In-Room Buddy
In-Room Buddy is a role assignment for hybrid meetings in which each remote participant is paired with a person physically in the room who acts as their representative there. The pair keep a private line open for the whole meeting, so the remote person can signal that they cannot hear, cannot see or want to speak, and the buddy acts on it. Beth Kanter describes the practice among her tips for facilitating hybrid meetings; the set-up takes a few minutes and the arrangement then runs until the meeting closes.
Facilitation script
- 1
Before the meeting: send the sign-up sheet with instructions and check that every remote attendee has a buddy. Fill gaps yourself.
3 min - 2
Pairs open their private channel and send a test message. Buddies sit within reach of the camera and microphone.
2 min - 3
At the opening, name the pairs and explain the buddy's job. State that buddies may interrupt on behalf of their partner at any time.
2 min - 4
Brief the buddies on their job during the session: act on requests and check on their partner whenever the activity or the room set-up changes. The buddy work itself runs alongside the agenda and needs no extra time.
1 min - 5
At the close, ask the pairs for one thing that worked and one thing to change for the next hybrid meeting.
2 min
Tips
Seat buddies where they can reach the camera and microphone without climbing over people, and make sure they keep the private channel in view rather than buried under other windows.
Tell the room at the start that a buddy speaking up is doing their job, otherwise most buddies will hesitate to interrupt.
The buddy system supports the facilitator's attention to remote participants and does not replace it, so keep calling on remote people yourself.
Common pitfalls
Pairing people on the day with no instructions, so buddies do not know what is expected and the channel is never opened
Buddies who get absorbed in the discussion and stop looking at the private channel; the remote person's message sits unread for twenty minutes
Not telling the room about the role, so a buddy who interrupts for their partner is seen as rude and stops doing it
The buddy speaking for the remote person instead of making space for them to speak, which keeps the remote voice out of the room
Always giving the role to the same junior or helpful people, who then take part less in the meeting themselves
Variations
When remote participants outnumber the people in the room, one person in the room can act as buddy for two or three remote colleagues, or you can appoint a single remote advocate. For workshops with breakout tables, assign the buddy from the same table group so the pair stays together. If the remote group is small, rotate the buddy role at each break so the same people do not always carry it. The source describes the practice briefly as one of several tips; the room-change check, rotation and closing review here are our additions.
Where it fits
When to use it
Most people are in one room and a few are joining remotely, which is the set-up where remote voices get lost most easily
The room has a single fixed camera or weak microphones and nobody is responsible for the technology
The session includes wall work, flip charts or moving around, so the view from the camera will keep changing
Remote participants have said after earlier meetings that they could not get a word in
You are facilitating alone, without a co-facilitator dedicated to the remote group
When not to use it
Everyone can join from their own device. An all-remote meeting gives equal access and removes the need for buddies
You have a dedicated co-facilitator or producer for the remote group, who can do this job for everyone at once
The meeting is a short presentation with questions in the chat, where a chat moderator is enough
Remote participants are in the majority. Run the meeting remote-first and treat the room as one of the locations
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is In-Room Buddy?▾
In-Room Buddy is a pairing system for hybrid meetings. Each remote participant has one person in the physical room who looks out for them, connected by a private channel that stays open throughout. The buddy fixes camera and sound problems and makes sure the remote person is noticed when they want to contribute.
What exactly does the buddy do?▾
The buddy watches a private chat, text or phone line with their partner and acts on what comes through it. Typical requests are to move the camera, adjust the volume, repeat something that was inaudible or tell the facilitator that the remote person wants to speak. The buddy does not speak in the person's place.
How do you set up the pairs?▾
Beth Kanter suggests arranging it in advance with a sign-up sheet and instructions and referring to it at the start of the meeting. Pairs can be matched by team, by table group or at random. What matters is that each pair has tested its channel before the meeting begins.
How much time does it take?▾
The set-up takes five to ten minutes: matching the pairs, testing the channel and explaining the role at the opening. After that it runs in the background for the length of the meeting. A short review at the end helps the next hybrid session.
Does a buddy system replace a co-facilitator for remote participants?▾
No. A buddy handles access for one person. A co-facilitator for the remote group designs and runs the remote side of activities for everyone. In small meetings buddies are often enough; in longer hybrid workshops use both.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Beth Kanter.