Collaborative meetings: 5 types of participants

We have published several articles in relation to equipment, technology, furniture and layout of a collaborative room. We would like to focus here on the heart of a collaborative meeting: you! What kind of participants are you? And therefore, what are your expectations? The tools you need?
First of all, it should be recognized that it is difficult to define standard boxes to fit the different types of participants: in real life, each member plays a unique role at each meeting.
However, we can still group the various participants in a remote meeting into five main distinct roles :

1. The organizer

This type of participant takes care of both the organization and the facilitation of the meeting. However, it should not be forgotten that in large structures, the meeting organization can be delegated to a third party (assistant, receptionist, etc.) who will not participate but is only here to coordinate.
What does the organizer expect ?

• Find the common date (not always the easiest!)
• Find the right meeting room for the number of participants
• Ensure that the room will have the necessary multimedia equipment or furniture
• If necessary, order services: coffee, snack, room configuration, etc.

What collaborative tools for this role?
The answer here is simple: if I want to answer the four previous points without wasting time, you will need a powerful room reservation tool, which will of course be linked to your organization’s messaging system/calendar.

2. The collaborative meeting host

The role of this type of participant can be more or less marked: from a simple introduction to start the discussion to an end-to-end management of the meeting.
What does the meeting host expect ?

1. Be seen and heard by all: by participants online or present in the meeting room.
2. Configure the room (lighting, audiovisual) effortlessly and instantly
3. Simply and quickly share content on a main screen that everyone can see
4. Susciter/Autoriser le retour de l’assistance
5. Display on the fly – on a dedicated secondary screen – remarks or questions which will inevitably come up.
6. Display on the same secondary screen – or even on a tertiary screen if you have the possibility (space, budget) – spontaneous alternative content: a competitor’s website, content from a distant interlocutor, etc.
7. Generate meeting minutes.

We have defined here the most common expectations in a collaborative meeting room, but the list is of course not exhaustive: electronic voting, automatic recording of the meeting, etc.

3. The local, active participant

He was invited so that his skills, experience or decision-making power could be used in the meeting.
What does the active participant expect ?

1. If he is expected to get involved in the meeting, it is because he has the possibility at any time to intervene
2. Being able to intervene on the presentation of the organizer, or even outright take control of its content remotely
3. View the main screen(s) while remaining in a comfortable position and without disturbing other participants
4. Have access to the WiFi network
5. A clear agenda

4. The local participant, mainly in receptive mode

Must be informed of the content of the meeting and only intervene occasionally to ask or answer questions.
What does the passive participant expect ?

1. Not to be in charge of the minutes
2. View the main screen/screens while remaining in a comfortable position and without disturbing other participants
3. Have access to the WiFi network
4. A clear agenda

5. The videoconferencing tools needed to meet expectations

Here are some basic solutions that make it possible to make a difference, for both active and passive participants:

• Comfortable acoustics,
• A VisioTable and a VisioPanel or a VisioMobile which allow the facilitator to circulate and local and distant participants to see and be seen,
• An ergonomic content sharing tool that allows everyone to project their content and interact locally and remotely,
• A video collaboration system, federated with the content sharing tool, which makes collaboration in the room and remotely dynamic,
• Simple room control (lighting, multimedia),
• A room reservation system.

At the end of the day, each type of participant aspires to the same goal: not to waste time on ineffective meetings. To do this, you need the combination of good preparation and a collaborative room solution that meets all expectations: organizer, presenter, local and remote participants, active or mainly in receptive mode. The good news? It’s our expertise. Contact us!