Shelby Hacala is a serial entrepreneur and professional Business Coach who routinely works with business leaders and entrepreneurs to implement simple, real-life tools that help them achieve their goals and objectives.
The pandemic changed everything for Shelby
Pre-pandemic, he used in-person facilitated meetings almost exclusively. Either he would fly to his customer’s location, or they would come to his co-working space for all day sessions. His leveraged traditional tools like slides, flip charts and white boards to create an interactive session and capture audiences’ attention.
When the pandemic forced Shelby to work using virtual presentations, he had to cobble together multiple applications just to have the basic functionalities he needed, like drawing, capturing feedback, sharing his workbook, and taking notes. Switching between all these applications, while screen sharing through a video conference app was distracting to his audience, made it difficult to engage with the material, and ultimately limited the free-flowing ideation that is so critical to his process.
Shelby needed a solution that would allow him to re-create the in-person experience in a remote session that not only grabs the audiences’ attention but holds it for an extended period of time.
Shelby’s presentations also leveraged a ton of existing content such as textbooks (PDF), website content and presentations. He did not have the resources to recreate all this content into a new format. He needed to get up and running quickly.
Visual learning and collaboration
Shelby was quick to realize and understand the potential of visual learning as he was already using these techniques pre-pandemic. Every time you walk up to the whiteboard and write, when you print paper and arrange them on a desk, when you markup and take notes, or when the audience is watching you and your every move and facial gesture, these are all great examples of visual learning. You are not just listening to the content passively, but your brain is creating a long-term memory based on multiple sensory inputs. The combination of your gestures, together with your facial expression, the specific content that is being shown and the number that is highlighted – all contribute towards a memorable and long-lasting memory.
Reactiv SUITE allowed Shelby to quickly transition to a completely online, collaborative visual learning platform without skipping a beat. Without changing any of his original material, Shelby was able to adapt his presentation and facilitation style to leverage Reactiv SUITE’s capabilities and create a more productive and collaborative experience for his clients that goes beyond what was previously possible with pen and paper. Using a touch screen interactive whiteboard, Shelby was able to interact with his audiences as if they were there in the room with him.
With Reactiv SUITE, Shelby has created a remote learning environment that is closer to an in-person meeting experience than any of the other traditional tools he had previously used had been able to produce.
He uses Reactiv STAGE to present content from textbooks, lead discussions and help the audience focus on important aspects by highlighting and underlining.
He leverages the infinite canvas of Reactiv SCRIBBLE to create diagrams, show processes, document questions, and generate written output from the meeting using his digital whiteboard.
He pins his camera on the workspace and ensures that his presence is always elevated. His audience always sees him and his content, without having to compromise. This builds trust in a virtual meeting.
Powering modern thought
The results have been dramatic for Shelby and his business. He continues to use Reactiv SUITE regularly for multi day sessions and can engage his audience and capture their attention without distractions or mental exhaustion that is common to most remote meetings. While traditional tools would have likely yielded traditional output, Selby’s focus on visually collaborative methods facilitated a new way of thinking about work and process.
“The way we run our sessions with Reactiv SUITE really does feel like my clients are in the room with me,” he said. This is a powerful testament to the transformation that Reactiv SUITE can bring to any meeting and any organization.
“The way we run our sessions with Reactiv SUITE really does feel like my clients are in the room with me,” he said. This is a powerful testament to the transformation that Reactiv SUITE can bring to any meeting and any organization.
