Collaboration Made Easier With A Whiteboard

By Author: Hart King
Total Articles: 19
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Working with a whiteboard is still one of the best ways to capture and organize activity for a business, organization, classroom, team or even a family. Even in these days of instant messaging and email alerts, the white board maintains its usefulness and is still found in homes, schools and businesses around the world because it is a tried and true method for keeping information up-to-date, organized and accessible.

There are basically two types of white boards in a range of sizes - mounted or mobile. Depending on how you intend to use it, determine if it is best to have it mounted to the wall, perhaps near a telephone for capturing timely information, or available on an easel for impromptu meetings and brain storming sessions. So first determine what size will suit you best for an installation and if you would rather have a multiple white boards available on demand.

Formal boardrooms traditionally have white boards installed in sliding frames or rolling easels for easy access and storage. Stationary white boards mounted on the wall are common in classrooms, meeting rooms, dispatcher desks and community meetings ...
... spaces like lunchrooms and break rooms. Installing a whiteboard is a simple process that requires minimal tools. Ideally, the whiteboard will have a convenient attached tray for holding writing pens and erasers. If not, a system can be easily devised to keep these items in reach.

For those spur-the-moment brainstorming sessions, the classic whiteboard is still considered one of the most efficient and effective ways to express ideas, link concepts and share visions. Since no special skills or technological techniques are required to work with a white board, it makes it easier for people of all levels to communicate and express their ideas. The free-flowing association that results from working with a whiteboard creates an atmosphere of creativity and teamwork.

Organizing data on a stationary whiteboard requires a bit of forethought combined with some trial and error techniques. If you plan to use your white board on a daily basis, you will enjoy the flexibility of being able to adapt it as you refine your system. To integrate a white board into a business, home or activity, first set up a temporary system and run it for a week or so to make sure you are collecting all the pertinent information and that the system makes sense to all who need to use it. Once you have established the best structure for your whiteboard, you can create a permanent grid using thin colored tape to set up an outline, so you can fill in the daily assignments and erase them without losing the framework.

Claudia Davis writes for a number of business journal blogs and loves to share unique ideas for using a [whiteboard] (http://www.magnatag.com) or other under-utilized materials to improve productivity in the workplace. Visit us: http://www.magnatag.com .