Group Dynamics have been in this industry for over 25 years now, and we have seen many technologies (and companies!) come and go.

What we have also seen is a proliferation of terminology that has come out into the marketplace to describe or define the systems themselves.

What are they?

Here are some of them:

Group Response System

Often shortened to GRS , it’s a term we have employed in the past in an attempt to explain the whole gist of what we do in three words – always an optimistic goal for a system as versatile and powerful as ours.

Audience Response System

This is probably the most pervasive term used when describing these systems. It does not include ‘voting’ which allows it to embrace a broader spectrum of features and technologies such as texting. However, it is not a phrase that would probably occur to someone new to the technology using Google or another search engine to find information and therefore should be used in conjunction with others.

Interactive Voting System

Another common phrase shortened to IVS on many occasions. It does have its limitations though, as some handsets (for example, our Messenger handset) are now more advanced and allow other functionality that is not ‘voting’ per se such as texting. Also, ‘interactive’ has now been used in so many unrelated products that it has arguably lost some of its significance.

Quiz systems

Perhaps the defining moment for these in terms of public awareness was the TV programme “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” The success of this program made explaining some of the things we can do so much easier, however we have been involved in many TV programs that pre-date Millionaire by many years. Programs such as ‘The Krypton Factor’ and ‘Everybody’s Equal’ benefited from using our quiz systems.

Out of the realm of the television studio, quiz systems are used by many clients to spice up corporate events or training courses. There’s a wealth of different ways these can be employed, and clients are often dreaming up their own ‘game shows’ which are then incorporated into our handset system.

Electronic Voting System

EVS is a fairly accurate term again, but saddled with two problems. Firstly, like ‘interactive voting’ above, it excludes the more advanced features provided by handsets such as our Messenger. Secondly, it is heavily used within the realm of elections, where the electorate cast their vote in booths at the polling station using a fixed electronic system. This is obviously a completely different field and can lead to confusion.

Text System | Text Voting

Given that more and more people are now proficient in sending text messages via their mobile phones, some technologies such as our Messenger handset now offer the ability to send responses via text message. This also allows comments, feedback and questions to be sent from the floor at any time during a meeting. However, since the technology is incorporated into handsets that do other things as well, the term can’t really be used on its own.

In summary

As you can see, there are many terms, but none can fully describe the services we provide. Perhaps we should say we provide Texting Responses, Audience Voting and Interactive Systems or TRAVIS for short. Then again, perhaps not…

Perhaps the most important lesson from all of this is that there is no one all-encompassing term for what we provide because you, the client, shouldn’t have to adapt your meeting requirements to a particular terminology or technology. You should be asking the technology provider to adapt their systems to your particular needs. What you will then find is that the flexibility you get from such a system will give you the power to ensure you maximise the potential from your events.

If you’re interested in making your meetings more interactive and empowering your audiences in new and amazing ways, give us a call or contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

In the next article, I’ll have a look at the history of the technology behind these systems.