Lists of trends – what’s hot and what’s not - are always a popular item at the start of any new year. We think that a list of meeting trends for 2017 should certainly be among them. So that’s why we’ve identified a number of trends of which we would like to feature two in this blog. Both trends relate to one of the most common New Year’s resolutions - to live healthier and with less stress! Although it’s not always easy to keep to your resolutions, we’re sure that you would like to succeed this year. So why not […]
Meetings in 2017
Did you know that in the Netherlands we spend a quarter of our working hours in meetings? You have only to calculate how many hours that is per year to see that it should really be rather less in 2017. Or more efficient anyway. And certainly if you’re the one who has to prepare the meeting.In this blog, you’ll read how to make a fresh start with your meetings in the new year. Meetings are here to stay There will always be meetings because there will always be a need for democratic decision-making. But most people are not exactly excited […]
Welcome to the meeting of the future
Pop your VR glasses on. Have they started already? No! “Welcome”! says a colleague, with a smile. “Take a seat!” You sit down on your virtual chair and the meeting can start. Is this the future? Maybe, but if so the meeting of the future is closer than we think. Perhaps not yet with Virtual Reality, but certainly digitally and in the cloud. Few subjects are spoken and written about as much as meetings. And new forms of meeting are constantly emerging, such as stand-up meetings, scrum meetings or walking meetings. Every trick in the book is being used to […]
Meeting 3.0: Goodbye briefcase, hello tablet!
It’s not just employees in commercial companies who are increasingly working with a laptop, tablet and apps – (local) government too is using digital tools more often. And also during meetings. Because it’s exactly there that major savings can still be made. Perhaps your first thoughts go to saving money on paper and ink, but you can also save a lot on the meetings themselves. How can you do that? The answer is simpler than you might think: with a digital meeting tool. It might have seemed inconceivable ten years ago, but now that more and more private business is […]
The paperless office: ignore it or promote it?
We’ve got good news for lovers of the paperless office: the trend for organisations to use increasingly less paper continued undiminished last year. This was announced by the Association for Information and Image Management (AAIM) on 4 November this year on World Paperfree Day. Which department contributes most to using less paper? HR! Which is actually not really surprising as they have daily contact with younger employees and therefore have to respond to their need for digital communication. And let’s face facts – doesn’t everyone find a job through social media? And, of course you always apply online too, don’t […]
3 Urban myths about paperless meetings
Have you ever considered switching to meeting digitally but then read or heard something about paperless meetings that made you change your mind? Then this blog was written for you! Over the last few years, we’ve heard a number of urban myths going the rounds about paperless meetings. Could it be that one of these stories was the reason why you still hold meetings in the old-fashioned way, with paper? Urban myth 1: Digital meetings are not secure If you were scared off by this urban myth, then we’re not surprised that you’ve never made a start on digital meetings. […]
Meeting’s agenda AOB: scrap it or use it?
One of the nightmares of every chairperson has to be colleagues that squander huge amounts of time on the vaguest item on the meeting’s agenda – ‘any other business’ (AOB). No matter how tightly you manage the meeting, there are no rules for ‘any other business’. Before you know it, you’re embroiled in a discussion that nobody saw coming and for which nobody has prepared. That’s why in this blog we’ve gone back to the basics: what is the item AOB meant for anyway? Parking or removal Originally, AOB made it possible to introduce items for discussion that were not […]
4 tips to make keeping minutes easier
“Who’s keeping the minutes today?” It’s not exactly a question that makes you popular. As soon as the chairperson asks this question, his or her colleagues quickly hide behind their laptops or suddenly have to check something important on their smartphone. Rarely if ever does anyone volunteer. Which is hardly surprising as transcribing minutes takes time. And as you’re busy enough as it is, you’d prefer to spend that time on other things. Yet it can all be done smarter and faster. Surely you’d prefer your colleagues not to stick their heads in the sand when you ask for someone […]
