Roles

A hybrid meeting connects two distinct spaces and for this reason requires permanent coordination between the on-site and online spaces.

The number of support people can change according to the group size and resources available. In some scenarios one person can play more than one role, although this is not recommended.

Ideally the following roles are needed in order to support and moderate/facilitate the conversations:

• Facilitator or session host(s): The people who facilitate the session flow, open the spaces, run or co-run the activities, organise the discussions, conduct the opening and closing of the event. They normally are on-site, but could also be online, or there could be one in each space.

• Remote moderator: A person who is on-site or online, but has the very important role of connecting both worlds. They alert the facilitator(s) about requests from the online space or on technical issues, and keep remote participants informed about what is happening in the other space when necessary. They can also help with presentation slides and online activities. The remote moderator, regardless of the actual space they sit in, has to be connected to the BBB/Zoom platform, and this is their primary space of interaction.

In hybrid settings the facilitator or session host and the remote moderator need to be in direct contact and check with one another regularly, because this will ensure the necessary “back and forth” for the inclusion of participants in each other’s spaces.

They can agree to verbally check in periodically, or for the remote moderator to unmute and jump in if needed. When possible, the remote moderator should be on video to facilitate the exchange of visual clues with their co-host.

• Tech moderator: This is a remote role, and is the person who takes care of the online tool being used for the remote participation. They monitor connectivity, audio, video, projectors, and uploading and sharing of presentations, among other tasks. They have to be the host/moderator of the Zoom/BBB room and are therefore responsible for allowing participants to “enter”. They also must be connected through a back channel with tech support, hybrid moderator support and the remote moderator, for troubleshooting.

• Tech support: One or more people participating remotely who can help participants connect, solve issues with sound or video, support interpreters and captioners in their setup, testing and needs, etc.

• Hybrid moderator support: This is an on-site role, and is the person or persons responsible for monitoring and troubleshooting video or audio issues. It is ideal to have at least two people for this role, so that one can be overseeing the online space and devices performance, while the other can move around to support camera and video needs, but this depends on the size of the event, its duration and budget. Common issues that need troubleshooting are cameras turning off and needing to be restarted quickly, sound volume inconsistencies or disconnection, on-site microphones running out of batteries, etc. They should be connected to BBB/Zoom with back channel conversation with tech support and the tech moderator for status updates and troubleshooting. 

• Camera and microphone handler (on-site support): Anyone that can help pass the microphone, focus the camera on participants and speakers for close-ups, etc. Depending on the format of the event and profile of the participants, this role can be volunteer based. It requires some camera and framing experience. For small events there should be one camera handler and one microphone handler; for a bigger event (40+ participants) there should be two microphone handlers and one camera handler.

Additional roles may be desirable, such as: