For those who want to expand the boundaries of meetings, technology offers new tools. From virtual meetings to sophisticated ways of reviewing information, technology can help you make some meetings unnecessary and allow more effective information sharing and presentation.

Review Documents

You have a number of ways to let people review information. Using the review functions of word processors, presentation programs, and spreadsheets will let you collect thoughts from a variety of people and, by distributing the document with all the comments, let everyone see each other's impressions. You could also use a format like Adobe Acrobat: create a document and then generate a PDF file and allow others to make comments.

Collaborate

Computer technology allows group members to exchange work, opinions, and even hold discussions without having to be in the same place at the same time. Collaboration software, Web sites, intranets, newsgroups, e-mail, and instant messaging software give your team wide options for keeping in touch. The real power is that all the communication happens asynchronously, with all parties connecting when they can, seeing what people have already posted, responding to them as they wish, and having access to common documents.

Remote Meeting

Audio teleconferencing, video teleconferencing, and Web-hosted meetings have become a boon to many organizations, improving communication across the board. When you have people in remote locations, this can keep them from wasting time in transit. Even though these technologies can't do everything that a face-to-face meeting can, they can let you reduce even further the amount of physical meetings you will need.

Technology can be a boon, but it can also be tricky as you look to more sophisticated uses. Particularly in remote meeting technology, you'll need to work with people who understand information technology systems and who can ensure that all the participants have the capability to participate.