Who raised their hand first?
Online, a digital hand goes up. In the room, a real one. And you, the chair, have to remember who was first. Here's how to get one fair order back, for everyone.
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1 Topic Sanne Speaking1:42New membership feeThe board proposes going from € 20 to € 25 a year.
- 3 QuestionLotte
- 4 CommentJoris
- 2 Point of orderMehmet
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5 TopicFatimaAudit committee
Everyone sees the same list, live.
Sound familiar?
Three people in Teams have their hand up, and in the room Peter has been waving for a while. Someone makes a quick reaction to the last point, their hand drops by itself and their own question is gone. Afterwards you hear that Anna, at home, never got a turn.
It isn't you. There are two queues: one in Teams and one in the room. Nobody sees both.
What Teams and Zoom do, and what they don't
Teams puts a number next to raised hands in the participant list, in the order they went up. Once you've spoken, your hand is usually lowered for you. Zoom also shows raised hands in its participant list. For an online call, that's often enough.
In a hybrid meeting or a full room, this is where it stops:
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The room isn't on it. Whoever sits in the room raises a real hand and is on no list at all.
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A hand is just a hand. You can't see whether someone has a new point, a reaction or a question.
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No point of order. Whoever urgently needs to say something about the meeting itself just waits at the back.
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Hand down, place lost. Raise it again and you're back at the end.
Without an app: how to keep it fair
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Let one person keep the list. They watch the hands in the room and in Teams. You chair, they count.
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Say the order out loud. "First Peter, then Anna, then Sam." If it's wrong, you'll hear it right away.
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Agree what a reaction is. A short reaction to the speaker goes first, a new topic joins the back. Say so at the start.
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Start with the people online. Whoever is at home is forgotten first. After each point, ask if anyone online has something.
Or let the list do the work
With TalkingStick, everyone joins the same speakers list: in the room on their phone, at home in the browser next to Teams or Zoom. Pick topic, reaction, question or point of order, and everyone sees whose turn it is. Sound and video stay in Teams or Zoom.
Try it at your next meetingHow it works
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Create a meeting
Make an account and a room for your group, for example "Board" or "Members meeting". Put the meeting in it on a date.
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Share the code
Participants open the link on their phone or laptop and type their name. They don't need an account. You let them in.
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Give the floor
Anyone who wants to speak joins the list with a topic, comment, question or point of order. You see the queue, start the speaker and the timer runs.
Questions
Does it work with Teams or Zoom?
It works alongside them. Teams or Zoom handles sound and video, TalkingStick the speakers list. Participants open a link on their phone or laptop; nothing to install.
Is TalkingStick free?
Yes, while it is in testing. If a paid version comes later, you will hear well in advance.
Do participants need an account?
No. Only the person who runs the meeting makes an account. Participants open the link, type a name and the chair lets them in.
Which languages does it speak?
These pages are in English and Dutch, the app screens in English.
Would your group use this?
TalkingStick is new. Whether I turn it into a complete product depends on your answer. It's three questions.