Tech Driven Innovations to Enhance Your Next Meeting
In many cases, engagement, productivity and results could be considered the gold standard for an effective meeting. But as anyone who has ever planned or facilitated a meeting knows, that objective is far easier said than done. To hold a truly effective meeting, it’s imperative to tap into creative resources to inspire people to actively participate. This is where technology can and should be a component of your solution.
Software, apps and even alternate realities can be leveraged to add innovation and excitement to your meeting experience. Try any one of the following tech-savvy solutions to drive engagement and hold more effective team meetings.
CREATING CONVERSATIONS
Great, another lame PowerPoint. Certainly, we’ve all heard those murmurings from the audience before (or even been the one saying them). PowerPoint can be useful visual tool to complement a presentation, but far too often it doesn’t receive the attention and preparation needed in order to be beneficial. Instead of thinking through compelling ways to utilize design, color and media to make points, text is merely copy-pasted into the same predictable template for the same uninspiring result.
If you really want your audience to engage, interact and even enjoy what they’re viewing, try using Prezi for your next presentation. Prezi creates a collaborative, digital map instead of a rigidly structured slideshow. The unique platform provides an excellent way for you to “read the room” and tap on the parts of the presentation that most directly apply to your audience.
This non-linear approach is also a great way to start conversations with participants, rather than listening to one-sided, one-size-fits-all speeches. Participants can tell you where they want to go on the map next, rather than suffering through the slides that don’t pertain to them. Prezi creates an interactive and memorable experience for everyone in the room.
SECOND SCREENS
One of the major obstacles meeting facilitators face today is getting attendees to break away from their screens long enough to engage in the topic at hand. Perhaps there is wisdom from the old saying, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, that can be applied to this scenario. Rather than discouraging smartphone usage during the meeting, why not encourage it by implementing second screen technology like FXP|Touch?
This interactive platform allows attendees to engage with the presentation via their smartphones in real time, to ask questions and participate in polls. By delivering interactive content through participants’ devices, you’re making people feel much more connected to the meeting’s agenda.
You might also consider options like Swipe, Presentain and Mentimeter that provide similar functionality. Investigate the uniqueness of each platform and select which one works best for your meeting objectives.
REALITY CHECK
While it may initially seem like a far-fetched idea for a meeting, today’s tech advancements have enabled the use of virtual and augmented reality to be readily and easily accessible. The technology is a powerful tool that allows for users to fully immerse themselves in an alternate environment, ultimately creating a memorable and energizing experience.
What distinguishes VR from AR? Both can be conducive for meetings and events, but the technologies are different. Virtual reality uses a headset to transport wearers into a virtual world whereas augmented reality superimposes images and graphics on a user’s view of the real world with the use of a smartphone (think Pokémon Go). In both cases, meeting facilitators can tap into their creative genius to gamify meeting objectives, give virtual tours of cities or sites around the world or announce a new product launch. The possibilities are limitless. So, whether it’s VR or AR, this technology is a creative solution for enhancing a meeting experience.
Open up your presentation world to one of these digital solutions to drive engagement for a more effective meeting experience. For more ideas on how to enhance your meeting experience or to start planning your next off-site meeting, contact Roam today.