A Proven Strategy to Increase Meeting Engagement

We have all been there. Attending a daylong meeting or training event in which we know what to typically expect – hours of sitting and listening to presentations. Some may even joke at times that it is “death by PowerPoint.”

According to recent surveys, adult attention spans have shrunk by up to 50% in the last decade. There are varying statistics on the length – everything from 7 seconds to 10 minutes. Despite the actual figure, it is no wonder the meetings industry has been uber-focused on how to increase meeting engagement, especially when presenting from the stage. Couple that statistic with the fact that meeting engagement helps participants not only learn, but also retain the information. And, it is critical for fields such as healthcare or finance professionals that rely on continuing education (CE) credits for their professional licenses.

At M&IW, we are faced with the same opportunity every year at our annual event on ways to deliver an amazing event experience. What’s more, we also push to demonstrate industry-leading meeting engagement techniques with the use of unique presentation formats and cutting-edge technology for our clients throughout our very own and exclusive annual meeting. It is for that very reason, we design the agenda to include different presentation formats, TED-style talks of 20-minute presentations, panel discussions, storytelling and hands-on workshops. Additionally, as a technology-driven organization, we use some of the best event technologies that aid with presentation engagement.

For the past three years, we have used a live meeting engagement and analytics technology. It is an interactive tablet solution that is one of the best in the industry. What makes it so different from other event technologies such as audience polling or audience response systems, you ask? While ARS is great for engagement, and we use it on a regular basis, it is typically for just few minutes or sporadically polling the attendees during a presentation. ARS does increase engagement during that session, but not the entire program. Whereas, second screen technology, EM Array, provided by our partner, Educational Measures takes it to the next level. EM Array is proven to capture audience attention and increase meeting engagement through the entire day by allowing participants to directly interact with the content on the tablet in front of them.

The best part is that the EM-Array analytics that measure and improve the effectiveness of the meeting are top-notch. They illustrate how the technology increases audience engagement 10x more than traditional learning. Furthermore, the analytics can be utilized for continuing education, compliance and reporting. I have personally found this technology to amplify my own experience during our daylong meetings. The fun participant features that keep you engaged includes the ability to ask and answer questions; take notes directly on the presentation slides; participate in surveys, simulations and games; capture and save slides and resources; and rate slides, content and speakers. That is only the beginning, from a meeting stakeholder perspective the features become even more exciting with the ability to engage with surveys, simulations and games; dialogue with live and virtual audiences; capture every click and comment; and compare both live and remote meeting impact.

A while back, we caught up with Ryan Mazon, the Senior Vice President, Business Development at Educational Measures. We asked Ryan to give us a few tips on where to start when implementing a meeting improvement program. He replied, “before chasing meeting greatness, you must first define what exceptional meetings look like to your organization. Start with the end in mind; don’t hold back. What would the most amazing meeting look like? What would impress your audience? How should people feel when they arrive, participate and leave the meeting? What do you want people to say about your meetings and events? Having an end in mind will keep you on a track toward excellence.”

We also asked what types of meeting improvements are occurring because of data analytics? Ryan said, “data is the lifeblood of meeting improvement programs. It can guide to improvement and guard from unnecessary expenditure. To determine what to measure remember that every metric can be tied to a business process. Every business process can be measured. Every business process can be improved based on time savings, cost reduction, resource allocation and innovation acceleration. The values of each component of the meeting will lead to a set of key performance indicators that can be tracked over time.”

Since being introduced to EM-Array several years ago, we have not only incorporated it into our signature event, but also brought it forth to our clients. Many of these clients have said that the use of the technology has increased audience engagement, provided more business intelligence, and delivered ROI for their meetings.

All-in-all at M&IW, we are excited to finally see a technology come along that turned a second screen into an engagement-driving tool. Perhaps it will help audience participants to put away their own second screen and absorb the important messages coming from stage that are designed to help them grow in their professional careers.

For a closer look at the technology, consider joining us for our 2018 M&IW Summit: Client Connect taking place in August. We will once again be partnering with Educational Measures to assist with increasing audience participation and engagement. If you are interested in learning more about our upcoming event or Educational Measures, email us at marketing@meetings-incentives.com.