[cz_image id=”cz_84071″ image=”13908″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_41308″]Meetings can be incredibly productive and worthwhile when all the pieces fall into place. The issue is when team members aren’t comfortable or engaged. They’re not ready to settle in and focus, therefore the meeting can actually be an enormous waste of time and effort. In this article we want to explore how to set up your meeting for success by creating an optimal meeting environment. We’ll discuss the impact of environmental conditions on meeting performance, and the key factors that can affect your meetings for better or worse.

 

Thermal Comfort

Did you know that human physiology and cognitive functioning is less effective outside of normal core body temperature levels? It’s important to remember that thermal comfort is affected by activity. Seated activities, like participating in a meeting, result in lower body heat production than other activities.

 

Research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory indicates that performance declines by 2% for each degree ABOVE 77°F and by 4.7% for each degree BELOW 70°F. The ideal temperature for a meeting room is between 68°F and 77°F, depending on the participants. This is why it’s ideal to provide access to meeting room temperature controls. Giving team members control over their personal thermal comfort can increase productivity. In fact, West Bends Mutual Insurance Company found a 2.8% increase in claims processor performance when employees were provided with control of over-desk temperature.

 

The bottom line is that if you expect your employees to have a successful meeting, you need to realize that temperature has a profound affect on memory, creative thinking, concentration, and other cognitive functions. We recommend leaving it up to the meeting participants to determine the optimal temperature for their group. In addition, meeting organizers should consider the ideal temperature for the entire group, rather than their own personal preference.

 

Lighting

Humans are incredibly sensitive to light. Our circadian rhythms, sleep patterns, physiology, health, and moods are all controlled by daylight. When the sun goes down, it triggers a release of melatonin, which tells our brains it’s time to sleep. A lack of daylight in an office environment can have adverse affects on alertness and mood.

 

A report by WGBC outlines the benefits of daylight in offices, concluding that workers in offices with windows had and average of 46 minutes more sleep per night compared to those with windowless workspaces. Additionally, being seated close to a window increased focused work by 15%, that’s no small jump in productivity.

 

When designing your meeting spaces, it’s important that it has a balanced mix of daylight, ambient lighting, and ceiling/wall illuminance. However, you shouldn’t forget to consider the quality of the lighting you choose to include in your meeting room. Consider the type of light and the color spectrum, as some lights can be harsh and can work against your goal of creating an optimal workspace.

 

If meetings are essential to your office workflow, you should prioritize a space in your office that has windows, and invest in quality lighting. Pleasant lighting can have positive affects on social behaviors like cooperation and creativity, as well as speed, accuracy, and comprehension of reading. In our opinion, good lighting wherever possible is well worth the cost.

 

Tools for Effective Collaboration

Many meeting rooms only have basic tools for presentations, and phone calls. The worst part of any meeting is watching the organizer scramble to set up their presentation, find the correct cables, and connect remote participants. A study by Total Economic Impact found that it takes an average of 10 minutes to set up and get a meeting started. One of the best things you can do to foster productive meetings is make sure your team has easy-to-use collaboration tools at their disposal.

 

For this, we recommend the Windows Collaboration Display from Sharp. This interactive display is truly “plug-and-play”. A USB-C cable connector makes it easy to connect quickly and easily, so your team can get started sooner. Integrated collaboration tools, such as Office 365 and Microsoft Teams will allow your meetings to be more collaborative than ever. The touchscreen capabilities give you the ability to draw and annotate directly on the screen with a pen-on-paper experience, making your presentations more engaging.

 

Device sharing is also effortless. Users can wirelessly connect their own devices to the display their own content. Up to five devices can be connected simultaneously, ideal for dynamic workgroup discussions and interactive meetings.

 

In summary, if you want to create an optimal meeting environment in your office, you need to be thoughtful about the technology you make available, while providing room temperature control, and optimal lighting. All of these factors can have a profound impact on how much your meetings will benefit your organization.[/cz_title]

[cz_image id=”cz_17560″ image=”10399″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_100052″]In today’s fast-paced and innovative environment, academic and business presentations should no longer be boring — limited by inefficiencies and lack of innovation. Thanks to pioneering technologies, we can now deliver meetings that are simultaneously creative, collaborative, educational, and productive. Your time and the time of those you give your presentations to are important, so creating presentations that are as engaging as they are informative is essential. Given this, your organization could benefit from a digital presentation system. Gone are the days of the whiteboard, and even the static slides. Now it’s all about interactivity.

 

The Digital Whiteboard, the ultimate collaborative tool.

