How to Set Up a Hybrid Meeting (Teams and Zoom)

To set up a hybrid meeting, join the call from one room device (a Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms system, or a laptop connected to a video bar), place the camera at the display so remote people see faces, use room microphones that reach every seat, and make sure in-room laptops stay muted with speakers off to prevent echo. Then assign a facilitator who watches the remote side and brings people in.

What you need

Examples: a Logitech MeetUp 2 or Jabra PanaCast 50 for small rooms, a Logitech Rally Bar for larger ones, or a Jabra Speak2 75 speakerphone when you only need audio. See hybrid meeting room setup for full room designs.

Audio setup (the part that matters most)

1. One audio device per room. Only the room system or the one laptop connected to the bar should have mic and speakers active.
2. Everyone else in the room joins muted with audio off. In Teams, choose Don't use audio, or let Teams detect the room and turn off your audio. In Zoom, join without audio or leave computer audio.
3. Check pickup. Have someone at the far end of the table speak while a remote person confirms they hear clearly.
4. Add mics for long tables. Built-in bar mics favor the front of the room.

If remote people hear themselves, see how to fix echo on a conference call.

Teams hybrid meeting setup

1. Book the room as a resource when scheduling in Outlook or Teams, so the meeting appears on the room's console.
2. In a Teams Room, tap Join on the console. In a BYOD room, plug your laptop into the bar and select it as camera, mic and speaker in Settings > Devices.
3. In-room attendees who want to share content or chat can join on their laptops with audio off. Teams can detect a nearby Teams Room and offer to join with room audio.
4. Turn on Front Row or gallery layouts on the room display so remote faces are at eye level. See Teams Rooms layouts.

More: How to join from a Teams Room.

Zoom hybrid meeting setup

1. Add the Zoom Room to the meeting invite so it shows on the controller, or start the meeting from the room.
2. In a Zoom Room, tap Join on the controller. In a BYOD room, select the bar under Settings > Video and Settings > Audio.
3. In-room laptops join without audio. Zoom can share content to a Zoom Room using proximity or a sharing key.
4. Turn on smart gallery or speaker framing if the room hardware supports it.

More: How to use Zoom Rooms.

Running the meeting

• Assign a facilitator who watches the screen, the chat and raised hands.
• Start with remote people when going around the table.
• Share content through the meeting, not by pointing a camera at a screen.
• Repeat questions from the room if someone spoke off-mic.
• Use a shared whiteboard or a content camera rather than a wall whiteboard remote people can't see.
• Record or transcribe if your organization allows it.

Five-minute pre-meeting check

1. Camera shows the whole table.
2. Remote test participant hears someone at the far seat.
3. No laptops with active mics in the room.
4. Content shares and is readable.
5. Room display shows remote faces large enough to see.

For a repeatable checklist, see how to test a video conferencing system. New to the idea? Read what is a hybrid meeting.

Planning hybrid rooms? Send us your room sizes and we'll suggest the gear.

Related guides

• How to Set Up a Conference Room for Microsoft Teams
• Choosing a Conference Room Camera for Teams or Zoom
• How to Set Up a BYOD Meeting Room That Works With Any App
• How to Set Up a Telehealth Cart: Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Fix Echo on a Conference Call (Teams, Zoom, iPhone)
• How to Join Microsoft Teams Meetings from a Zoom Room

All how-to guides →