But with integrated collaboration, most of the benefits stem from increased effectiveness, improved productivity and the quality and speed of decision making. There are a large number of videoconferencing systems available to choose from, both as group system and personal system. They are called group systems to indicate their broad applicability and to distinguish them from personal systems. Personal or desktop systems are designed for a single user, whether in an office building or at a home office or some other location. Personal systems deliver an economical means of providing videoconferencing for many people throughout an organisation.
Most organisations benefit from a mix of group and personal systems.
In Your Meetings Computer-aided facilitation tools can provide tremendous advantages for productivity and results in a meeting. Several tools and approaches are available, from the use of a word processor to type meeting notes as you go, to keypad voting systems and full-scale brainstorming, mapping and evaluation tools. After every meeting and event, do an 'after action analysis'. Watch or participate in other meetings and conduct a trial run of the items on your agenda. Let your desired outcomes, rather than the technology, drive your agenda.