Meeting Technologies

Meeting Technologies – Conferencing, Collaboration, Facilitation, Knowledge Capture

• Web conferencing technologies have been growing by leaps and bounds over the last 5 years. The ability to meet virtually (around the world or around the corner) at lower cost is an easy ROI for many organizations. These technologies do a great job of getting people “TO” meetings.
• Collaborative Technology provides the communication mediums that bring synergy that raises each participant’s level of thinking. Collaboration helps to create a shared understanding that no one person previously possessed, and fosters the co-creation of new ideas that no one person could develop alone.
• New Facilitation Technology is designed to get people “THROUGH” meetings productively. It works by enhancing the thinking effectiveness of the meeting leader and participants. Only people (not technology) can make meetings successful, and the real ROI comes from shorter and better meetings.
• Knowledge Capture / Content Management focuses on the idea that a well prepared participant is a productive participant. There is a direct correlation between data and thinking. Effective thinking occurs only if meeting participants acquire the right “critical mass” of relevant background data and information to think upon.

Integration of these technologies is very powerful and results in significant meeting productivity gains. For example, the following schematic shows this integration.

1. A brainstorming meeting might be called for a variety of reasons: A new product idea, Solving a problem, Improving a process, Developing strategic plans, etc.

2. Depending on the type of brainstorming task, Facilitation Technology delivers cognitive tools, called Thinklets, to enhance participants thinking. Thinklets are described in section IV of this document.

3. Collaboration technology like electronic flip charts, videoconferencing, and smart-boards further enhance brainstorming by surrounding you with a room where you are immersed in the content. Web conferencing products like Web IQ, Elluminate, and GDSS tools like Group Systems add more collaboration and decision making value.

4. Capturing relevant information is essential to minimize “re-thinking” and refreshing of memory in future meetings. The use of Wikis and SharePoint not only enables capture of current meeting data but also pre-meeting preparation of information, and post-meeting participant follow-up. A great meeting with brilliant decisions and action items has little or no value if not implemented.

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