In my continuing series on tools for remote collaboration, I will be focusing on Google’s Jamboard. Not to be confused with Google’s Jamboard display, the Jamboard is a virtual whiteboard simulator. Like other Google products, its strength lies in the fact that it is free and available for all operating systems and that it is incredibly intuitive to use.
My favorite way to utilize Jamboard is during a virtual meeting, workshop or training. This tool allows for incredible user collaboration and engagement. In advance of the collaboration, you will want to access this google app through Google Workspace or by going to jamboard.google.com and prepare your set of boards in advance. This process is relatively swift and easy but essential to do before your meeting so that you are not asking people to wait as you set up the necessary boards. Within the board, you will set up a series of sub-boards that all participants can easily access. Participants can then use the various features to share their ideas with the group.
Let’s walk through an example of this. Suppose you and your team want to create a SWAT analysis for a new product you are about to launch. Before the virtual session, you will create a “New Product SWAT” board. Once created, you will create four subboards, one labeled strengths, one labeled weaknesses, the following labeled assets, and finally threats. During your meeting, you can now share this board with your team and allow everyone time to brainstorm ideas in real-time using the pen feature or my personal favorite, sticky notes. Members of your team can flow freely between boards, adding to all four simultaneously, or you can facilitate the discussion and designate one person to be the recorder. You can use the same board for multiple sessions, and when complete, you can export it as a PDF or image file to share outside of your group. Another strength of this collaboration tool is quickly duplicating boards allowing them to act as templates. You can use this feature when presenting to multiple groups or allowing for easy replication of activities on a recurring timeframe like an annual event calendar brainstorm.
Using this intuitive platform with your team allows for collaboration in real-time and significant engagement in large and small virtual team meetings or workshops.
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