Can your meeting go topless?
As in laptop-less? Now that people are commenting on meetings in real-time through social networking tools, you can’t help but worry that some things are getting out that just shouldn’t go public. So why not just ban laptops, along with BlackBerries and the rest of those insta-communicators?
Personally, I really like this idea, but I’m sure there are plenty of people who would disagree.
Hat tip to the Fabulous Spellos Brothers for the pointer–and who could resist playing with that headline, really?
March 28th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Sue, you’ll have to pry my Blackberry from my cold dead hands. But, as I just posted over at www.associationinc.com, I have to wonder if this is just a way for people who host boring meetings to blame their attendees.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Laptops don’t break news; people do. Focus on the behavior, not the device. Metal detectors and strip searches en route to the general session don’t sound very appealing to me.
March 31st, 2008 at 9:25 am
Jeffrey, agreed–no strip searches and metal detectors! Geez. I just think it’d be nice if it became the norm to actually be in the meeting while at the meeting, and not have your attention elsewhere.
And yeah, Kevin, it could be a way to blame attendees for not paying attention during a boring meeting, but I’d like to think it would make it impossible to hold a boring meeting. After all, if attendees are actually paying attention, they’ll demand something engaging, don’t you think? Letting people amuse themselves online or on their phones just encourages bad meetings. Why put in the effort if no one’s paying attention, right?
March 31st, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Sue, while it is probably true for a larger percentage of people/time than I would care to admit the use of laptops, PDAs, etc. doesn’t automatically mean people aren’t doing something related to the session. And I know that’s not news to someone as savvy as you.
I often take notes on my laptop and love being able to order a book right away that a speaker mentions, go to a web site that is referenced, etc. Am I fully present? No. Am I doing meaningful things related to the session? Yes.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:11 am
A few years ago I switched to a slate Tablet PC and now hand write all my meeting notes on it instead of paper tablets. Meeting leaders who have a “no laptop” rule accept my Tablet PC because it doesn’t create keyboard tapping and they don’t feel it competes for their attention.
Leave a Comment
Advertisement
Subscribe to Face2Face
To receive a daily e-mail digest of face2face posts:
Contact Sue
Recent Posts
Calendar
Categories
Archives
Your Account