A meeting of creative minds
When working on a project with others, a mixture of both online and offline communication methods work well together. It’s likely that at least one face-to-face meeting will take place, and meetings are not always easy to facilitate. So, stock up on big paper, markers, coloured pens and post-its – here are a few tips and methods you can use to keep the creative juices flowing but stay on track:
- Use the project timescale as a basis for meeting agendas. This way, everyone will know what is to be achieved at the meeting in relation to the overall key milestones and deadlines.
- Use break-out groups as a way of generating ideas and discussion. Encouraging a large group to break into smaller groups or pairs ensures that all participants have the opportunity to contribute, and will keep motivation and interest high.
- Keep good records of discussions at meetings. This may include:
o Questions that when answered would help to move the project forward. If they can’t be answered within the meeting time, review them at the end and participants can research the solution afterwards.
o Knowledge, existing models or examples useful to the project’s development. They can be documented and transferred to an online space (e.g. Google Docs or project wiki) to ensure that discussions aren’t repeated at later meetings (this resource can also be taken forward to future projects).
o Outcomes of discussions, feedback and decisions made. Ensure these are integrated into project development, so that good ideas or points aren’t lost. These can form the basis of a project ‘manifesto’ or knowledge bank to refer to on an ongoing basis.
Web tools can be used in conjunction with meetings to enhance effectiveness and stay productive. For example, participants can be encouraged to continue discussions on a dedicated forum or message board, for questions cannot be resolved during the meeting, or where a longer discussion takes the focus of the meeting away from the agenda (although sometimes this can be equally productive!). Any points discussed online in between meetings can be incorporated into the agenda for a following meeting.
Online tools such as Google Docs or wikis can be used to record progress, so that project members that were unable to attend the meeting can stay up-to-date, involved and still make contributions.
July 18 2009 06:41 pm | Meetings
Bracket » Tips and tools for running online meetings on 24 Jan 2010 at 6:28 pm #
[...] The tips. Online meetings need managing and organisation just like face-to-face meetings: [...]