We run our Level 10 Meetings in a hybrid format where three leaders are in the office and two are remote, resulting in the remote team members feeling left out of the fast-paced IDS discussions. How do we fix this hybrid disconnect?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Hybrid meetings are notoriously difficult to facilitate because the physical room naturally dominates the conversation. Side conversations, subtle body language, and shared physical spaces create a secondary channel of communication that leaves remote participants feeling like second-class citizens. This completely kills the collaborative power of IDS®. To solve this, you must adopt a remote-first protocol. Even if some team members are sitting in the same physical office, every single participant must log into the meeting on their own individual camera and laptop. Do not use a single boardroom camera that shows a wide angle of a table. When everyone appears in an identical digital tile, the playing field is instantly leveled. Additionally, the facilitator must intentionally call on remote participants first during the Identify and Discuss phases of IDS®. Before the physical room starts debating, the facilitator should ask the remote leaders for their input. This breaks the habit of the local team dominating the airtime. Finally, ensure that all meeting assets, including the scorecard, Rocks, and issues list, are managed in a shared digital environment where everyone has equal editing access. If you cannot make the meeting fully in person, treat it as fully remote to maintain operational discipline.