With the increase in interest in how we might measure and reduce our carbon footprint as responsible business leaders, one strategy that I think could be further extended in many organisations is that of hosting meetings online as virtual meetings.
Whether your team is a virtual team across the globe or even in the same county never mind country, there are so many accessible platforms that we can use today to host online meetings.
I have found that the biggest increase in my carbon footprint is when I take a flight.
Therefore online meetings no only reduce travel time, inconvenience of being away from the family and personal commitments but are also kinder to our environment.
Here are three tools that I find help me in leading meetings in a virtual format so that the team is connected and we are productive.
- Create A Wiki - I have found that creating a wiki for a specific project where we can upload the project plan, host the audio recordings of the meetings, publish the agenda and action items from the meeting and share and work on documents collaboratively without having to manage the emails going back and forth through our email accounts
- Use Outlook Calendar - I have to say I really find sending invitations to a meeting through my Outlook calendar really helpful. I add the names of the people who are invited to attend, the conference call or bridge line number or web link that we will be using and also add the agenda items to the calendar note really helpful for keeping track on who can attend.Having the agenda in the notes area means that if I find myself away from the office at the time of the meeting, I have all the information I need with me - believe me I have particpated in online meetings from the most odd places!
- Find An Effective Online Meeting Platform - There are several formats for events and I choose the format dependent on the community I am working with. some of the things I take into consideration are:
Is this a community who will be travelling and therefore only have access to a phone?
Is the meeting with people from across the globe or in te same country?
How tech savvy are the attendees?
Are attendees in companies where there are firewalls that are difficult to by-pass especially if they have to download software to attend the online meeting?
I know that some people still like to connect face to face and there is certainly a different quality of dialogue if you be with people in person. If that is important to you, then you might want to consider a webconference or online meeting where you can connect through a webcam.
One platform I have found helpful and which is free to use is Oovoo where you can have 6 people attend an online meeting each with their own webcam. Alternatively if you want to connect more people, you can use services like Online Meeting Rooms where you can access a licence for many more people.
If you have an event like a town meeting or conference, you could even use Online Meeting Rooms to live broadcast the event as they will be doing at 3Dcamp this weekend.
I only wish events such as the forthcoming IBEC Carbon Footprinting For Business conference taking place on the 28 May 2008 in Dublin, Ireland would consider using online meeting services to support their conference.
The IBEC Carbon Footprinting For Business Conference is all about carbon footprinting in business and they are asking delegates to complete a survey so they can offset the carbon emissions for people attending the event.
The IBEC Carbon Footprinting For Business Conference is of relevance to businesses across Ireland. How impactful could it be, supporting the IBEC brand and their endorsement and support for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint if IBEC were to make the conference available as an online meeting? That would enable business leaders to attend from across Ireland or overseas.
I did contact Change.ie who are sponsoring the IBEC Carbon Footprinting For Business conference suggesting they podcast the conference but they were not able to take any action as it is an IBEC event.
Here's hoping that big businesses and conference organisers will rethink their events and conferences in the future.
Holding your meetings online absolutely can save time, money and the environment.
What meetings or conferences have you attended recently where the organisers have actively sought to reduce their carbon footprint?
Tags: carbon footprint, online meetings, online meeting rooms, Oovoo, IBEC Carbon Footprinting for Business
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