You're a facilitator who needs to engage your remote team. What virtual whiteboard tools should you use?

There’s always the option of good old Word. Just sharing screen on a blank word document and sharing everything. It’s simple and it works

I would use: *Miro Features: Miro offers an expansive canvas that can be used for brainstorming, project planning, agile ceremonies, and more. It includes pre-built templates, integration with popular tools (like Slack, Asana, and JIRA), and real-time collaboration features. Best for: Teams looking for a versatile tool with extensive integration options.

Os quadros brancos virtuais são plataformas online que oferecem uma versão digital dos quadros brancos convencionais. Permitem criar, compartilhar e colaborar em tempo real ou assíncrono, oferecendo recursos como desenho, escrita, adição de imagens e colaboração em diversas atividades, como brainstorming, mapeamento, votação e feedback, facilitando a comunicação e trabalho em equipe.

In my experience I found that Miro and story mapping works best for me, especially when it comes to collaboration with remote teams globally.

Virtual whiteboards (for example the one on MS Teams) can be used to help break up material sessions by providing a way for learners to interact and put some of their newly learned knowledge to the test. The best time to get people using the knowledge they just learned is as close to the actual learning as possible to help embed it. By having activities ready to go (such as sorting tasks, scenarios, drawing tasks etc) and set up in templates shows that you care about their thoughts as well as their engagement, while also showing you have the session planned down to a tee.

Os quadros brancos virtuais são instrumentos versáteis que proporcionam uma série de benefícios na facilitação. Ao potencializar a criatividade e inovação, esses quadros ajudam a gerar e organizar ideias, explorar perspectivas e experimentar soluções de forma colaborativa. Aprimoram a comunicação e alinhamento ao esclarecer metas, expectativas e papéis, promovendo a transparência e compartilhamento de informações e feedback. Além disso, fomentam o engajamento e participação, envolvendo a equipe no processo, incentivando a interação e fortalecendo um senso de pertencimento. Contribuem para a aprendizagem e desenvolvimento ao fornecer conteúdo, avaliar conhecimentos e habilidades, e facilitar a reflexão e o planejamento de ações.

Really, the main reason to use a virtual whiteboard is to provide an interactive, visual way of sharing information. It gets you out of being a talking head, and your group away from trying to understand visual cues in a packed gallery of colleagues. That said, you can use them to get ideas or observations from your group; to have them help you cluster and analyze information; to get their reflections on a process you've done; or to get to know one another.

I choose simplicity every time! A whiteboard needs to facilitate thinking, not get in the way of it. My top three requirements are: 1. Can people get straight to the whiteboard without wasting time on sign-ups or firewall problems? 2. Does the whiteboard work equally well for people joining from multiple organisations and types of device? 3. Can people quickly and intuitively add their thoughts or get into the exercises without getting lost in the tech, distracted by it, or worried about how to use it? My current top pick is Google Jamboard, the online equivalent of flipchart and sticky notes. People are in and contributing in seconds. Sadly it's slated to be discontinued this year, so use it while you can!

Ao escolher uma lousa virtual, considere a funcionalidade, garantindo recursos adequados e personalização. Avalie a usabilidade, priorizando ferramentas amigáveis em diferentes dispositivos. Verifique a acessibilidade, optando por planos gratuitos ou acessíveis e limites de participantes. Assegure a compatibilidade, escolhendo uma ferramenta que se integre a plataformas como Zoom, Slack ou Google Drive. Uma escolha equilibrada nessas áreas maximizará a eficácia da colaboração e facilitação.

When we think of virtual whiteboards for collaborative agendas, Miro often comes to mind, but it's necessary to consider the purpose of using the virtual whiteboard to choose the most suitable one. For example, DrawIO for collaborative work involving software architecture will bring more efficiency as it provides a library of ready-made items representing IT services.

Here's a few questions I consider when choosing a virtual whiteboard: 1. Is it simple enough to install or have on any device? 2. Is the interface simple enough for a beginner to use effectively? 3. Are you getting more out of the tool than you're paying for it? The tool itself might not address all of these questions but it's good to keep them in mind.

Existem diversas ferramentas disponíveis no mercado e a cada dia, milhares de novas funcionalidades aparecem. Tenha em mente o que você precisa e quais melhor lhe atendem. Hoje, as melhores opções são o Miro e o Mural por conta de suas funcionalidades e integrações. Em minha experiência, inclusive, já facilitei um workshop inteiro somente com o Miro. Funciona muito bem!

O slice é uma ótima ferramenta. É gratuito, simples, acessível (inclusive para pessoas com deficiência), simula a dinâmica de post its e permite diversas combinações, com quadros únicos ou divididos. A ferramenta também permite acrescentar corações em cada ideia e, assim, conseguimos ter uma visão do grupo em relação às sugestões que surgem, permitindo fazer um processo de priorização também muito simplificado e intuitivo.

Virtual whiteboards can be very useful for individual and team work. Miro and Mural are two of the best known. While Jamboard had potential since it was built into Google, it was never as functional or easy to use. I have embraced a tool called Collaboard which is very similar to Miro, but not as well known. It is not as well developed as Miro, but is coming on strong. They have a good development team and are quickly adding features and functionality.

Before the beginning of the session, you should email the team the whiteboard you are going to use, along with an explanation of what it is. It's possible that additional registration may be required or access issues may arise. Ensure that everybody has permission to collaborate before the event starts; otherwise, it may disrupt the smooth beginning of the session.

Keep the preparation simple. If you start with too much organization, you intimidate people who may struggle with the technology, and you lose the ability to generate broader concepts and more innovative ideas. You can arrange things online as the discussion progresses. Start with a simple exercise using the tool to warm people's brains up and get them used to the technology. * Have them add a personal intro as they join * Ask a "have you had this problem" opening question * Ask a "what are you worried about" question * Ask a "what are you hoping to get out of this" Even a "share an image of your pet or children" can be a fun opener to adjust to the technology.

I would not say you have to use a whiteboard, it could be other things, like for examples small breakout rooms to discuss the question/task first and then present the answers on a whiteboard or online polling software, or just speak up :)

Uma boa funcionalidade dos quadros brancos são os blocos de anotação que disponibilizam para anotações gerais, histórico e comentários fora do quadro. Que pode ser um valioso recurso para gerar documentações ou conversas para times que estejam realizando colaboração em formato assíncrono.

If you work in breakouts, be sure that there's someone in each group who's familiar and comfortable with your whiteboard platform - otherwise you could end up spending more time than you've allotted teaching how to use it and/or soothing the frustrations of people who are not finding it intuitive. One way I've dealt with this is to assign some pre-work for people to add a post-it with their name on it, or drag post-its or icons into a new location, etc. This allows them to practice privately whatever skills you'll need them to have in the group meeting. You avoid public humiliation for folks who aren't familiar and set them up to be able to ask about the specific things they need help with.