Charing a hybrid meeting

Chairing effective hybrid meetings requires thoughtful planning and execution. Always consider incorporating the Welsh language to promote inclusivity and celebrate the linguistic diversity of your team.

Here are some best practice ideas to help you succeed:

1. Design an Inclusive Agenda: Create an agenda that considers both in-person and remote attendees. Choose icebreakers that everyone can engage with.
2. Bilingual Agendas: Create meeting agendas in both English and Welsh. Include key points, discussion topics, and action items in both languages. This ensures that all participants can follow along and participate effectively.
3. Share the Meeting Agenda in Advance: Make sure all participants receive the meeting agenda well ahead of time. 
4. Language Etiquette: Remind participants to be respectful of language preferences. Some team members may feel more comfortable communicating in Welsh, while others may prefer English. Encourage everyone to be patient and understanding.
5. Participation Etiquette: Remind attendees about how to participate to avoid people talking over each other and ensure fair and equitable participation.
6. Balance Participation: Assign someone to help you manage participation or appoint a facilitator. This ensures that both in-person and remote team members have equal opportunities to contribute.
7. Delegate Responsibilities: As the chair, be present in the room rather than a remote participant. If possible, delegate some responsibilities to others to ensure nothing falls through the cracks
8. Use Digital Collaboration Tools: To ensure you keep everyone on the same page, consider using virtual whiteboards, shared documents, and chat platforms to enhance collaboration.

Further information about running bilingual meetings can be found on our Working bilingually intranet pages.