How to be more creative and efficient with a digital whiteboard
There’s something about a whiteboard that just makes people happy. It could be the way they can express their creativity or the way they can collaborate with others. But whatever it is, using whiteboards at work is a great way to have fun and get things done. However, since the new normal of the hybrid work environment, those whiteboards are just sitting there lonely with remnants of old ideas or scribblings left on them. And that's a darn shame.
Fortunately, with necessity comes innovation. Nowadays, you can find virtual tools for people to use, including digital whiteboards.
What is a digital whiteboard and how does it work
A digital whiteboard is a virtual tool that enables people to collaborate and be creative online. It's like a regular whiteboard, but it exists online.
You can use it to brainstorm ideas, make presentations, work visually as a team on complex projects or in a single place, or just chat with others.
A whiteboard is exactly what it sounds like, a blank space where multiple users can interact by writing on it,drawing, posting links, any kind of resources and, of course, applying sticky notes. Fortunately, the whiteboard on the digital screen doesn't care if you use a permanent marker or not–though your computer screen might, so maybe put that in a safe place, eh? What's also nice about a digital whiteboard is that you aren't limited in surface area. Virtually, whiteboards can go on forever.
Uses for a digital whiteboard in the workplace
There are plenty of ways to use a digital whiteboard at work. And the best part is that you're not limited to just one way of using it. You can use it for brainstorming sessions, collaborating on projects, taking meeting notes, drawing flowcharts and diagrams, annotating PDFs or images, and even playing games.
Brainstorming with remote team members
When it comes to brainstorming, there's nothing quite like a good ol' fashioned whiteboard. There's something about the physical act of writing down ideas that help the creative juices flow. Unfortunately, brainstorming with remote team members can be a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, there are digital whiteboards that can help bridge the gap. These online tools allow team members to collaborate in real-time or in asynchronous, whether they're in the same room or halfway around the world. Plus, they offer features that traditional whiteboards simply can't match, like the ability to export results automatically. So if you're looking for a way to brainstorm with your remote team members, a digital whiteboard just might be the answer.
Collaborating on projects
Projects big and small always require some level of collaboration. Even if you're the one driving the project, you'll need to rely on others to get things done. That's where a digital whiteboard can be a helpful tool. A digital whiteboard gives you a central place to store all your project information and makes it easy to share with others. You can use it to brainstorm ideas, make notes, and track progress. And because it's digital, you can access it from anywhere at anytime, which is handy if you need to collaborate with people in different locations. And it prevents the next meeting from carelessly erasing all the genius your team wrote down.
Taking meeting notes
Imagine you're in a meeting, trying to pay attention to the discussion and take notes at the same time. Every few minutes, you have to stop writing and look up at the whiteboard to see what's been written down. By the end of the meeting, your notes are a mess, and you're not even sure what the main points were. Sound familiar?
A digital whiteboard can help with that. With a digital whiteboard, everything that's written down is automatically saved as people can co-construct projects together. So you can focus on what’s being discussed during the meeting without worrying about missing anything. In short, a digital whiteboard can help the whole team have a good overview of the meeting and which will help you never miss a key point again.
Drawing flowcharts and diagrams
If you've ever tried to draw a diagram or flowchart by hand, you know it can be a frustrating experience. Lines never seem to come out quite right, and erasing mistakes can be a time-consuming process. A digital whiteboard can help you overcome these challenges and make your diagrams look professional. With a digital whiteboard, you can easily add and remove elements, experiment with different layouts, and save your work for future reference.
Annotating PDFs or images
A digital whiteboard makes it easy to add notes to PDFs, images or any kind of documents. Whether you're marking up a document for review or adding comments to an image, the process is simple and straightforward. Just open up the file on your whiteboard and start adding notes.
With just a few clicks, you can select the text or area you want to highlight and then choose from various colors. This can be helpful when reviewing a document or preparing a presentation.
You can also use a digital whiteboard to draw sketches directly on PDFs and images. This can be handy for brainstorming ideas or for illustrating concepts.
Playing games
Games are a great way to break the ice and get to know your team members. But sometimes, it can be hard to know how to get started. That's where a digital whiteboard comes in handy. With a digital whiteboard, you can easily create games that everyone can participate in.
