The Crystal approach builds on a client’s existing infrastructure. Our approach can inject engagement into your meeting whether you use voice-conferencing, tele-conferencing or any of the online tools such as webex or Second Life.

Delegates will form small workgroups or teams of three to four people in each office/location, accessing a teleconference or video conference call via a speakerphone and using an internet connection to access our online virtual workshop tool.

While for some, the requirement to meet in small teams will mean some local travel, there are considerable benefits:

• Re-enforces the sense of attending a meeting and creates a sense of occasion.

• Reduces other workplace distractions.

• Provides an opportunity to share ideas locally giving a small amount of networking.

• Forces delegates to participate actively spurred on by the other people in their workgroup, rather than lurking in the background.

• Reduces the technology infrastructure required.

Preparation From previous experience we know that good preparation is crucial to the success of a virtual meeting.

• The virtual meeting has to be short; to aid concentration and to work within the constraints of different time zones. All extraneous information needs to be stripped out.

• We work closely with meeting owners in advance to set clear objectives and stay faithful to them in agenda design.

• We use ‘pre-search’ with participants to understand what information they want from presenters. • We plan out the event in a storyboard breaking the content for presentations into bite-sized chunks. • We engineer discussion sessions (using the online workshop tool) between presentations to test understanding and to ensure concentration levels remain high. • We also think carefully what materials would help the delegates with understanding the information – it is rarely the same PowerPoint presentation given to the Board!

Crystal Interactive Limited, Telephone: +44 (0)20 8977 0415