A few of our favorite things

If you've been in a meeting with us or have been a part of our Better Meetings training, you know that we believe in choosing the right method and tools for the work at hand. Our most tried and true tool is a post-it note. During the pandemic, we explored lots of online tools and several are still in our toolbox now that we are back to more in-person and hybrid meetings. Here are a few of our favorites. What are your favorite tools?

Mentimeter

Voting and polling come up a lot during our meetings. It's a good way to check in with the group, see where the energy is, and allow the participants to choose the direction of the conversation. An easy way to do that is with Mentimeter, an interactive polling tool that supports real-time feedback and participation. Using Mentimeter ensures all voices are heard and aids in the decision-making process.

Mural

Many of you have probably heard that Google is discontinuing Jamboard at the end of the year (Jamboards will be view only as of October 1st). We recommend switching to Mural, a dynamic visual work platform where teams can create and collaborate. It's a blank slate with endless possibilities and helps us get organized while making our work more fun.

MindMeister

Mind mapping is a great meeting tool. It's a way of collecting and recording ideas without worrying about the order in which they are shared. An effective mind map shows the "shape" of the subject, the relative importance of individual points, and the way ideas relate to one another. We often use Mind Mapping when doing scans: What trends and driving forces may influence the mission and work of your organization? We’ve also seen it used to capture tasks before creating a work plan. Sometimes we ask groups to highlight the most significant items on the map with dots.

A fantastic mind mapping tool is MindMeister. If you've never tried virtual mind mapping, we think you'll love this easy-to-use and visually appealing program.