Personally, the best meetings I have been part of enhancing collective teamwork and boost creative, open forum discussion. These tend to be both educational and very productive opportunities. I’ve also found that human face-to-face contact is the best method of communication. In a modern global marketplace where the mobile market and the way we work constantly shift, staying connected, seeing our associates face-to-face and collaborating in a meaningful way is more relevant than ever. A good digital whiteboard provides the technology required to present, promote, and share ideas face-to-face from anywhere in the world. With the right tool, anyone involved in the meeting can project a presentation directly from any mobile device right onto the screen. These are invaluable assets for large and small organizations alike who require connectivity and teamwork to get the job done right.

 

Getting your message across.

Are you getting the most out of your presentations, or do you find your audience dozing off with disinterest? Several studies have found that presenters who utilize visual aids within their presentations are considered to be more prepared, credible, dynamic, and persuasive than comparable speakers who do not use visual aids.[1] Humans are sensory beings, with many of us compelled by strong visuals that can back up a speaker’s message. With the aid of an interactivity Digital Presentation Board, the possibilities are endless as you harness your creativity to truly make your message memorable. Furthermore, some organizations that have extensive customer walk-ins have capitalized upon using digital displays for strengthening the customer’s in-store experience. This can result in a customer satisfaction surge and can help promote brand awareness. Whether your specific needs are internal or external, a digital touchscreen presentation board can facilitate enhanced message or brand delivery.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”]

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Innovative design and features.

At Les Olson Company, we highly recommend the Sharp Aquos Board. This dynamic digital presentation system helps bring your presentations to life with up to an impressive industry-leading 80-inch screen for engaging imagery. Each board is also equipped with the photo technology to produce five times the brightness of plasma screens while simultaneously using only one third of the power consumption, so your green standards won’t be compromised. Stylus-like touch pens are available on each model, allowing users to access a unique control menu which can be displayed when up to four people are writing on the screen at the same time. For interactive networked needs, documents can be scanned on your Sharp MFP directly to the board to be drawn on or edited however you need; then, any image on the board can be printed or saved to the Cloud.

 

If you are not currently using this technology, the competition likely is and those businesses are subsequently one step ahead in getting their message across. This powerful tool can help you grow your business and reach new heights of producivity.

 

What are you waiting for? Jump on board! Contact a representative today to take a look at this powerful technology. With Les Olson Company, you will be given the tools and resources you need to motivate your audience, improve your image, and create an impactful message.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”]

[cz_image id=”cz_69670″ image=”12321″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_46323″ cz_title=””]Mike Marusic, SVP of Marketing and Operations at Sharp Electronics, recently appeared on Worldwide Business with Kathy Ireland to discuss how the award-winning Aquos Board interactive display system helps businesses increase productivity through superior collaboration and technology integration.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”]

[cz_image id=”cz_63427″ image=”12378″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_33034″ cz_title=””]Sharp Electronics has recently released a new 80″ Sharp Aquos Board model (PN-L803C), an advanced interactive presentation system with touch-screen and annotation capabilities.

 

The Sharp Aquos Board Interactive Display Systems are designed for smooth and effortless communication in a wide range of applications. Their highly-responsive touch pens allow several people to make annotations on the same screen at the same time. The Sharp Aquos Board helps you make a bigger impact with your meetings and presentations. From the conference room to the classroom, a Sharp touch-screen interactive display system can magnify your presentation success. Motivate your audience, improve your image and give your message the impact it deserves.

 

FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY

Simultaneous Writing

The PN-L803C display lets you capture ideas at the moment of creation. Recognizing up to 10 touch points, it allows up to four people to write at the same time with a finger or touch pen. Each pen boasts a thin, 3.5 mm tip that makes it easier to add detailed notes that remain legible when printed out.

 

Featherlight Touch for Precise and Smooth Operation

Say goodbye to unintended input and writing errors. Thanks to the display’s precise position detection, only intentional input from fingers and touch pens appears on the screen. Employing Sharp’s original capacitive touch technology, which achieves high sensitivity and precision by reducing the noise level to one-eighth that of conventional models, the PN-L803C display eliminates unwanted noise to deliver a clear onscreen signal.

 

User-friendly Sharp Pen Software

The new touch pen links with Sharp Pen Software to help you write with an uninterrupted flow. You can also use the included eraser to delete unwanted content without switching functions, just as you would with a traditional whiteboard.

