• Annual General Meetings (AGMs) are a critical part of organizational decision-making, but they can often be fraught with logistical challenges—especially when it comes to managing voting.
• Whether you’re an event planner, a corporate professional, or part of a nonprofit organization, finding ways to streamline the AGM process while maintaining accuracy and engagement is key.
• One powerful solution is using an Audience Response System (ARS). In this post, we’ll explore how using CLiKAPAD, an ARS, can make your AGM faster, more accurate, and more interactive, all while improving the overall participant experience.

What is an Audience Response System (ARS)?

• An Audience Response System (ARS) is a technology that allows participants to respond to questions, polls, and votes in real-time, typically via devices like smartphones or handheld clickers.
• CLiKAPAD is an intuitive ARS that makes it easy to collect and analyze responses instantly, which is perfect for managing AGMs with large groups of participants.

The Challenges of Traditional AGM Voting:

• Time-Consuming: Traditional voting methods—whether via paper ballots, voice votes, or a show of hands—are slow and can delay meeting progress.
• Prone to Errors: Manual vote counting is not only time-consuming but also prone to human error. This can lead to discrepancies in vote totals and undermine the trust of your attendees.
• Delayed Results: With traditional methods, attendees often have to wait for results to be counted and verified, which creates unnecessary pauses in the meeting.

How ARS Can Improve AGM Voting – Speed & Accuracy

Speed:

• Using CLiKAPAD allows participants to vote instantly, with results being captured and displayed within seconds.
• This immediate feedback helps keep your AGM running smoothly without the delays that typically occur when tallying votes manually. Whether you’re voting on resolutions, electing new board members, or gauging opinion on various issues, you’ll receive real-time results.

Accuracy:

• One of the greatest advantages of CLiKAPAD is its ability to capture votes with pinpoint accuracy. Unlike paper ballots or manual counting, every vote is logged electronically, eliminating the risk of human error.
• Automated result tallying ensures that the data is processed quickly and accurately, saving you the headache of cross-checking votes and reducing the chances of discrepancies.

The Importance of the “Abstain” Option

• An often overlooked feature of electronic voting systems is the ability for participants to abstain from voting. It’s essential to provide this option in AGMs, especially when votes involve complex decisions where attendees may prefer not to take a stance.
• Why is this important?
  • Fair Representation: When participants abstain from voting, their decision shouldn’t affect the outcome or distort the voting percentages. CLiKAPAD handles abstentions properly by excluding them from the final tally of votes, so they don’t skew the results.
  • Accurate Percentages: In traditional voting systems, abstentions can sometimes be counted as a third voting option or excluded from the total count, which can impact the percentages of approval or rejection. With CLiKAPAD, the abstention option is clearly tracked, and the percentages are calculated based on Yes/No votes only, ensuring that results are accurate and reflective of those who chose to participate.
• Streamlined Reporting:
  • After the AGM, CLiKAPAD generates detailed reports automatically. You won’t have to spend hours compiling results—CLiKAPAD offers easy-to-read data that you can export and use for post-meeting assessments.

How to Integrate CLiKAPAD into Your AGM:

• Choose the Right Plan: CLiKAPAD offer short-term and long-term hire options as well as the option to purchase the system.
• Pick the voting method: Votes can be cast using CLiKAPAD keypads, internet enabled devices such as smartphones or a mixture of both. If all voters will be in the same room, the voting keypads offer the easiest solution for the attendees. Where some voters will be remote, the virtual voting via devices will be required. That uses a browser based app, so no installation is required.
• Design your slides: Each motion is shown on a PowerPoint slide, so can be designed to your liking. The voting result is shown on that slide as a graph as soon as the vote is closed.
• Rehearse: Ensure that you allow enough time in the lead up to your meeting to test the system and build your confidence with using it.

If you’re planning an AGM and want to ensure a more efficient, transparent, and engaging experience for your attendees, CLiKAPAD is the perfect solution to elevate your event. Say goodbye to the headaches of manual voting and embrace the future of seamless, digital voting today.

Why Risk Practitioners and Internal Audit Teams Need an Alternative

The discontinuation of Resolver Ballot leaves users facing several challenges:

· Continuity: Many organizations rely on risk workshop tools to ensure structured decision-making processes.

