Council Forums - The benefits of online or in-person
As we all know, a lot of meetings and events have been forced to go online, and Council’s Community and Lessee Forums have been no exception. CPR Group has facilitated both in-person and online forums, and we have found both have a unique set of benefits that is worth exploring.
Benefits of an online forum:
Instant reporting on attendance and records of chat and polls
Attendees are often more comfortable to ask questions of the presenters via chat
A recording of the session is easily accessible after the session
No travel to a venue, therefore it’s easier for volunteers to attend as it reduces their time investment
More accessible due to no travel and providing live transcripts
Benefits of an in-person forum:
Less distractions and more exciting atmosphere to keep engagement
Networking opportunities for attendees
Relationship building for Council officers
By recognising the benefits of each delivery mode, different techniques can be used to mitigate the negatives and improve each option, including:
Boost networking and relationship building online by providing an online chat, and promoting engagement with other attendees and with the presenters
Utilise technology during in-person forums to provide feedback and reporting benefits, for example, CPR Group’s ‘Virtual Butchers Paper’ sessions
Virtual Butchers Paper
At the 2021 Ipswich City Council Forum we implemented our feedback system that we call ‘Virtual Butchers Paper’. It’s based on the traditional form of brainstorming, where in groups, the attendees discuss the topic and write down their ideas on butchers paper. Instead, we provided QR codes, and the attendees input their ideas straight into their smartphones. The results were then displayed live, in graphs and word clouds, to provide a summary of the feedback in real time.
The use of the ‘Virtual Butchers Paper’ was amazingly successful in engaging attendees and receiving honest feedback. We were able to provide clear reports immediately following the session that will empower Council to make informed decisions.
If relationship building and networking is important for your event, then in-person is preferable (if possible), especially if you can implement effective feedback and reporting mechanisms. However, no longer should an online meeting be seen as second best, as there are benefits that may mean events stay online even when in-person becomes possible again.
