How Technology Has Changed the Meeting [Infographic]

Andrew Deen http://projectmgmt.brandeis.edu 3m 801 #technology

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Technology In The Meeting

Technical advancements have changed the world of business in terms of communication, presentation, and project management. With this development of technologies came a great change in the dynamics of the meeting room. Ultimately, the meeting room, as we know it, may disappear completely.

Imagine the meeting room of the past with typewriters, file cabinets, and possibly, a stylish projector. Presentations were made in person and notes and copies were hand written. If an individual wanted to send a written message to someone outside his or her building, each message had to be mailed via snail mail. It was a simpler time, with much more interpersonal communication and handwriting.

Fast-forward to 2015 where the meeting room has become a hotbed for the latest technologies. Individuals utilize tablets, smartphones, and laptops to communicate and manage their projects. Video conferencing and cloud applications have almost caused the demise of the meeting room altogether. International meetings can occur almost free of charge at any time of the night or day.

Looking into the future, businesses can expect to see the continued demise of the meeting room. With manipulative technology, artificial intelligence, and office robots, we could be looking at a time where not only does the meeting room no longer exist, but he office building as well.

Brandeis University designed a compelling infographic that looks into the past and future of the meeting room to see how technology changes the way we do business.

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HOW TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED THE MEETING

COMMUNICATION | PRESENTATION | PROJECT MANAGEMENT

PAST

Written communication was either by hand or typed via typewriter

1958 MOST PRESENTATIONS RELIED ON PAPER, CHALKBOARD, OR OLD-FASHIONED VERBAL PITCHES

Handwritten or typed notes were kept in folders and filed

1961 IBM’s Selectric Model typewriter was introduced in 1961. It was electric and used a swiveling ball that pivoted before striking the typebars onto the ribbon

The Kodak 500 projector was the “most portable yet” at less than nine pounds and showed 30 slides

Copies had to be made by hand or with a brand new expensive copy machine

Rotary phones came into popular use in 1919 and continue to be used into the ’60s

The repeating slide projector could play 40 continuous slides in a straight tray and could synchronize sound with tape recorders

1959 The Xerox 914 hit the market in 1959

It prints at the speed of 26 seconds per copy and weighed 648 pounds

1962 The first keypad dialing technology was introduced in 1962

From there, copies had to be handed over in person or mailed via snail mail

COMMUNICATION | PRESENTATION | PROJECT MANAGEMENT

PRESENT

A plethora of mobile communication devices are available to use today, such as laptops, tablets, e-readers, and smartphones, even wearable tech

92% of business managers cite presentation software as a main priority for their meeting rooms

For companies with a global presence, a regional meeting may mean Europe, South Asia, or North America rather than just with the U.S.

Employees and project members can be contacted easily, anywhere whenever they’re needed

Cloud-based communication through services like Skype or Google Hangouts are also an option

Digital media are available at our fingertips, from video to photos to audio, projecting and sharing these on even basic computers

Individual and group video conferencing is an option, allowing people to connect to a meeting without physically being there

Information can also be presented in an interactive way, such as on a website or through a game

Software mobile devices, cloud storage and apps all help with project management. These allow for easy organization, storage, and fast retrieval of information

FUTURE

COMMUNICATION | PRESENTATION | PROJECT MANAGEMENT

SMART WORK CLOTHES

Smart work clothes will be able to regular body temperature, charge mobile devices, and feature embedded transistors that can display information

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Artificial intelligence software will bring high-level automation to mundane tasks, such as drafting an email or performing cost-benefit analysis of an incoming phone call during a meeting

DRONES

Small office drones will deliver packages, track down colleagues, and enabled real-time video chats with workers

WEARABLE TECH

It is predicted that smart wearable tech will become common place and will go beyond being able to browse the web, take pictures, or send and receive texts or emails like it does now

MANIPULATIVE TECHNOLOGY

Instead of emailing or sending links or files, you’ll be able to manipulate technology and screens through gestures and motion

As a completely digital operation can perform a meeting anywhere, with anyone at anytime…

The meeting room itself will disappear

ROBOTS IN THE WORKFORCE

Roaming robots will check up on the progress of projects and take video of worker productivity, freeing managers to focus on more important tasks.

Robots will also be able to talk and interact with human coworkers, improving communication, and information sharing

Brandeis University
Graduate Professional Studies

http://projectmgmt.brandeis.edu/

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