· Data Integrity: Maintaining secure, localized data storage is critical, especially for organizations with stringent compliance requirements.

· Flexibility: Modern teams need tools that support in-person, virtual, and hybrid environments seamlessly.

Matrix not only addresses these gaps but offers a user-friendly and secure solution for risk workshops.

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The ppvote Matrix Advantage

Ppvote Matrix provides an intuitive platform designed to make risk workshops effective, collaborative, and secure. Here’s what makes it an excellent Resolver Ballot alternative:

1. Versatile Workshop Formats

Whether your risk workshop is in-person, fully online, or hybrid, Matrix adapts effortlessly. Participants can cast their votes using:

· CLiKAPAD keypads for in-person settings.

· A browser-based app accessible via smartphones, eliminating the need for app installations and ensuring accessibility for remote attendees.

2. Secure and Local Data Storage

Unlike many modern tools that rely on cloud storage, ppvote Matrix stores all workshop data locally on the user’s computer. This ensures:

· Enhanced data security, especially for organizations handling sensitive or regulated information.

· Full control over data management without relying on third-party cloud services.

3. Risk Scoring and Heatmaps Made Easy

Just like Resolver Ballot, ppvote Matrix enables participants to cast votes that are aggregated to generate:

· Risk scores based on predefined criteria.

· Heatmaps for visualizing risk levels and guiding discussions effectively.

4. Seamless User Experience

The software is designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind:

· No complex installations or configurations required.

· A straightforward interface ensures that both facilitators and attendees can focus on the workshop rather than the technology.

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Enhancing Collaboration and Decision-Making

By incorporating ppvote Matrix into your risk management framework, your organization can continue to leverage workshops as a powerful tool for decision-making. The platform not only replicates Resolver Ballot’s functionality but also elevates it with added flexibility and security features tailored for today’s dynamic working environments.

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Conclusion

The discontinuation of Resolver Ballot doesn’t have to disrupt your risk management processes. Matrix provides a professional-grade solution that mirrors and expands upon the capabilities of its predecessor. With support for diverse workshop formats, secure local data storage, and advanced visualization tools, ppvote Matrix ensures your team can keep driving impactful decisions with confidence.

If you’re ready to transition seamlessly and elevate your risk workshops, ppvote Matrix is the solution you’ve been searching for. For a brief overview of how Matrix works, check out this video.

At CLiKAPAD we supply voting keypads for us at events, meetings and workshops. The devices have buttons 0-10 and can be used to submit votes in a large number of scenarios. In this article we will focus on the use of voting when evaluating risks.

In addition to the voting keypads, we offer a browser-based solution that enables voting via smartphones, tablets and computers.

If you already have a set of CLiKAPAD keypads, we can supply the software to work with those.

Our ppvote Matrix software was written with risk in mind. It is designed to allow workshop participants to rate a list of risks against up to 9 assessments. At the end of the voting process a heatmap is automatically generated. It is also possible to view the scatterplot for each risk that has been rated and where necessary risks can be discussed and re-voted with the heatmap being immediately updated.

Graphing, fonts and backgrounds are all user defined, so the various views can be brand compliant. Additionally, the ability to set your own preferences will allow you to create a Matrix process that feels familiar to your participants who are used to your Ballot workshops.

All voting data can be easily exported to Excel at the end of each workshop and all graphs can be exported as images for inclusion in your workshop report.

There is plenty more functionality to explore including benchmark data, postal votes, demographics, categories and a list reduction method. We’d be delighted to walk you through the product in more detail.

Please contact sales@clikapad.com for more information

Click here to watch a quick software overview video. 

At the end of the process, participants need to have a clear idea of the likelihood and impact of identified risks and develop strategies to mitigate or manage them. Risk assessment workshops provide a structured framework for analyzing complex problems. As well as making informed decisions on how to deal with potential threats ahead of time.

If you want to learn more about risk management, this article is for you. In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about risk assessment workshops, including their benefits, techniques and tools you need to carry out risk assessment workshops. Without any further ado, let’s jump right in!

What is a risk assessment workshop?

