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To Meet Or Not To Meet

Meetings can be high stress for the person giving the meeting and the attendees. There is often pressure to pay attention, speak out, and retain all of the information given in the meeting for the people attending. For the person running the meeting it can be even more stressful. Meeting leaders need to have control over the room while speaking clearly and broadcasting to their audience everything that they need to know. While being stressful, at the same time meetings are important for businesses to communicate with their employees and offer a place for everyone’s opinions to be put into play. It is important to be able to differentiate when a meeting is necessary and when it is not.

First, it is important to think about whether a meeting is necessary or whether the information that is to be given only needs to go one way. If a company is instructing its employees on a new rule or policy and there is no need for discussion, a company-wide memo will suffice. A memo can let everyone know what they need to know without interrupting their work day. On the other hand if the company is looking for ideas or opinions, a meeting is definitely called for. Open discussions are a great way to get fresh ideas and a good way to get different views on things.

Another good tip is to schedule regular meetings where things can be discussed openly. Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly are good choices for a general meeting time depending on the business. General meeting times give everyone a chance to let their peers know of problems or ideas on a schedule at an expected time. Having  a set meeting time also gives everyone a clear date to prepare anything they’d like to discuss with their coworkers.

Meetings that are called outside of the scheduled general meetings should have a clear and concise subject and goal for the meeting. A presentation that must be given using a projector is one reason a  meeting must be held. Renting a projector for meetings is a great way to make ideas visual and presentations more entertaining. When giving such a presentation, make sure everyone is up to date on the subject matter and that no one is left behind. Keep the floor constantly open for comments or questions.

If the subject that needs to be discussed is something negative or personal to one or more employees, it is better to talk to that person or persons privately. Airing dirty laundry at public meetings is a faux pas that should be avoided. This is another case where it is better to send a memo or email to the employees in question or hold a private meeting with them without letting others know.

Time is valuable for all businesses and it is important to make meetings worth the time that they take. Bits of one-way information can be sent in memos while things that need to be discussed openly should be brought up in meetings. Presentations should be understood by all meeting attendees and the floor should always be left open for questions. Lastly, negative things that pertain to one or just a few employees should never be brought up in meetings but should be handled privately. With these tips it should be easier to decide if a meeting is needed.

Do you need to rent Anchor Audio Equipment? Rentacomputer.com has a full range of Anchor Audio Equipment to rent. Call us at 800-736-8772 to reserve yours today!

iGo Pocket Projector

Projectors are becoming a staple of meetings. What better way is there to get a point across than with a beautiful presentation right there in the meeting room? While projectors provide an invaluable asset to meetings, they are notoriously hard to travel with. With tons of wires and the huge screen it is almost not worth the trouble to do a projector presentation on the go and using equipment provided by others can be complicated and unreliable. There are portable projectors to solve this problem, and now there is the new iGo Pocket Projector, which brings portable to a whole level.

Coming in October 2010, the iGo Pocket Projector is designed to go with the popular Flip Video cameras. Flip cameras are all about ease of use, and this accessory is no different. When iGo says portable, they mean it. The Pocket Projector literally can fit into a pocket. It is tiny enough to not even be noticed while traveling, even smaller than some cell phones.

The Pocket Projector will project 70 inches, the size of a big screen tv. It provides 16:9 widescreen resolution and is battery powered. While originally designed for quick picture and video sharing using Flip Cameras, the iGo Pocket projector is also packaged with mini-HDMI and micro-HDMI cables, making it compatible with desktops and laptops. Using the HDMI cables it is also possible to connect with netbooks, smartphones, and some gaming systems, making the Pocket Projector able to be used in almost any situation.

To make a projector so small iGo is using a pico projector for the Pocket Projector. Pico projectors first became popular in 2008 and have been used in mobile phones and gaming systems recently. Upcoming digital cameras also incorporate pico projectors.

The iGo Pocket Projector is set to hit markets next month. One downside to this exciting release is the hefty price tag of $349.99, but hopefully once it is released, it can be confirmed that the perks of having such a tiny projector that can go almost anywhere will outweigh the large price.  There is also the fact that most portable projectors cost over $500 dollars, and if the Pocket Projector can keep up with the lead contenders then the price doesn’t seem so bad at all.

Below are some features and specifications for the iGo Pocket Projector taken from the Flip Camera site

Features

  • Compatible with all UltraHD, MinoHD and SlideHD video cameras. Not compatible with Ultra or Mino video cameras.
  • Portable mini projector, fits in your pocket
  • Battery powered (battery life 1.5 hrs)
  • DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology
  • Designed for Flip and also connects to portable devices such as laptops, smartphones
  • 5″ – 70″ viewable screen size (diagonal)
  • LED light source (20.000 hrs)
  • Supports MicroSD memory cards up to 32GB for easy storing or transferring of media
  • Built-in 0.5W speaker
  • Changeable projection (front, rear, front inverted, rear inverted)
  • Built in media player

Specs

  • Size: 4.6in x 2.4in x 0.7in
  • Weight: 5.6oz
  • Display type: DLP
  • Max resolution: 1200 x 800
  • Aspect ratio: 4:3 and 16:9
  • Brightness: 20 ANSI lumens
  • Input: A/V, composite video, stereo audio, Mini HDMI, VGA, Micro USB

If you liked this story then you may be interested in a Smartphone-sized Projector from Acer. You can check it out on The Projector Blog.

Get an Industrial Audio Rental from Rentacomputer.com today by going online or calling at 800-736-8772.

