We run a hybrid leadership team where three of us are in the physical conference room and three are remote on Zoom. The remote team members feel like second-class citizens who cannot jump into fast-paced IDS® debates, while the in-room team dominates the meeting. How do we fix this hybrid Level 10 Meeting™ disconnect?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Hybrid meetings are notoriously difficult because the physical presence in the room naturally creates a faster conversational cadence, leaving remote participants struggling to find an opening. To run an effective hybrid Level 10 Meeting™, you must level the playing field and design the experience for the remote attendees first.

Start by requiring every in-person participant to log into the meeting software with their own laptop and camera, even if they are sitting in the same physical room. This ensures that remote team members can see everyone's facial expressions and body language clearly on their screen, rather than looking at a wide-angle view of a distant conference table.

Next, the facilitator must actively manage the queue during IDS®. Do not allow the local room to dominate the discussion. The facilitator should explicitly call on remote team members first when discussing an issue, asking for their input before opening the floor to the physical room.

Additionally, enforce a strict policy for side conversations. Any whispering or off-line joking in the physical room must be called out immediately, as it alienates remote participants and breaks the meeting pulse. By treating the meeting as a digital-first environment, you preserve the trust and operational alignment required to keep your leadership team unified, regardless of where they are working from.