 

In overlay mode, you can write onscreen annotations directly onto photos, documents, web pages and more. Text and graphics written on the board can be stored in USB memory or sent directly via email to selected recipients.

 

The handwriting recognition function that converts selected onscreen handwriting into standard, editable text. It can also automatically recognize and reproduce hand-drawn shapes such as circles, triangles and squares. This convenient function makes it easy to utilize onscreen content to make a legible record of your meeting or lesson.

 

Sharp Pen Software also links smoothly with the PowerPoint application. During slideshow presentations, you can perform various control operations, such as returning to a previous slide without using a right-click.

 

Work Smarter with Touch Display Link 2.0

Touch Display Link 2.0 software supports effective and multifaceted communication. Onscreen content — including handwritten notes and drawings — can be viewed simultaneously on the thew Sharp Aquos Board models as wells as mobile devices such as PCs, tablets and smartphones. Touch Display Link 2.0 facilitates interactive presentations, lively discussions, and paperless meetings in both business and educational settings.

 

Touch Display Link 2.0 enables the following interactive functions on the new Sharp Aquos Board models and on mobile devices connected via wireless LAN:

• Sharing of onscreen content
• Transfer of files
• Interactive onscreen writing and drawing
• Remote control of the board from mobile devices
• Connect up to 50 mobile devices simultaneously
• Files can be transferred between mobile devices even if they are not connected to the PN-L803C display
• Capture onscreen images and save them to mobile devices
• Connect two Aquos Board displays on the same network for larger-scale communications

Front-facing USB Port

For increased convenience when the panel is mounted on a wall, the PN-L803C display features a USB input on the front that connects to the PC on the back of the unit. Now there’s no need to reach around to the back of the monitor when you want to connect a peripheral device.

 

Large Touchscreen with Full-HD Quality

The full HD resolution of this large monitor ensures that detailed text and images are displayed vividly and accurately. Charts, paintings, historical photos and more are all brought to life on the big screen in a way that simply can’t be achieved with normal textbooks and printed materials. Even in bright rooms, text and images are displayed beautifully, so that everyone can stay focused on the discussion.

 

Sharp Touch Viewer

Sharp Touch Viewer is a touch-operated onscreen user interface that lets you easily manipulate different types of files, including Microsoft Office applications, videos and web pages. Being able to simultaneously open and handle a variety of file types allows you to have more active meetings and presentations.

 

Other Great Features

• Multiple displays can be wall mounted together
• Thin & lightweight
• Built-in speakers
• Anti-glare film
• Supports web-cam installation
• MFP Connectivity
• Variety of input/output terminals

Les Olson Company is proud to be an authorized Sharp dealer.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”60px”]

[cz_image id=”cz_60151″ image=”12043″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_40083″ cz_title=””]Sharp received three top awards for the flagship AQUOS BOARD interactive display system product line. Once again showing its position as a trendsetter and market leader in the Pro AV business the Sharp AQUOS BOARD earns multiple Best of Show at InfoComm 2015.

 

Sharp’s open-platform collaborative display solutions deliver the technology that helps users better communicate, collaborate and gain efficiencies.

 

Tech & Learning’s “Best Edtech of InfoComm”

 

Sharp 80″ Class PN-L803C AQUOS BOARD Interactive Display System

The editors of Tech & Learning select honorees based on how well their technology serves the education market, judging entrants on factors including design, usability, and affordability. At InfoComm 2015, Tech & Learning recognized the new Sharp 80″ Class PN-L803C AQUOS BOARD interactive display as “Best Edtech of InfoComm.”

 

Sporting a thin, lightweight and stylish design featuring edge-to-edge glass and multi-board functionality, the premium-grade 80″ Class PN-L803C display employs Sharp capacitive touch technology – virtually eliminating latency, making the interface so intuitive and responsive that it feels like writing on a conventional whiteboard in real-time! With the Multi-Board function, up to three PN-L803C displays can be connected and used to display sequential pages that can be navigated by swiping side to side.

 

Rental & Staging System Product Awards “Best LCD Display”

 

Sharp AQUOS BOARD Interactive Display System

The 2015 Rental & Staging Systems Product Awards recognize the most innovative products released for the staging market. At InfoComm 2015, Rental & Staging recognized the Sharp AQUOS BOARD Interactive Display product line as the “Best LCD Display.”

 

Sharp AQUOS BOARD interactive displays are designed for smooth and effortless communication in a wide range of contexts. Much more than your typical interactive whiteboards, the AQUOS BOARD display’s highly responsive touch functionality allows several people to write on the same touch screen at the same time.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”]