Virtual and Hybrid meetings have exploded in popularity and have helped connect people not only in South Africa but worldwide as well. This is known as the new way of connecting, both internationally and locally. No longer are people confined to travelling to meetings, rather they are able to attend meetings in the comfort of their own homes and anywhere in the world. Virtual and Hybrid meetings offer flexibility and are cost-effective. Often organisations wonder which one of the two virtual or hybrid will be effective for them to use. Below is the difference between Virtual and Hybrid meetings to help you get in tune with the workings of online video conferencing and help you decide which will be effective for your business.
The difference between virtual and hybrid meetings
The difference between virtual and hybrid meetings is that virtual meetings take place online using virtual video conferencing platforms such as zoom, google meet, Microsoft teams, skype, etc to connect remotely. While hybrid meetings can happen both remotely and on-site. In hybrid meetings those attending on-site gather together in one room for the meeting, while those who are connecting remotely use virtual video conferencing platforms. Both virtual and hybrid meetings utilise video conferencing technology to aid communication. They both include remote participants. And they also make it possible to connect anywhere in the world, making it easier for international companies to connect with their business partners, clients and other businesses from different countries. Good internet connection, video quality and sound are very important in both virtual and hybrid meetings.
Virtual meetings are seen as interactive television, While hybrid meetings provide face-to-face energy, while at the same time combining it with the capabilities of virtual meetings. They both enable people to be productive and share ideas. Virtual meetings allow you to reach a wide variety of people, as there is no limit to the number of people who can attend the meeting, unlike on-site meetings. While hybrid meetings are exponential, not only can people at home attend the meeting but you can also have attendees from a sister company or another company attending from their own boardroom.
Virtual meetings give you access to measure how the meeting went in terms of engagement, participation and enjoyment, the data collected helps you identify what went wrong and what went well and also what you can improve on. While hybrid meetings balance between virtual meetings and in-person meetings; that atmosphere of everyone being around and engaging with each other is still felt, while those who are attending remotely can still participate in the meeting as well.
Video conferencing platforms used for both virtual and hybrid meetings
- Google Meet
- Skype
- Zoom
- Slack
- GoToMeeting
- Webex by Cisco
- Jami
- Life Size
- Microsoft Teams
- Gatheround
- Toasty.ai
- Around.co
- Whereby
Types of virtual meetings
Teleconference – this kind of virtual meeting uses audio, where attendees, attend the meeting through calling in, it is known as the most basic format of virtual meetings. Teleconferencing is different from a normal phone call in a sense that multiple people can join in and participate in the meeting.
Video Conference – in a video conference both audio and video is utilised for the virtual meeting. Video conferencing include things such as virtual hand raising, screen sharing and private chats. This is the most well-known type of virtual conferencing.
Web conference – a web conference also known as a webinar, it’s not that different from a video conference. A web conference’s main function is to share content with the attendees during the meeting. It also comes with different features to enable participation and sharing.
Benefits of a virtual and hybrid meeting
Virtual
- Location Independence
- Instant Connectivity
- Inclusivity
- Cost-effective
- Increased Productivity
- Ability to record meetings
- Virtual meeting software features
- Easy integration with existing tools
- Globalisation
Hybrid
- You can attend the meeting virtually if you are unable to be there physically.
- It makes collaboration seamlessly easy and moves away from traditional confines.
- They are cost-effective and offer both benefits of virtual and face-to-face meetings.
- Depending on your objectives, several hybrid meeting formats provide the planning team with a variety of possibilities.
The role of the interpreter in virtual and hybrid meetings.
Due to globalisation, countries that speak different languages often engage with each other, requiring an interpreter to interpret from one language to another. Interpreters typically adopt the interpreting role to guarantee that communication flows smoothly despite language barriers. Spanish Interpretations can provide you with online interpretation services anywhere in the world, whether it is through a virtual or a hybrid meeting, we are here to serve you. We are a multilingual interpretation agency and can provide you with expert interpreters for your virtual or hybrid meeting, we have over a decade of experience and worked with clients not only in South Africa but throughout the world. For more information about our virtual and hybrid interpretation services please contact us on 012 348 3134 or e-mail us at info@spanishtranslation.co.za
