Conference Audience Response Systems

Just a keypad? Well yes but then you might as well say: Just a pen?

OK, so what is it?
A keypad that allows for multiple choice and open-ended answers.
It also had a microphone included that allows each delegate to speak to the room.

So why use it?

1. Getting the truth.
From my own research, in both the corporate and social arenas, it is quite clear that people do not tell the truth.

They may not lie. They may just gloss over the negatives to make their bosses and colleagues feel better.

Using this tech you can get at the truth quickly, analyse it and respond to it, all in one day.

By using a mix of open-ended (what is?) and closed (AB or C?) questions you can also find out if your paradigm matches reality.

2. Understanding each other.
For most of your sales team, understanding what other people think, feel and do is very important.

They especially want to know how other people do things and what kinds of results they get.

This technology allows for immediate statistical analysis (closed questions) and open expression of concerns, problems and strengths that can be analysed overnight and fed back to the group the next day.

3. Motivation via the Hawthorne Effect.
For reasons beyond my ken this effect is largely ignored in the current corporate environment.

Yet those companies who pay attention to it reap great rewards.

It is a simple fact that the act itself, the act of asking people how they feel and what they want, actually makes people work happier and get better results.

Add to that the power of responding to their needs and you multiply the effect several times.

4. Financial rewards from this approach.
There are two key elements in this: motivating staff and keeping them.

We have already discussed the motivational concept but let's consider the value in terms of staff turnover.

Consider just one staff member at a salary of $50,000
It is estimated that it will take two years for their replacement to reach the same level of productivity.
On top of that there are also the training costs and costs of lost productivity.

So, if using the system results in just one staff member staying on the team, the net saving is around $100,000

Consider that using the system for a 5 day conference would cost around $29,040.00 including concept development and project analysis.

You would actually save AT LEAST $70,960.00.

That's a MORE THAN 200% return on investment, NOT INCLUDING the added benefits of clearly understanding your team and the overall motivational improvement.