5 Lessons I Learned From My New Smart Board

I was scheduled to give a presentation to a new group of clients and vendors last month, and I was looking for new ways to increase my audience engagement.

I had heard of and seen smart boards before and figured that since I’m super tech savvy, I could figure out how to use it. After all, I’d used paper flip charts and easels, PowerPoint presentations and other ways to convey my message for years and they worked just fine.

But is fine good enough?

What are Smart Boards?

Interactive whiteboards, aka smart boards, were developed by PARC around 1990.  Since then, the technology has developed significantly into an intelligent display solution designed for universal collaboration. They are integrated into classrooms, broadcast studios, corporate boardrooms, professional sports teams, company training rooms and many other professional applications. Today, interactive whiteboards are a billion-dollar industry and still experiencing expansive growth.

 Basically, smart boards are large touch-sensitive, interactive display screens that connect to a computer and/or projector. The user controls the information on the screen directly from the screen in the same way a mouse controls a computer. Initially, smart boards take time to set up, and in many cases you’ll need your IT people to connect users from outside the company to your technology.

Here are the top five things I’ve learned from my DisplayTen HD interactive smart board:

Bigger Really is Better

Three different screen options are available for the DisplayTen smart board: 55”, 70”, and 84” wide. They are built on a Samsung HD television platform with an Android operating system and PC card installed so it can also act just like a PC. It’s one of the best HD experiences I’ve found. No more watching HD videos on screen projectors and getting subpar resolution.

We’ve tested all the screens and use the different sizes for different purposes and they all perform well. But the largest is definitely the most impactful. On the 84” screen, our website came up fast and in super high definition, showcasing our company in the best possible way.

People from outside the company can give presentations with their PCs, tablets or smartphones using a dongle to wirelessly connect to the board. Or they can simply connect a thumb drive into the DisplayTen and their content instantly appears. Our audiences engage quickly when there is such a dynamic and powerful, interactive presentation.

Connect, Click and Use with Confidence

It’s really powerful to wow our audiences with presentations that are fast, professional, interactive, and take them where we want them to go. Everything connects. The interactive functionality of the DisplayTen smart boards brings presentations to life in ways that I haven’t seen before when using a paper flip chart (Remember those?) or a PowerPoint presentation on a projector. With the DisplayTen smart board, I can make notes on the screen with my finger or the pen pointer, scroll through our website, and capture questions on the screen so our audience stays engaged every second of the presentation.

Save, Download and Share with Your Audience

After my presentation was over, I was immediately able to save every aspect of the presentation, including the interactive notes on the screen. With a simple download I attached the presentation to emails of the registered recipients. I clicked “send”, and all the mobile devices in the room started to ping when the emails landed! As they opened their emails right at the meeting, they were blown away by the powerful impact of smart boards. Because they were engaged, they retained much more of the information we presented.

Closing the Deal

My staff and I have used the DisplayTen smart boards to help potential clients to move forward with our company, as well as help them to create their own interactive HD experiences. We have customers who use them to create better presentations, create a better brand image for their company, and even throw a better wedding. Anything done on a regular smart board will be easier and look better on a DisplayTen smart board.

No Assembly or Tech Skills Needed

My biggest fear about learning how to use our smart board was that I’d have to untangle a bunch of wires or need to call my tech team to get it connected so I could present. My first experience with the smart board was easy and I quickly gained confidence. It’s virtually a “plug-and-play” media system that’s ready to use in less than three seconds! When the audience can experience the impact of technology for themselves, they also gain confidence in our ability to have their best interests at heart. The DisplayTen smart board is truly the ultimate media experience.

About Brothers Fire & Security

As one of the premier providers of fire, security and communication solutions in the Upper Midwest, Brothers Fire & Security strives to build long-term, value-added relationships. We work with business owners and property management companies, as well as all types of public institutions to solve fire, security and communication needs. By taking advantage of our integrated bundled services, many of our clients find that they can save 25-30% on their safety services, annual inspections and more. From a single location to franchises throughout the region and the country, our integrated approach saves our clients valuable time, money and stress.