Exercise y'all remember those old school projectors they used to take in school? Whenever the projector was pulled out in course, I knew I was going to have fun. Teachers would permit us to become upwardly and write on the projector, and it just felt more collaborative.

That's kind of what whiteboarding is like in business. Every bit marketers, you probably have a lot of brainstorming sessions where you're laying out landing pages, writing copy, and creating a strategy for a entrada.

And brainstorming sessions and whiteboarding get together like peanut butter and jelly.

In this mail service, we'll swoop into whiteboarding and learn how you lot can apply this process to improve your brainstorming sessions.

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What is Whiteboarding?

Whiteboarding is the process of collaborating during brainstorming sessions on a whiteboard. This can be washed remotely or in person. Virtually, whiteboarding sessions use a tool where you can depict, place sticky notes, chat, send files, or type notes. The virtual whiteboards should have the same benefits equally whiteboarding in person -- every team member tin can comment, edit, and share.

Whiteboarding Session

While whiteboarding sessions are corking, information technology's easy to lose control over a brainstorming session. To conduct a successful whiteboard session, we've gathered a few tips.

Whiteboarding Techniques

ane. Be artistic.

One of the best parts of a whiteboarding session is that information technology allows your team to exist creative. People tin can share documents, put up gluey notes as reminders, and share their ideas with the team. When you're in person, it'south fun to allow all your team members use the whiteboard, and then everyone has a chance to write down notes and share their thoughts.

2. Stay focused.

With any brainstorming session, it's easy to lose track of what the goal is. To stay focused, nosotros suggest writing out your goal at the superlative of your whiteboard, and then everyone can see and knows what they're supposed to be doing. When ideas that are off-topic are brought up, write them down in a section on the side for ideas to follow up on.

3. Encourage meaningful conversation.

Brainstorming sessions besides allow teams to take meaningful conversations about different ideas. No idea is too small, and everyone should experience confident speaking their mind. The whole point of a whiteboarding session is to engage and collaborate with members of your squad. It's supposed to be interactive. These sessions also assistance people feel heard and like their ideas are being taken into consideration.

iv. Keep the board organized.

When y'all're running a whiteboard session, it'due south of import to keep the board organized. Fifty-fifty though it's brainstorming, your ideas should exist labeled in sections, so anybody knows what idea pertains to what topics. This is too where y'all can add a side section merely for "off-topic" ideas. You'll still desire to write those down, even if it doesn't have to do with the topic at hand, so you can come dorsum to it later and keep the meeting focused.

Now that we know what whiteboarding is and how to exist successful when you lot're running a meeting, let's review some remote whiteboarding tools to help you exist successful in a virtual brainstorming session.

Remote Whiteboarding

Every bit we've discussed in a higher place, whiteboarding can exist done remotely as well. This doesn't demand to be an in-person activity. In fact, remote whiteboarding meetings tin be but equally constructive because everyone can employ the whiteboard at once, and take full visibility of it at the same fourth dimension.

Beneath, let'southward review some whiteboarding tools to apply in your video conferencing meetings.

Remote Whiteboarding Tools

1. Zoom

A keen thing about Zoom is that a whiteboarding tool is built into the video conferencing software. If y'all apply Zoom for your remote meetings, so you don't demand to look any farther for a whiteboard tool.

To access the Zoom whiteboard, click the Share Screen push, and and then click Whiteboard. One of the features we similar nigh this tool is that other participants can annotate and participate in writing on the whiteboard (if allowed). It's too nice considering yous can turn that feature off if yous desire likewise.

2. Miro

Miro is an online visual whiteboard platform where you can collaborate with teams anywhere. You can apply this tool during remote meetings for workshops, brainstorming and ideation, enquiry, strategy and planning, and mapping and diagramming.

This tool has an infinite canvas, a robust gear up of widgets, and prebuilt templates to help you get started. You tin can even apply this tool to create client journeying maps, wireframe your website, develop a roadmap and program your next dart.

3. Microsoft Whiteboard

If you aren't using Zoom, or would rather employ some other whiteboard tool, Microsoft has an excellent option. With this tool, all team members can edit and annotate directly on the screen in existent-fourth dimension.

The whiteboard is besides infinite, significant you can draw, type, or add viscous notes equally much every bit you need. Y'all can also save your whiteboards, so y'all tin can proceed using the tool as much every bit you want, while also going back to old sessions.

4. Conceptboard

Conceptboard is another remote whiteboarding tool you tin use during your meetings. With this tool, you can see live cursors, and everyone can collaborate at once.

Additionally, this tool has video conferencing capabilities, so yous tin can talk to your squad while you lot're brainstorming.

five. Limnu

Limnu is an online whiteboard tool that's realism is the biggest seller. It feels like a real whiteboard, but information technology has the features of online whiteboarding such as collaboration. Anyone can edit in real-time, but yous can also limit permissions if need exist. Additionally, there's a chat box function which is helpful for those who don't take editing permissions to give their point of view.

Whiteboarding is a great way to collaborate and brainstorm with your squad. And the all-time part is, you lot don't need to be in-person to have collaborative meetings. With remote whiteboarding tools, you can agree a brainstorming session just equally hands.

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Originally published Feb 11, 2021 7:00:00 AM, updated June eleven 2021