Getting a group together in the office conference room is a great way to interact face to face, perfect for some team building and catching up. Although these are laudable outcomes, at the same time your business also needs to get some work done for customers and clients. You may also need to include individuals who cannot make it to the meeting. With constantly evolving electronic technologies available your business can make the modern conference room meeting truly productive.
Here are some options for collaboration within the room and off site:
Document Sharing
Make sure everyone invited to and attending has been linked to the documents developed and to be reviewed during the meeting. Whatever application or software your office prefers, Google Doc or Office 365 for example, use the real time chat and editing options to keep everyone in the meeting literally on the same page. Using document sharing can also include those who are not available for the in-person meeting as the edits and comments are in real time.
Apple TV
Apple is about to roll out a new version with improvements, but Apple TV it has always packed the power to sync with a number of iOS compatible devices. This small box can be hooked up to a large screen with an HDMI cable so all attendees can view videos, spreadsheets, presentations and images together. MacBooks, iPads and iPhones can all be wirelessly connected to personalize the experience for those attending and for those observing the presentations remotely. If your company already has a large investment in Apple products for productivity the Apple TV can be a seamless addition to your conference room technology.
ChromeCast
This is a similar device from Google which “casts” tabs and screens wirelessly to a larger screen. The ChromeCast itself is a small receiver that attaches to the HDMI port on the device that is hooked up to the screen. As the common manufacturer is Google, if your office is using Google Docs already to share and collaborate, the ChromeCast will provide an integrated way to present information. Spreadsheets, documents, presentation slides, images and drawings are but some of the items that can be displayed on a large screen and also monitored on Chromebooks or other laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Interactive Whiteboards
Taking the meeting far past the traditional whiteboard used with old fashioned dry erase markers, this electronic innovation permits content to be projected upon a large white screen. The technology allows presenters and participants to view as well as write over and manipulate the projected pages. Tools as complex as an electromagnetic pen or stylus or as simple as a human finger can write and move items on the screen.
Videoconferencing Software and Devices
Employees and clients who cannot attend a meeting in person need not simply read the post-meeting minutes. With a variety of different videoconferencing tools you can gather people in the home office and your staff working from a number of different remote locations. Satellite offices can have their staff gather and participate as well as individuals availing themselves of laptops, tablets and even smartphones to join the larger group in a virtual but real time way.
