In my previous post, I introduced the collaboration dilemma: can people collaborate efficiently when they are not physically together? Today, I want to elaborate on the minimum requirements for meeting rooms. Most companies still have some way to go in this area.


Every day, I am surprised by the sheer number of companies that do not provide their co-workers the environment for successful collaboration.  I have stopped counting the number of times I have been invited to a meeting space that is not equipped with any means for sharing content. Sitting in such spaces, my mind cannot stop wondering how people in these companies succeed in working together efficiently. And don't get me wrong: many of these companies have good financial results - but the untapped potential must be enormous!

3 technology must-haves


What technology does a good meeting space typically need? Here's my view on what equipment it takes to enable people to make the most of their time:


1. Indispensable for any space where you want to have effective discussions is the whiteboard. This device lets participants capture insights in a way that's clear to all. Putting these on the whiteboard focuses the team in the room and facilitates discussions, as everybody is aligned on the same topic.


Your whiteboard can be either the basic low-tech version, which only allows you to scribble down ideas and data, or the more fancy versions that allow you to capture an image of the board and distribute it to the meeting participants.


Don't be stingy with the surface area - the larger it is, the more you can share. And when teams are trying to organize their thoughts to make good decisions, the more visual connections they can make with the data, the quicker the decision process is. 


2. Second to this is the display - which can either be a flat panel or a projector. Key for any good display are: size, resolution and image quality.  


Display size and resolution matter. A study by Christopher Andrews and his team at The Center for Human Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech indicates that a large canvas allows people to lay out multiple sources of critical information to improve analysis and their sense-making process.


Also, when a display is only used to share information, larger is better. PowerPoint slides and Excel tables can be read at a glance, thus increasing how quickly your audience can absorb your information. Plus, the display focuses the group's attention on the information displayed, thus helping to align the team.


When the display is too small, your audience has to make a great effort to see your message. If there's one thing you don't want to do, it's lose your audience's attention because they cannot read your message. Once that happens, the meeting has lost its effect, and alignment doesn't happen.


Image quality is crucial as well. Did you know that, when people look at unclear images, their brain goes into critical mode, leaving the flow state in which it is most receptive to your message?


Try it yourself: glance at these two images and observe how your brain starts using processing power for deciphering instead of understanding:


By the way, these images also show you the importance of pictures - another major driver for image quality.


3. The third crucial device is your collaboration tool - that is, how you make sure that everybody can easily share their content with the meeting participants and bring the necessary information to their attention.


Today, the majority of the rooms that are equipped with displays still use the traditional cable connections to the display. This has a couple of serious disadvantages. First of all, our own research shows that people typically lose 5-15 minutes just getting their content on screen - multiplied by the number of participants equals a lot of lost time. Secondly, everyone is reluctant to show any information due to the hassle of getting it on screen. So, you lose the opportunity to make better decisions. Thirdly, these solutions don't allow multiple people to share their information at the same time.


But in today's rapidly evolving world, people go into meetings with a variety of technologies - from PC to Mac, from iPhone to Android tablet. The best collaboration tools allow everybody to join the conversation, no matter what device they are using. And the tools are easy to use - you don't need a PhD to operate them.

Note: the technologies I'm discussing here facilitate interactions between people in the same location. When people are involved remotely, much more technology is needed - but I'll save that discussion for another blog post...


Shaping successful communication patterns

I want to conclude this post with another quote from Dr. Pentland: "The best way to build a great team is not to select individuals for their smarts or accomplishments but to learn how they communicate and then to shape and guide the team so that it follows successful communication patterns."

As technologists, we help companies become more successful by providing the tools that allow for these communication patterns, so that people can share their content wherever and whenever it's needed, and in a way that allows everyone to participate.

Our mission at Barco is to enable people to collaborate better and to help our customers build successful ways of communicating. Check our website to see which of our products would make collaboration within your organization more efficient and effective - allowing you to tap into the hidden potential of your teams.



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