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How to Use Messaging at Your Event – 6 Helpful Hints
Meetings are about people and they want to be involved and consulted. You as an organiser need to be able to hear what they are saying.
A great way of facilitating this is by using messaging. Messaging gives your delegates the confidence to send in their comments freely, without worrying about speaking in front of a large group of people or interrupting the event itself.
How can you ensure you maximise its benefits? Here are our top tips.
1. Use an ice-breaker
One of the most simple and effective ways of using messaging is as an ice breaker. Ask your delegates to text in how they are feeling at the start of the conference session and not only are you helping them to settle in but you are also familiarising them with the technology they will be using during the event. Other ice breaker suggestions we have seen clients use include: asking audience members their favourite colour, how they travelled to the meeting or their favoured superpower if they could have one.
2. Let your audience's comments focus the main discussion
At one notable event, a CEO asked delegates to send in the issues that they wanted to discuss which formed the basis of the meeting agenda. This meant that delegates were in control of the meeting content and the CEO tackled the areas that delegates wanted to be addressed.
3. Generate ideas
One retailer asked their employees for suggestions for improving their customer service, no matter how trivial they appeared. Another client used messaging to establish how engaged their clients felt within the business.
4. Spark discussion
See your delegates’ incoming comments instantly and send them to other presenters for follow up during the session using the Message Gateway. You may also decide to group common question themes and show them as part of a Twitter style live wall feed for all to see.
5. Let delegates inform you
Delegates can also provide you with their thoughts, comments and questions. They can tell you first-hand how useful conference sessions have been, what they have found the most beneficial and raise their questions. Another effective way is to use messaging as a platform to share knowledge and techniques. A medical seminar for 300 surgeons encouraged delegates to send in their best practices on trauma surgery which led to a much bigger debate.
6. Q & A
Create an effective question and answer session-avoiding the need for you having to run around the floor with a microphone. Let your delegates tell you the questions they want answered at any point during the event without them having to ‘wait their turn’. As questions are sent in instantly, you do not have to worry about your delegates feeling shy or nervous about contributing.