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 Across
Australia, opinion is divided on acceptable use of mobile devices in meetings.
In one corner we have the traditionalists, the people who support signal jamming
in meeting rooms to ensure that nothing outside the meeting interrupts it. And
in the other corner we have the modernists who would argue that technology
should be embraced in order that meetings are more productive and participants
get more out of their time.
What is certain is that people feel passionately about one point of view or the
other however, no answer comes without a raft of caveats, maybe an indication
that the answer isn’t going to be simple to adjudicate.
Kate, 29, a copywriter for an advertising agency, fighting the noble fight to
keep mobiles out of meetings. “I just feel annoyed when people bring their
iPhone or blackberry into a meeting and put it on the table, like “Look at me!”
I think it’s become a status symbol and a desperate attempt to validate their
purchase by saying “I use it for work too”.
James, Sales Manager, 29, says we’re becoming addicted to our mobiles, where can
I get a patch? “If people are allowed to respond to communication during
meetings with a mobile device, does this mean I can bring my laptop in and work
when the meeting content starts to be irrelevant to me? What's the difference?
Both activities are disruptive. I believe that people are now becoming addicted
to mobile devices. By allowing people to use them during meetings it’s
developing a culture that will lead to abuse.”
'As a participant in a meeting, you can’t help but be put off by the person
in the corner tapping away on a Blackberry (whether we believe they’re taking
notes or not)'
As a participant in a meeting, you can’t help but be put off by the person in
the corner tapping away on a Blackberry (whether we believe they’re taking notes
or not), if only because we’re slightly jealous that they are getting something
done while we’re locked into participating in a meeting we might not be mentally
invested in...And maybe this is part of the problem.
Few presenters can compete with the entertainment available in
mobiles. Additionally, when phones are sold as and behave like personal assistants,
sometimes is just feels right that they accompany you to meetings. But maybe the
problem isn’t with mobiles at all, but the meetings that inspire you ‘bring
along some entertainment’. Reid Hastie, a professor at the University of
Chicago, contends that “every organisation has too many meetings, and far too
many poorly designed ones.”
We’ve all attended meetings where you realise it’s actually a lecture and you’re
there to tick someone else’s box, who can blame you for tuning out? Seth Godin,
marketing guru, suggests a solution for those who find their meeting attendees
buried in their mobiles, this will help you work if your presentation skills are
the problem. “Create a public space (either a big piece of poster board or a
simple online page) that allows attendees to rate meetings and their organisers
on a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of usefulness. Just a simple box where everyone
can write a number. Watch what happens.”
Maybe there is a less shaming solution… Rather than compete with mobile devices
you can take a queue from the interactive way in which they enable communication
to help your meeting attendees get engaged.
Those who have embraced the technology say that it can make meetings more
productive and allow a better exchange of ideas. Bronwyn 28, an Online Marketing
Consultant says, “There’s still a stigma that if someone uses a mobile device
they're using it for something other than the meeting. Any medium that someone
uses in a meeting - be it writing on paper, a laptop or a mobile - has the
potential to be used for something other than work, but I don't think the answer
should be to ban mobiles. I really think the solution is in making meetings more
interactive. Tweeting questions with hashtags as you think of them, to be
answered at the end of the meeting, provides a way for people to focus on the
meeting agenda.”
We’ll leave the final word on mobile etiquette (and the way forward) to Henry
Bankes, Macquarie Telecom’s Product Manager for mobiles. If experience using
mobile devices in meetings is qualification for comment, then Henry is certainly
an authority.
“I think when you are in a meeting you certainly should not be checking emails
or doing anything else that takes your focus off the subject at hand. However, I
personally think it a lot less intrusive to tap notes into a smart phone and is
one further way to build efficiencies into your day. I accept that best practice
is still to be courteous. If you’re attending a meeting and you wish to use your
Blackberry for note taking then you should mention to the other participants in
the meeting that this is what you are doing.”
Ways you might not have considered to use a mobile device in a meeting
- Use a virtual desktop application to allow meeting members to steer the
main display to help illustrate a point or reference something online.
- Allowing participants to vote on motions.
- As a backup conferencing facility when the "mushroom" in a meeting room
fails to function.
- To photograph whiteboards, charts, Powerpoint slides etc when displayed
briefly.
- To check diary appointments and set future meetings and then set future
task actions in diaries.
- To look up numbers for conference call meeting participants.
- To set an alarm to break up a meeting running overtime (or provide an
"excuse" for a participants need for early departure).
- Use the mobile device as a WAN connection for providing Internet Access
to an external companies systems to provide presentations in secure areas.
- Scribbling notes onto an OCR screen or simply taking notes.
- Recording specific events or photo of a contract signature.
- A voice recording of what is said for evidence later, should it ever
come to that.
Now how can we help you?
Contact Macquarie Telecom
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