In LO2474, you suggested:
<<Some of the groupware technologies are relevant here
(meeting support systems, Questmap to diagram the
conversations, video to convey the body language and voice
inflections in addition to the words, etc).
But, in this dimension, I think the soft technologies are the
most important. (Although, perhaps there are ways that the
soft technologies can be imbedded into software.)<<
Showing some irreverence for computer technologies, I will
take a different tack - that of speed and visibility. With a
flipchart, five pens in my hand, and an able taper, I can capture
and diagram meeting input faster than most general computer
support systems while keeping all of the recent past input
visible on the surrounding walls.
The method is called rooms with long walls and many hanging
pages of flipcharts. Raced a computer typist one day. My
winning rate was at least twice their speed of recording and
maintaining visibility of that which was recorded. I am giving
them the benefit of the doubt. We about tied on recording time.
The longer the list, the harder recall would be on a computer.
For flipcharts, I just need more wall space to keep all of it
visible at any one time. The most I have ever had on walls is
150 pages of flipcharts (big room). Probably the participants
could not quite keep it clear which sheet went with which
question.
There is something about cognitive learning which instinctively
makes me turn away from computers to capture team input/
meetings. Maybe someone like John Warfield can help here. I
don't believe typing stuff into computers helps people to recall
it at will (compared to flipcharts hanging all over the place that
they can gaze at). Someplace I read that the last 12 seconds is
the most we can sustain of current activity in our memory.
What are we doing to cognitive (is that the corrrect word)
learning when we hide the last xxx ideas in electrons?
My feeling is that the soft stuff can't be replaced by stuffing our
anonymity into a computer. Fix the soft stuff and meeting
groupware can be a useful in certain situations. Don't fix the
soft stuff and all that happens is more great ideas or complaints
keep popping up with no one to shepherd them around.
So this presupposes people in the same room. How about
video conferences? Is a video camera panning around the
room to recall information contained on flipcharts as good
for support as a computer might be?
>And, let me close by noting that here on the learning org list I
feel that we've created something that is very human and very
large (in terms of distance, time zones, different organizations,
different industries). <<
And, might I add, a truly enjoyable domain of learning. Thanks
to Rick and those who support him in making this digest work.
Have a great day!!
-- Dave Buffenbarger Organizational Improvement Coach Dow Chemical Company dwbuff@aol.com (517) 638-7080