for all possible devices and cables that are long enough for your room setup – yes, don’t underestimate that – here are some practical advices we found to be very helpful in setting up beneficial hybrid learning surroundings.

• Use at least two cameras: One camera is directed at the front of the room, in order to capture the facilitator and offline presentation materials like flipcharts, whiteboards or posters. The second one is positioned at the back of the room behind the face2face participants, in order to enable eye contact between the facilitator and virtual participants.
• Have two big screens ready: One screen is positioned right in front of the room as a presentation medium (ppt, video, …), the second screen is “seated” at the back of the room just like your second camera. Thereby the virtual participants have a dedicated physical space in the classroom, which makes it even easier to make room for them in the metaphorical sense.
• Consider a conferencing system: Investing in or organizing a good conference system – we’re using one from Logitech - can support the learning experience, not only in hybrid situations.

2. Technical facilitator is a must!

While in webinars, you might have a chance to get along without, but in hybrid workshops technical facilitators are an absolute must! You as a presenter, trainer or facilitator would overstrain yourself if you had to have content, didactics, group dynamic AND technical setup in mind. So here’s a profile of your best performing technical facilitator.

• Technical expert: He/she knows all there is to know about camera functionality, audio and internet connection as well as the tool solution of choice to include your virtual group (say Zoom, Skype, Adobe Connect, GoToWebinar,…).
• A “tough cookie”: When green lamps start to blink red or “I can’t hear you right now” sounds through the room, your perfect technical facilitator has nerves of steel and remains calm like Buddha while dealing with the situation.
• Virtual participants’ voice: In order to prevent you from jumping around the room all the time, your technical facilitator will read chat comments from the virtual participants and be their physical voice. For example when you as the facilitator ask the group to answer something in the chat. Or a participant prefers to ask a question in the chat in order to not disturb the flow of the whole session. Or during a break out session. Sometimes questions come up and it is easier to collect them in a chat.

3. Your personal setup as trainer and workshop facilitator

First of all, relax! As new as it is, it‘s not rocket science and with experience in face2face trainings and webinars you’re totally capable to rock the hybrid version. However, in the following you find some inspiration bites that may help you get going.

• Preparation: A powerful hybrid workshop is possible – and it’s intense! So make sure your personal battery is charged and you are prepared at your best level.
• It’s all about resonance: You know your content anyway! For the hybrid workshop, have a special focus on the learning flow and resonance with the participants.
• Connect with your technical facilitator: As already mentioned, technical facilitators play a crucial role in hybrid learning events – stay in close and friendly connection and therefore give him/her the chance to unfold full-power support.
• Involve both worlds: To respect the setup you’re operating in, combine as many analog and digital elements as possible. For example:
  • Use the physical flipchart and zoom-in with the front camera.
  • Mix virtual and face2face participants for breakout sessions. Your goal is to connect the group instead of separating it. That also means: Face2face participants need to have their laptops or tablets ready at any time.
  • Use music to connect both worlds even more.
  • It’s tricky to hand over a nice paper certificate to virtual participants. In one of our workshops, the PDF-certificates were sent to participants exactly at the same time as face2face participants were handed over theirs.
  • In another case we sent little bottles of champagne/juice to our participating leaders, so we could “clink glasses” together at the end of the program.
• Use tools that support the success and process of the workshop: Hybrid workshops are interactivity par excellence. Why not using tools that support that even more? Here’s a selection of what worked well for our participants so far:
  • teamretro.com (for structured online facilitation processes for retrospectives and workshop in which everyone can join and contribute)
  • flinga.fi (for visual overview of constellations/lineups/sociograms)
  • mural.co (for collecting ideas and developing topics together on one board)
  • padlet.com (for virtual flipchart or pinboard)
• Prepare your mind: Stay creative and agile during the sessions. Hybrid workshops are not a ready-made asynchronous download conserve. Understand them as uniquely evolving events that are developed in real-time and under your lead as a facilitator.
• Hear your participants: Proactively ask for feedback and include any creative ideas on how to make things work event smoother.

Hybrid workshops may enrich learning experiences

Hybrid workshops are not the perfect solution – but classroom trainings and webinars aren’t either. As far as we can tell right now, we experienced them to be a colorful addition to what is already out there in terms of learning formats. If we approach them with an open mind and willingness for creativity and spontaneous adaption, they certainly can enrich learning and development experiences. What are your experiences so far?