As written here, I’m experimenting with 
going laptop-less during meetings. I believe I’m seeing the benefit to doing this, and I’m also being reminded about how distracting a laptop can be in a meeting. But first, let’s start with the benefits.
In my prior entry, I mentioned a concern about writing notes taking longer than typing them during the meeting, and then additional lost time transcribing the notes later. Fortunately, my concerns about these issues are waning. It’s not that the statements aren’t true: I can certainly type faster than I can write, and I do spend more time transcribing the notes after the meeting. But there is a huge upside to this: By typing the notes, I’m forcing myself to go over the meeting topics for a second time, expanding my comprehension of the meeting discussions (see “How I use my notebook”).
I’ve also found that there are ways to assist in speeding up notetaking by bringing pre-printed material to make notes on. Examples include an agenda, or a list of defects that need to be reviewed. Instead of writing down the agenda item, all you need to do is write the resolution and action items. A similar set of steps can be used for assigning and prioritizing defect lists.
Now that I’m laptop free, I’ve noticed issues with using a laptop and a projector and capturing notes. The “bug review” meeting is an example of the type of meeting where I notice this the most. There are two ways to run this meeting: Distribute the bugs (actually, I prefer the more direct term “defects”) on paper, and have people read of their own copy, or use a laptop connected to the issue tracking system and project the screen onto the wall, and have people read from the projected image. It seems to be much easier to use pre-printed materials and a pen or pencil than to have everyone starting at the projected image. There’s no real evidence to this, it just seems slower.
The action that makes it seem slower is when the defect is updated, it causes everyone else in the meeting to stop while the laptop user types the updated information into the system and waits for the change to be applied. This is not just a massive productivity drain, but instead it extends the time of the meeting, just the opposite of the argument for bringing laptops into the meeting.
Don’t use meeting time to figure out how software works. If you’re bringing a laptop with new software, take some time beforehand to ensure you know how to use it, otherwise, you’re just wasting the time of others in the meeting. If you must bring a laptop, ensure that all the applications, files, presentations, etc., are running and open prior to entering the meeting room. A classic example of this is the online screen-sharing applications like WebEx or GoToMeeting; in such a case, ensure you have the meeting room booked at least 15 minutes before the actual meeting starts, and then use that 15 minutes to connect and start the sharing process; don’t wait until the meeting start time to set up the session.
I’ll end with a warning regarding security and sensitive data risks for bringing laptops to meetings. When you attend a meeting, and must bring the laptop to project information onto a screen, ensure you turn off your email client, including any notification tools that you may have. Failing to do so could result in sensitive information being displayed to the entire meeting. This becomes even more serious if you’re a manager or an executive level employee.
I’ll follow up in a month or so, and see if I remain happy sans laptop…
Image: r8r
Tags: meeting, notetaking