Questions and Answers [continued]

Q: The idea of Meetings Pages seems pretty simple. So why can't we do it ourselves?

A: You can. All you need is write access to an empty Web page, a fast Web page editor, and someone who knows how to use it.

The latter point is particularly important -- recording the flow of a conversion in real-time is non-trivial. It's also very rewarding, both the aesthetics of the activity itself and the increased communication that results [well, we like it]. So go ahead, take a shot at it. And if it turns out to be harder than you thought, but you still want to do it yourself, we can help. First look at the page describing our Telefacilitation Training. Then fill out our information form and check the box for the training.

Q: If we do it ourselves, won't you lose business?

A: Maybe. But the more telefacilitators there are, the more visibility for the profession as a whole, which helps us all. Also, trying it yourself will give you more appreciation for the service we sell.

One piece of advice: it really helps if the Web page editor you use can do "Spatial Text;" it makes the best use of screen real estate on Meeting Pages, and transmits very quickly. And by the way, in addition to the trainings, PGC also sells an editor that does spatial text very nicely -- our Webmacs editor.

Q: Well, spatial text or no, we're gonna give it a try with the Web page editor we have now and one of the people in the office. Any last words of advice?

A: Of course. If you really want to try telefacilitation youselves, be forewarned that the social role of objective recorder is one unfamiliar to most people, and extremely demanding. It is difficult to both listen to everything the group says and also succinctly represent it with text and graphics in real time. A professional facilitator has the training, experience, and aptitude to do this job effectively. And, realize that if someone from your organization does play the role of facilitator, then they will be removed from participating in the teleconference. Recording a meeting is a fulltime job -- it is almost impossible for the facilitator to also contribute content. Again, may we recommend PGC's Telefacilitation Training.

Q: OK, so if PGC does the telefacilitation for our meeting, where will the group see the Meeting Page? Your illustration shows both a large screen on the wall as well as people watching the page on individual monitors.

A: Either place. Participants can watch the Meeting Page on individual monitors, but if you have one available, the big screen is nice. We can bring one with us if the facilitator goes out to your site.

Q: Why do we need Meeting Pages at all? What's the value added over phone conferencing alone?

A: The Meeting Page provides an explicit group memory of the ongoing discussion, available for immediate reference during the teleconference. This is especially valuable for non-native English speakers, whose reading comprehension is often far greater than their verbal comprehension. The Meeting Page is an enormous aid for helping them keep track of the conversation.

Q: OK, if Meeting Pages are so good, then by the same token wouldn't a full audio-video link, with shared writing&drawing tools, do an even better job?

A: Possibly. But for the near future, in terms of both cost and universal accessibility, it will be hard to beat the combination of phone conferencing and a skillfully operated Meeting Page on the Web.

Note that shared writing&drawing tools currently have some disadvantages: they are not very common, are sometimes very expensive, and usually require a fair degree of homogeneity among the computers being linked (often the computers must all be the same brand; almost always they must all be running the same operating system). In addition, most of the tools are virtually unusable without a faster-than-modem connection to the Internet. In short, high-end shared collaboration tools will be very important in the future, but for the moment we think that you can't beat phones plus the Web as a way to provide cost-effective telemeeting support for the greatest number of people.

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Note: "Performing Graphics," "Meeting Maps," "Meeting Pages," "TeleFacilitation," and "Meet me on the Web!" are trademarks of the Performing Graphics Company.