A risk assessment workshop refers to a structured process that brings together relevant stakeholders from various departments or teams. The aim is to identify potential risks, assess their likelihood and impact and develop feasible strategies to mitigate or manage those risks. Ultimately the main goal of risk assessment workshops is to identify the risks the different departments of organizations could face during their operations and how to mitigate them.

For the best results, it is important to involve all key stakeholders of these departments in the risk assessment process. During a risk assessment workshop, participants typically identify and evaluate different types of risks, such as operational risks, financial risks, strategic risks, legal and regulatory risks, or reputational risks, among others.

These workshops may also involve brainstorming, discussions, and using various tools and techniques to identify potential risks, prioritize them based on likelihood and impact, and develop a plan to manage or mitigate them. The outcome of any risk assessment workshop is a risk management plan that outlines strategies, controls, and procedures to minimize the negative impact of risks to ensure business continuity.

Benefits of risk assessment workshopsImproved risk awareness

Above all one of the primary reasons why risk assessment workshops are carried out is to ensure that different stakeholders are aware of the risks associated with their operations. Knowing the potential risks and how to deal with them reduces their impact on the operations of a department or the organization at large.

Proactive approach
Conducting risk assessment workshops also enable organizations to take a proactive approach to risk management by identifying and addressing risks before they can halt their operations.

Better decision-making
One of the core components of risk assessment workshops is generating a report with details of the likelihood and impact of different risks. The information in these reports provides a comprehensive understanding of the risks associated with different courses of action, therefore allowing the relevant stakeholders to make more informed decisions.

Prioritization
Generally one of the major challenges organizations face is determining what tasks or risks to prioritize at any given moment. Conducting a risk assessment workshop enables organizations to allocate resources and focus on the most critical tasks.

Stakeholder engagement
As mentioned earlier, risk assessment workshops bring together stakeholders from various departments or teams of the organization. Ultimately, this promotes collaboration and engagement across the different teams in an organization.

Continuous improvement
Most organizations do risk assessment workshops every year or after a couple of months. Having these workshops regularly ensures that risk management strategies remain relevant and effective over time. Subsequently, this leads to continuous improvement in operations in the different departments.

Techniques and tools used in risk assessment workshops

Some of the common techniques used in risk assessment workshops include the following;

Brainstorming: This is a technique that involves generating ideas or solutions from different members involved in a workshop. In a risk assessment workshop, you can use brainstorming to identify potential risks and their impact.

SWOT analysis: In risk assessment workshops, SWOT enables organizations to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, as well as threats. This technique can be used in a risk assessment workshop to identify potential risks and how they can impact an organization’s strengths and weaknesses.

Delphi method: This refers to a structured communication technique that uses a panel of experts to reach a consensus on a particular issue. In risk assessment workshops, this technique can be used to reach a consensus on the severity of potential risks.

The major tools used in risk assessment workshops include the following;
Risk matrix: A risk matrix can be used to evaluate and prioritize risks based on their likelihood and impact. In a risk assessment workshop, a risk matrix can be used to rank potential risks according to their severity. ppvote Matrix is CLiKAPAD’s in-house risk matrix tool that you can use to evaluate risks. With this tool, you can vote on each risk against a set of criteria, generate risk scores, and view the level of agreement using Scatter Graphs and average, standard deviation and diversity data.
Risk register: The risk register is a document that enables participants in a risk assessment workshop to record and track identified risks.

Final thoughts

In summary, a risk assessment workshop is an important tool for organizations to identify potential risks and develop measures to deal with them ahead of time. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, without doubt these workshops enable a comprehensive analysis of risks from different perspectives and facilitate the creation of effective risk management plans.

For the best results, it is crucial to have clear objectives, a structured process, and skilled facilitators who can manage group dynamics and foster open communication. You should also use tools like CLiKAPAD’s ppvote matrix to quicken the entire risk assessment process. Overall, incorporating risk assessment workshops into your risk management approach enables organizations to proactively address potential risks and enhance their resilience in the face of uncertainty.

ppvote Matrix examples

Make training fun

It can be true that some employee training sessions revolve around topics that aren’t necessarily especially interesting. Take the example of health and safety briefings. While these are absolutely essential for any business, they can often come across as dull or unnecessary.

You can counteract this by making the sessions as fun as possible. A training session on the driest of topics can be lifted by injecting humour and allowing employees to relax as they learn. One of the best ways you can do this is by using charismatic and engaging trainers. The right presenter who can have fun will really improve the amount that staff members can get from a session.

