Greetings! 

In most meetings you’ll attend at Walden, there are two attendee experiences: on-site and off-site. This week and next, we’ll explore these two meeting experiences in the words of those who’ve been there. After that, we’ll talk about solutions to the challenges encountered by meeting attendees.

We’ll start with responses from those who attend meetings remotely, our off-site attendees.

We posed open-ended questions to several CSS staff members who attend most meetings remotely. Here’s what they had to say:

The biggest barrier to engaged meeting participation as an off-site attendee is…

• “No opportunity to jump in because those in room have the ability to naturally interrupt.”
• “Inability to hear the speakers or the discussion when mic placement is poor or side chatter/room noise is loud.”
• “The lack of faces. When asked to ‘jump in’ with questions, as one would on site, a remote employee cannot read faces, so I personally often fear I am coming across as rude or interrupting when I do have something to say and I jump on the line and say it.”
• "Getting into a Skype meeting where we have been instructed to share our webcam and only half of the people are sharing a webcam. I also get frustrated when people do not have pictures uploaded to Skype so we just see a blue silhouette rather than a person’s face."
• "Not having a visual, whether that be a webcam or slides. For me, the worst kind of meeting is a phone meeting (especially large meetings, where you are not even certain who is all on the call)."

 

The thing that most frustrates me as an off-site attendee is…

• "The disparity in the way on-site noise is treated vs. off-site noise. For instance, when one person forgets to mute his/her phone off-site, the whole room seems annoyed and says 'please mute your line.' Occasionally, everyone on the call is even put on mute to avoid this problem. However, it seems that no one on site really thinks about how their laughter and small talk limit the ability of those on the phone to hear the speaker. We can’t say ‘please mute your chatter.’”
• “My inability to connect with people on a personal level or converse in small talk before or after. When there are on-site attendees in the meeting, I feel like I’m missing out on the fun.”

 

I really appreciate it when meeting planners/leaders…

• “Repeat every question that comes from someone in the room, never assuming that those on the phone can hear it.”
• “Are effective enough room managers to ensure that others in the room are respectful of the order of comments... Frequently, folks in the room jump in/over us, and we are forced to wait until the end (or a time when our questions are no longer relevant) to participate."

 

I wish meeting planners/leaders would always…

• “Keep audio quality and the importance of off-site participation in mind.”
• “Test the platform before the meeting and, for larger meetings with multiple presenters, ensure all presenters have done a practice run-through with the platform.”
• “Allow participants to use built-in computer audio instead of a call-in number. The call-in number is just another step that irks me, and I don’t want to go into a meeting feeling annoyed!”

 

I wish on-site attendees realized…

• “How isolating it can be to attend a meeting remotely. To me, if there is an audio issue or people are not mindful of speaking into a mic, it says that I am not as valuable to the speaker as the employee in the room.”
• “That it’s difficult to speak up about issues I have in meetings. I know that accommodating me makes the energy in the room less natural, and I’m reluctant to insist on that when the folks in the room seem to be having a good discussion. I don’t want to be a buzzkill.”
• "Just because I work remotely doesn't mean I can always control my environment. Alarms, unanticipated repair work, and loud traffic can all be stressors when I need to participate in a meeting. I've had to sit in a closet to find a quiet enough space to meet."

 

Do you have other responses to add to these? Email us to share your experiences as an off-site participant in meetings.

amber.cook@mail.waldenu.edu

Anne.shiell@waldenu.edu

erin.guldbrandsen@mail.waldenu.edu

lisa.raymond@mail.waldenu.edu

 

Next week, we’ll hear from on-site attendees!

Anne, Lisa, Amber, and Erin

Remote Experience Working Group

In most meetings you’ll attend at Walden, there are two attendee experiences: on-site and off-site. Last week, we heard from several off-site attendees. This week, we’re turning our attention to those who attend meetings in the Minneapolis office.

Here’s what they had to say:

 

The biggest barrier to engaged meeting participation as an on-site attendee is…

• “Splitting attention in hybrid meetings. In general, if it is a robust topic with lots of off-site attendance, it is sometimes difficult to navigate the chat box and what the speaker is saying.”
• "Attending a virtual meeting from my desk, where I have to be on mute all the time because of the noise in the office. I limit my comments because every time I unmute, everyone on the call hears everything going on around me."
•  "Lack of privacy. Conference rooms are often not available, and when meeting from my desk I feel I can’t speak as freely because I’m not sure who is walking past my cube.”

 

The thing that most frustrates me as an on-site attendee is…

• “Shifting requirements for when meetings should be in person versus remote. It’s hard to plan my week when those expectations change last-minute.”
• “How difficult it is to have a meeting in the office when there are not collaborative spaces/conference rooms available.”
•  “When it’s clear to me that we’re forgetting about the off-site attendees. I want to hear from them, but it’s so difficult to naturally pull them into a conversation that’s gaining momentum in the room.”
• "When the previous occupants don't leave the conference room on time, or when conference rooms suddenly become unavailable without warning and we have to scramble."
• "When off-site attendees are multitasking and not paying attention to the meeting. Just because people can call into a meeting from a phone while driving or shopping doesn't mean they should.”

 

I really appreciate it when meeting planners/leaders…

• “Give us more than a few days’ notice of meetings, especially if we have to be there in person.”
• “End a face-to-face meeting a few minutes early so I have time to pack up and get to my next meeting on time.”

 

I wish meeting planners/leaders would always…

• “Keep in mind the need for employees to plan ahead if they need to be in the office on a scheduled work from home day.”
• “Keep both off-site and on-site attendees’ experience in mind. Be sure to announce at the beginning of a meeting who is attending on or off site, with reminders about best practices at the beginning of the meeting (until they are well established habits!).”

 

I wish off-site attendees…

• “Participated from a setting where they could unmute without background noise interfering and be aware of muting background noise if necessary.”
• “Realized we really are trying, but sometimes the office technology conspires against us.”
• “Were less casual about using webcams. People are sometimes sick or have technology issues, but 'I haven’t showered today' is not a valid excuse. I don’t have a choice about whether people see me when I have to come into the office. When managers request webcam use, attendees should prepare to use them.”
• “Realized how loud it can be in the office. It can be very difficult to participate in a meeting when the ambient noise is so prominent.”

 

Do you have other responses to add to these? Email us to share your experiences as an on-site participant in meetings.

amber.cook@mail.waldenu.edu

Anne.shiell@waldenu.edu

erin.guldbrandsen@mail.waldenu.edu

lisa.raymond@mail.waldenu.edu

 

Now that we’ve seen a bit more about how on-site and off-site attendees experience meetings, look for future e-mails that will help meeting planners make the experience better for everyone!

Anne, Lisa, Amber, and Erin

Remote Experience Working Group