Root and Stomp it !

This chapter could be much longer and provide much more detail about these technologies. But what matters most at this point you won’t find in a book.

You need to consider your employees and any others you would involve in virtual meetings. Are they ready? Do they have enough experience and confidence with technology that they could soon be using it as easily and comfortably as they now use flipcharts and tangible whiteboards? Sales reps and technicians will talk about requirements for an application or a system, but the requirements that you should consider above all are the psychological, emotional, and social requirements of your employees. What do they need in order to meet virtually? Read the rest of this entry »

Follow up the video conference by e-mailing or faxing the meeting notes and action items. Encourage participants to ask any questions or share any concerns (especially participants who were inhibited by the technology). If not all members of the group have access to computers, use alternative channels for communication.
Make available (on the organization’s intranet or in the
library) any records of the meeting-any presentations, audiotapes, videotapes, and so forth. Consider setting up a discussion list so participants can continue to ask questions and make suggestions asynchronously.

No Panacea
Marty Morrow, CEO of Quovix, a company that “builds
networked collaborative communities,” summed up the technology science concisely (Darwin magazine, November 16, 2001): There must be over 1000 software vendors selling “collaboration tools” at this point. Everything including email, Instant Messaging, VideoConferencing,Virtual Whiteboarding, Project Rooms, Portal Strategies-all selling themselves as the solution to a company’s collaboration needs….The tools are 20% (or less) of the problem you’re trying to solve. Keep that final thought in mind as you explore technology for meetings.

Taken From : The Manager’s Guide to Effective Meetings

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Here are some suggestions for making your video conference as much like a “normal” meeting as possible.

• Address the screen as if it were another participant seated in the room. Don’t stare. Make eye contact with participants on site, not just remote participants.

• Speak in a normal volume, a little more slowly, and as clearly as possible.

• Avoid making any noises that the microphone(s) might pick up. If you’re using table mikes, refrain from rustling papers, tapping your pen, and other unnecessary sounds.

What if you have to cough, sneeze, or burp? If you have a table mike, lean away from it. If you have a lapel, lavalier, or headset mike, cover it up. At the end of the video conference, the participants should evaluate the meeting. What worked? How could the meeting process be improved?

Taken From : The Manager’s Guide to Effective Meetings

In its simplest form, video conferencing is the synchronous connection of people in two or more locations using some combination of video, audio, and often data to communicate.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Follow up the data conference by making available the final version of any files created or modified
during the conference. The collaboration software should have file transfer capabilities. If not, you can
e-mail the files. Encourage participants to ask any questions or share any concerns (especially if any
members of the group were unable or unwilling to participate actively). Use alternative channels for  communication if any participants don’t have easy access to a computer. Consider setting up a discussion list so participants can continue to ask questions and make suggestions asynchronously. Read the rest of this entry »

The best way to ensure a successful, productive data conference is for the facilitator to be familiar and comfortable with the applications that the group is using. The facilitator should make it clear from the start how the group will use the application(s), as determined above, under “Preparation.” He or she should explain how members are to participate-by using keyboard or mouse or by guiding the facilitator. If participants are allowed to control an application, the facilitator should not hesitate to take control if collaboration becomes chaotic.

Anybody who works with an application should move a little more slowly than usual, make gestures that are more deliberate, and explain carefully what he or she is doing. Allow time for remote participants to ask  questions or make suggestions. Unless all locations involved in the conference have very highbandwidth
Internet connections, response time can be slow.

At the end of the data conference, the participants should evaluate the meeting. What worked, in terms of the process? What suggestions would they make to improve data conferences?

Taken From : The Manager’s Guide to Effective Meetings

Data conferencing allows participants to share applications. This means that they can collaborate on whiteboards, spreadsheets, word processing programs, graphics programs, and other tools to work on projections, budgets, reports, diagrams, designs, and so forth. These applications are generally supplemented by at least an audio connection, whether by phone or more advanced technology. Read the rest of this entry »

Teleconferencing is distance conferencing, interactive communication among three or more people who are separated geographically. It’s a generic term that encompasses various technologies and applications, primarily the following:

• Audio conferencing
• Data conferencing
• Video conferencing

We’ve already discussed audio conferencing. We’ll cover data conferencing next and then video conferencing. But first, we should mention two points. Read the rest of this entry »