Build Your Own Projection Screen

Projectors are expensive, but what can really gall someone is buying that super-expensive projector and having to spend a ton of money on the screen as well. While nothing can replace a high-tech projector, with a few supplies a projection screen can be built for under $100 and function just as well as a store bought screen and look just as good too. Here is a supply list as well as the places that will have to be visited to buy said supplies.

Supplies:

Super-white seamless paper 53″

Wood for frame

L bracket and screws

Velveteen fabric in black

Elmers Glue

To obtain the super-white seamless paper the best place to visit is a camera store. This paper is used as a backdrop for photographers and happens to be the perfect size for projection screens. The wood frame, L bracket, screws, and Elmers Glue can be found at any local hardware store, and the velveteen fabric can be found at a  craft or fabric store.

The wood frame needs to be made of 1×4 poplar wood. Poplar wood is strong, lightweight, and smooth enough not to catch on the fabric. The 1×4 wood will give your screen a border that is 3.5″  around. Have the hardware store employees cut two of the boards to a length of 55.25″ and the other two to 93.5″.  Once this is done, see if it is possible to have the ends cut to a 45 degree angle, and if they are unable to do it at the store, take it home and cut it yourself with a handsaw.  While at the hardware store, pick up four flat L brackets that are six inches long on both sides and  twenty four 3/4 Philips wood screws. After the hardware store, the last stop is the fabric store. Pick up three feet of black velveteen fabric to wrap your wood frame in.

Step one

Cut the boards to the correct lengths and angles if not done at the hardware store. 55.25″ for two of the boards and 93.5″ for the other two, ends at a 45 degree angle.

Step two

Cut the fabric into four 6.5″ wide strips, with two  58″ in length for the sides and two strips for the bottom and top edges  being about 96″ in length. Lay the fabric on a flat surface with the board on top and wrap the fabric around the board stapling it into place as you go. If the fabric slides, use a little glue to hold it into place until the fabric is fixed to the wood all the way around. Carefully cut the fabric to match the 45 degree angles and glue in place if necessary.

Step three

Arrange the fabric-covered pieces of board in a rectangle, placing an L bracket at each corner. Holding the two boards firmly in place, screw six of the screws into the L brackets. Repeat for each corner.

Step four

Lay the super-white paper over the frame and keep it taut. Starting at one of the 55″ sides staple the paper into place, one staple every 9″ is sufficient. Once the paper is secured, trim it up around the edges so it doesn’t hang over the frame.

There you have it! The finished frame should look professional enough to be mounted on the wall for meetings or even at home for a home theater. The total cost of the supplies should be under $100 and it should look like it came side by side with your new projector.

How to handle secondary conversations



Chances are if you call a meeting then you have something important to say, but in all offices or businesses there is going to be outside conversation that leaks into the meeting room. During computer and projector meetings it is exceedingly important to have the full attention of your audience. Off-topic subjects can range from office gossip, to relationship talk, and even children. Regardless, talk between meeting participants that does not have to do with the subject matter of the meeting can distract from what is important and ruin the professional atmosphere you are trying to project. Below I’m going to go over a few tips to keep all eyes and ears on you, and ensure whatever you are trying to convey in the meetings is heard and absorbed by all.

Be non-verbal and non-threatening

There is no reason to embarrass someone for a first offense, so when two or more meeting participants are chatting on the side, make eye contact with each of them to let them know their conversation has drawn attention. Let your cues be non-verbal so that the speaker is not interrupted. Signal the offenders to quiet down with a clear hand signal and leave it at that. Speaking up or calling someone out has the negative outcome of making the offenders only dwell on getting in trouble, and not the subject of the meeting.

If chatter continues, call the talkers out in a non-threatening manner

On the off chance that the people holding the sideline conversation do not stop after a non-verbal cue is given, it is appropriate to call the talkers out in a manner that does not put them in a negative light with their peers but forces them to pay attention. One method is to ask the opinion of one of the people holding the secondary conversation. Ask things like, “Do you feel that this is a good idea, Margaret?” or “Do you have anything to add, Joe?”. By grabbing attention in a non-threatening manner the participant in the secondary conversation is made to pay attention or risk the embarrassment of being ignorant on the subject matter. Another tactic is to ask to borrow the notes of someone involved in the talking. Say that you missed the last part, and ask if they could give you a quick rundown of what was just said.

Keep control without getting angry

Sometimes things can just get out of hand, especially if the person who has the floor has a meek personality or does not know how to handle a large crowd of his or her peers. If competing conversations continue to the point where multiple conversations are being held, it may be necessary to bring the conversations to a halt by addressing the room. Avoid sarcasm or anger so that no one feels intimidated or embarrassed. Comment on your own inability to hear whoever has the floor and calmly guide attention back to the presentation. With the whole group’s attention it is very unlikely anyone’s thoughts will stray to other conversations again.

Keep the presentation entertaining

When running a computer and projector presentation, the biggest key to keeping other conversations from springing up is to hold everyone’s interest. Make sure the projector screen is large enough that everyone can see and that everything on the computer is running smoothly. Keep the presentation engaging and fast paced while still being informative. Incorporate humor and ask lots of questions of the audience. If you do not have the floor, make sure to be engaged in the presentation being given. Laugh at the jokes and ask questions. Hopefully everyone will follow your lead and enjoy the presentation instead of viewing it as a chore.

Using these tips it should be easy to control the crowd and keep everyone focused. Low stress, highly interactive meetings are good for business and good for employees. Successful meetings help reestablish a feeling of group pride and motivation in offices and it is important to have a firm handle on these meetings to keep your work environment a happy one.