Meeting style and structure

Synchronous communication: same time –different location

When participants are spread over a geographical area, they can be brought together in a number of ways.

Videoconference
Videoconferences may be held in a room with special facilities to transmit sound and images, or the meeting can be transmitted to a desktop computer if an organisation has the right software. See ValleyView Library for a list of conferencing software.
Advantages Disadvantages

Advantages of videoconference – sound and visual

Allows participants to 'get the whole story', as in face-to-face meetings.

Time and cost savings.

Disadvantages of videoconference – sound and visual

Quality can be variable.

Timelags can be frustrating.

The chairperson must be careful to ensure that participants at all locations are included in discussion.

A purpose-specific room and equipment are required.

Teleconference
Teleconferences are conducted using a telephone link-up that allows everybody to speak to everybody else. They are simple to organise and relatively cheap to conduct. For a teleconference involving several links you might want to consider using a teleconference service such as Conferlink. For information on their services have a look at their website. Conferlink also provides services for video and multimedia conferencing.
Advantages Disadvantages

Advantages of teleconference – sound only

Time and cost savings.

Meetings must start on time and end on time.

Disadvantages of teleconference – sound only

No visual cues.

Need tight protocols so everyone has an opportunity to participate.

Collaboration software
Meetings using collaboration software may incorporate sound, visual and shared work on documents and chat rooms (written or oral). This type of communication is generally used when participants are dispersed by geography or time, but will increasingly replace or augment face-to-face meetings. See ValleyView Library for examples of collaboration software.
Advantages Disadvantages

Advantages of meetings using collaboration software

Perceived convenience, as participants need not leave their workstations.

Disadvantages of meetings using collaboration software

Participants may be interrupted (by phone calls, or visitors to their workplace).

Live chat/whiteboarding
Live chat allows someone from one computer to type a message and have the text appear instantly on someone else's computer. It is good for quick messages but not useful for complicated discussions. Whiteboard applications allow people to simultaneously view and annotate a document on their computer screens without leaving their workstations. Participants can also talk to each other while they refer to the document.

The ValleyView Wineries for Wheelies Steering Committee needs to have a meeting. Have a look at the Wineries for Wheelies participants list in the ValleyView Intranet. Work out how much it would cost to have a one-hour face-to-face meeting.

There are plans for this group to meet monthly during the next year. How much would the meetings of this group cost the company if they met face-to-face each time?

ValleyView is currently reviewing its practices in relation to meetings. What would the cost saving be to ValleyView per meeting if the two interstate participants were linked by teleconference? (You will need to get quotes on how much it would cost to have a one-hour link between Melbourne and another state.)

Keep a record of your calculations. Use the ValleyView Meeting room to ask questions about this activity. The discussion topic should be Meeting costs. If you know the answer to someone's question, make sure you post a response.

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Meeting style and structure

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