Case Studies

Challenge

Spelthorne Council holds regular public meetings and before purchasing an audience response system, used to canvass opinion through the old fashioned method of a show of hands. “Some people are vociferous and expect their opinions to be supported by those around them” says Bob Coe, Assistant Chief Executive, “It was difficult to get an accurate picture of how people really felt about something on these occasions.” The challenge laid down was to give everyone who attended public meetings an opportunity to express their view. The council wanted instant results displayed visually, so that those at the presentation could see the outcome of the vote. This is turn would increase transparency at the meetings.

Solution

The electronic voting system has worked out extremely well. Each attendee has a wireless keypad and is able to voice their opinion, without being unduly influenced by those around them. “It is now much easier to gather opinions at presentations, as the keypads have given individuals more opportunity to have their say. We have also seen how effective it is at stimulating interest in a topic. People’s attention increases as soon as the voting is introduced, it makes the meeting more enjoyable and attendees get more out of the session” says Bob. In fact, the council has found several other uses for the system other than their initial requirement. “We have found the audience participation equipment extremely valuable in staff meetings and during training sessions” says Bob. As correct answers can be assigned points, it is easy to assess how well the training material is being understood. This makes it simple to see how effective the training is and to prioritise future requirements.

Conclusion

Using the audience response keypads has enabled everyone at the meetings to take part, and have their voice heard. As a result, the feedback received is more reflective of the audience as a whole, rather than just a few. This has meant that the council has gathered meaningful data, captured instantly. The vast array of reports available means that the council can look at responses by demographics and make informed decisions based on the results. Attention to what is being said has increased, and those at the meetings get more out of them. Before purchasing from Eurosis, the council had looked at other electronic voting systems; however “the competitive price, the portability and the ease in setting up the audience response system sold the TurningPoint keypads to us. The other systems seemed bulkier, and more time- consuming to set up in comparison, as well as costing more!” says Bob. One key factor was the fact that the software was integrated within PowerPoint. This meant that training staff in how to use the system was minimal, as most people are familiar with PowerPoint. It seems that not only the software but the hardware appealed to Spelthorne Council “the system itself is just so easy to set up and run” says Bob.

Comment

“The interactive voting system is very intuitive and generates interest in presentations and consultations” Bob Coe, Assistant Chief Executive, Spelthorne City Council