Walking Meetings vs. Whiteboard Meetings

“The only thing worse than a meeting is a meeting that should have been an email.” — Unknown

I find it’s easy to fall into the pitfall of using the wrong tool for the job.

Walking meetings are great for the right situation.

Just like whiteboard meetings are great for the right situation, too.

And using the right tool for remote collaboration can transform remote meetings into incredible working sessions.

Choosing between a walking meeting and a whiteboard meeting depends on the objectives, participants, and context of the meeting.

Here’s a guideline for when each might be preferable:

Walking Meeting

• Objective: Ideal for brainstorming, one-on-one discussions, mentoring sessions, or casual check-ins.
• Participants: Suitable for small groups (usually up to 4 people) where everyone can physically participate.
• Context: Best when discussions do not require digital tools, extensive note-taking, or privacy. Good for energizing participants and fostering creative thinking.

Whiteboard Meeting

• Objective: Better for strategic planning, complex problem-solving, or sessions requiring visualization of ideas.
• Participants: Works well for larger groups or when participants need to collaboratively draw, write, or map out concepts.
• Context: Necessary when privacy is a concern, detailed records need to be kept, or when the meeting relies on the visual organization of information.

Walking Meeting is Better When:

• The goal is to stimulate creativity and open dialogue in a less formal setting.
• The discussion benefits from a change of scenery and the physical movement.
• The meeting involves routine check-ups or light brainstorming that doesn’t require note-taking.

Whiteboard Meeting is Better When:

• The meeting’s success depends on visual aids, detailed diagrams, or collective note-taking.
• The conversation requires technical depth, structured agendas, or complex decision-making.
• Participants need to reference digital or physical documents extensively throughout the meeting.

Walking meetings are great for fostering relationships, encouraging wellness, and sparking creativity, while whiteboard meetings are better for detailed collaborative work, strategic planning, and complex problem-solving.

10 Minute Standup Meetings

An approach that’s helped me lead project teams better is to use a simple 10-Minute Standup Meeting format.

In the meeting, we simply go around the virtual or physical room and ask 3 questions:

1. What did you get done?
2. What are you getting done?
3. Where do you need help?

I think of it as a “stich in time, saves nine” philosophy where it’s a fast meeting designed to smooth the rest of the day.

By keeping it brief and focused, it’s a chance to practice team communication.

It’s a chance to learn what’s valued.

It’s an opportunity to reduce surprises and for people to pair up better on challenges.

How To Make Remote Meetings Better

The best tool I’ve found to help make remote meetings better is to have some sort of visual tool or references.

I find it helps to keep a focal point.

And when it comes to remote collaboration, I’m a fan of simple Mind Mapping software for simplicity, speed, and effectiveness.

I also use a wide range of Canvases so that there is a way to frame and organize thinking.

I find that just practicing using Canvases can go a long way to helping people think and collaborate better.

Whiteboard Tools

I’ve used various whiteboard tools to help with remote collaboration and brainstorming and swarming on issues.

In many cases, I found it easier to just use slides and virtual sticky notes, simply because of the learning curves of some tools.  For example, it’s easy to open up PowerPoint, expand the canvas, and then add yellow notes to create a virtual whiteboard experience.

That said, here are some tools are widely used in remote work environments, education, and team collaboration settings:

1. Miro: Miro offers an expansive digital whiteboard where teams can collaborate in real-time, integrating with many tools and offering a vast library of templates.
2. Mural: Similar to Miro, Mural facilitates team brainstorming and project planning with sticky notes, diagrams, and templates, focusing on design thinking and agile methodologies.
3. Microsoft Whiteboard: Integrated with Microsoft Teams and Office 365, Microsoft Whiteboard provides a seamless collaboration experience for users in the Microsoft ecosystem.
4. Jamboard: Google’s Jamboard is a digital whiteboard solution that integrates with Google Workspace, making it a convenient option for teams already using Google services.
5. Ziteboard: Ziteboard offers a simple, user-friendly whiteboard for sketches and diagrams, supporting real-time collaboration across devices.
6. Conceptboard: Conceptboard focuses on visual collaboration, providing a flexible canvas for brainstorming, project planning, and feedback in a highly visual format.
7. Stormboard: Stormboard combines sticky notes and digital whiteboard functionalities, allowing teams to organize ideas, prioritize tasks, and turn discussions into actionable plans.
8. Lucidspark: Part of the Lucidchart platform, Lucidspark is a virtual whiteboard designed for team collaboration, brainstorming, and mapping out ideas and processes.
9. Explain Everything: Popular in educational settings, Explain Everything offers interactive whiteboarding capabilities, making it easy to create lessons, tutorials, and presentations.
10. Canva Whiteboard: Canva offers a whiteboard feature within its design platform, enabling users to collaborate visually with the ease of Canva’s design tools.

Each tool has unique features catering to different needs, such as education, software development, design, and general business collaboration.

The choice of a whiteboard tool depends on the specific requirements of the team or project, including factors like integration capabilities, ease of use, and specific functionalities needed for effective collaboration.

Embrace Versatility of Approaches for Better Meetings

In your journey for better innovative collaboration and impactful leadership, embrace versatility.

That might mean more walking meetings or more whiteboard sessions for strategic depth.

From 10-Minute Standup to digital whiteboard tools, supports your adaptive strategy to create a culture of better collaboration.

As you figure out the future of work, continue to explore and embrace diverse methodologies.

This will empower you to help transform collective potential into tangible results.

This philosophy enriches your toolkit for decision-making and problem-solving and also elevates your ability to inspire, lead, and make a meaningful difference in the world around you.

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