For example, you can create a trivia game about your company's history or come up with creative ways to use your products. You can even use the whiteboard to create customized scavenger hunts. No matter what kind of game you're looking for, a digital whiteboard can help you get the fun started.
And more
Of course, that's just scratching the surface. Essentially, any group can gather around a digital whiteboard, be more productive, and have more fun by participating all together than sitting there simply staring at a computer screen.
While many different digital whiteboard tools are available, we like ours best. And we think you will too. This is why we made it absolutely free to try!
Benefits of using a digital whiteboard
In case you aren't convinced yet, here are a few benefits of using a digital whiteboard.
1 - Accessible and easy to use
With digital whiteboards, there's no lugging around heavy frames or waiting for the "good meeting room" to become available. Instead, it's available whenever you need it, and you don't even have to worry about erasing its information! In fact, with a digital whiteboard,everything that's on the digital whiteboard stays on the digital whiteboard.
Oh, and there's no more taking the cap off every marker in the room to find one still working!
2 - Everything saves automatically
Remember the days of lugging around a heavy whiteboard to every meeting, presentation, or class? And then having to painstakingly copy everything over to a computer afterward? Thankfully, those days are now behind us, thanks to digital whiteboards. Now everything is automatically saved digitally so that you can access it from anywhere, anytime or export it if need be!
Plus, you can easily share it with others via email or on the Workshop Platform. And if you need to make changes, it's as simple as a few taps on your screen. Digital whiteboards are truly a game-changer when it comes to efficiency and productivity. No more wasted time or energy - now you can focus on what's really important.
3 - Provide multiple layouts for more efficiency
Staring at a blank page can be stressful. Digital whiteboards offer a variety of templates to help you be more efficient with your meetings. For example, you can have a layout that provides an overview of your project or a layout that helps you focus on specific tasks. You can also have a template that lets you see the big picture and the details simultaneously. And if you need to, you can always switch back and forth between iterations.
The best part is that you just have to copy and paste your layouts so you can use them again later.
4 - Collaboration at its finest
Digital whiteboards provide a shared workspace for remote teams to collaborate on projects. They allow team members to contribute their ideas from anywhere in the world, making it easy to track changes and progress over time. Best of all, digital whiteboards can be saved and shared online, so team members can always refer back to them later and continue building on the project long after the meeting has ended.
5 - Provide multimedia options
With digital whiteboards, you don't need a roll of tape to use images and videos to liven up your presentation or inspire the team. You can simply insert the image for all to see.
Besides posting pictures, you can incorporate interactive elements into it. People can draw, write, and comment on them all at the same time.
Tips for using a digital whiteboard to help efficiency
Introducing any new tool can be a challenge and time-consuming. No matter how user-friendly a tool is, there is always a learning curve. Here are some tips for using a digital whiteboard to increase your team's efficiency.
Tip #1 - Help others learn the tool
A tool is only as good as the person using it. When you start a new whiteboard tool, get to know it well enough to show others how to do things. Or share tutorial videos in advance of using it at a meeting or a workshop. This help will encourage more usage and relieve some anxiety others might have about using new technology or software.
Tip #2 - Make it visual
Whiteboards are a lot more fun than writing on a piece of paper. But they are also more efficient. Thanks to visual management, your whiteboard workshops are both joyful and productive. Encourage people to participate and post, even "off-the-wall" things.
Tip #3 - Set a timer
Limitations can increase creativity. Set a timer to put some gentle pressure on your team members to produce ideas quickly instead of overthinking. Typically just a few minutes will do. You can always give them a little extra time or have another round of idea generation later on.
Tip #4 - Share after the meeting
Show off what you all accomplished by sharing the whiteboard afterward. Your team may even have more ideas to add later on.
Conclusion
Digital whiteboards are a versatile tool that can be used in many different areas to work as a team. They enable people to be more creative using visual management, unlock team participation, and discover new ways of working.
In a world where we are increasingly reliant on technology, it is essential to find ways to use it effectively. Whiteboards are one tool that can help us be more efficient and creative in our work. With a little practice, they can help us overcome some of the challenges of working remotely.
And who knows, we might even have some fun along the way!
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