Tips for Holding Successful Meetings in Tapped In

As in physical settings, holding successful on-line

meetings requires preparation, well-specified goals

and expectations, interpersonal skill,

responsibility, chemistry (the right mix of people),

and experience. Unlike face-to-face meetings,

on-line meetings lack the visual, auditory, and

social cues (e.g., head nods for agreement; gender,

age) that we take for granted. The reduction of

these cues has been cited as being responsible for

more egalitarian participation across gender and

status, but also for lengthier decision making

processes.

The trick to holding successful meetings in TAPPED

IN is to follow all the rules for successful

face-to-face meetings, and to agree on conventions

to simulate the missing cues. Below are some tips

and conventions that we have found useful in

conducting successful meetings in TAPPED IN.

Establish the Expectations of the Meeting

Be sure that the participants know (a) the purpose

of the session (e.g., brainstorming, coming to

consensus), (b) the time allotted, and (c) the

agenda.

Assign Meeting Roles

Appoint someone as a meeting leader, a "scribe" to

write notes on the whiteboard, and possibly a

facilitator, whose job it is to take the "pulse" of

the participants. Leading a meeting in TAPPED IN can

be more difficult at first than face-to-face. Be

sure to agree upon the rules of engagement with

participants and enlist their help in providing

feedback during the meeting.

Break Up Into Smaller Groups

The rule-of-thumb is to keep the number of

participants about the same as you would in a

face-to-face meeting. Break large groups into

smaller groups to address different agenda items in

separate rooms and then report back to the larger

group.

Encourage Equitable Participation

If you find that some participants are not

comfortable breaking into the conversation,

establish nonverbal behaviors to simulate a request

for speaking time (e.g., standing, or raising one's

hand). You can even simulate passing a "talking

stick" to enable each participant to have a turn in

the conversation.

Manage the Pace of the Conversation

Privately poll participants that may not seem

actively engaged using the WHISPER command to see if

they are keeping up or have other concerns. Slow the

conversation down, if necessary, or summarize the

conversation periodically to give the participants a

chance to gather their thoughts.

Use the Whiteboard, Signs and Other Objects

TAPPED IN provides attention-grabbing SIGNs,

WHITEBOARDS, and information sharing devices, such

as NOTEs and WebViewers. Use the whiteboard to post

the meeting agenda, record new discussion topics,

and post key ideas and action items. Encourage

participants to write ideas and questions on the

whiteboard as a way of ensuring that they get

covered. Create notes in advance with text that you

want everyone to see, and then PROJECT the note to

all participants.

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©1997 SRI International, Center for Technology in

Learning. Menlo Park, CA 94025

For more information, contact Mark

(schlager@sri.com) or Patti (schank@sri.com)

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