Another popular way to keep staff interested is through gamification. Gamification works by introducing aspects of games to motivate people to achieve certain goals. For example, when running a sales training event you can set up a league table for sales. This could then lead to prizes being awarded for the best performance.

Make use of audience response systems

An audience response system (ARS) allows you to receive immediate feedback from individual handheld devices. This has a huge variety of uses in training sessions as it allows you to engage individuals through the technology.

One use is in testing and quizzes to ensure that everyone in the session is paying attention and understand the material they are being introduced to. Instead of having paper tests that then have to be assessed and marked, ARSs allow for instantaneous assessment. Which can then be displayed anonymously.

Live Q&A sessions help to keep employees interested in the subject matter instead of expecting employees to sit and listen for the duration of the training.

Encourage interactivity

It’s not actually particularly useful for employees to listen to a lengthy lecture filled with stats. In fact, if you are trying to get a message across it’s a much better idea to break up the training sessions with opportunities for interactivity. This can come both through Q&A with the tutor and time for peer-to-peer discussions.

People often learn best by talking things through with their colleagues. It gives them the chance to share their own stories and experiences which can often be far more effective than examples given by trainers. You might find that some members of staff are performing a task in a different way to others. When alternative methods are shared it can ultimately lead to an improved way of working.

1. Staff learning

ARSs are a very useful tool for staff training and workshops as they can deal with everything from opinion gathering to testing. Testing can be completed very quickly and efficiently, and responders do not need fear being embarrassed if they get a question wrong, as the response can be anonymous. This can also instantly give you an understanding over whether an idea has been well understood or whether you need to go over it in a different way.

2. Surveys

There are a wide range of ways that you could use an ARS to take a survey. This could apply, for example, as part of a presentation at a conference or at an in-house issue. If you are trying to get feedback from staff about a particular process or situation in the company, an ARS allows for anonymous and honest answers to be collected immediately so that it can be analysed.

The use of the ARS can lead into critical discussions and the sharing of ideas in a way that can be extremely useful. Unlike a pen-and-paper survey, responses can be read simultaneously and others can provide their ideas that relate to a specific issue.

3. Gamification

Gamification is a way of using fun elements of gameplay as a part of a talk or presentation. This is a brilliant way to engage audiences to participate with your talk – in doing so you are drawing them in to the idea that you are promoting. This can be extremely valuable and useful. There are lots of different creative ways that you can gamify a talk – either through interactive questions or audience polls.

4. Team building

One unusual way to use an ARS is as a part of a team building exercise. You can split the group up into teams and then answer questions or solve problems together. This could then be fed into the ARS as the teams brainstorm solutions and come up with different ideas. You could also set up a simple quiz that could be answered individually.

5. Risk management

Handheld clicker systems can be invaluable as a part of risk assessments. You can bring members of a team together in order to collate responses and ensure that many different perspectives are taken into account as you evaluate risk. Using the powerful software this data can then be presented as graphs or other visual representations to give a clearer picture of the potential issues involved with a project or task.

1. Plan sessions properly

Preparation is key to good training, so you need to spend time to work out who needs training, what training is required and exactly what that training is going to accomplish for the organisation. Remember at all times that it is essential that the training should address a specific need within the business so that you will be able to see the benefits and ensure that the training is not simply wasted working time. The means that one of the most fundamental aspects of the training is to explain at the beginning exactly what attendees are going to learn and how they can put their new knowledge into practice.

2. Put dedicated funding and resources into training

Many businesses expect internal departments to deal with employee training without actually providing any extra budget or resources. It’s common for companies to believe that there is no need to spend money on training as it can all be handled in-house. But giving a team a budget for training can dramatically improve the effectiveness of sessions. Investing in technologies such as audience response systems, which have the potential for multiple uses within the business, can make all the difference.

3. Team managers need to take ownership

It can often be a great idea to bring in professional trainers from outside the outside the business to run the sessions. But managers should not lose sight of the fact that these sessions should be attempting to impart knowledge that is relevant to the success of the company. That means that managers need to take ownership of the training sessions to ensure that the right details are being conveyed. Also, remember that a great deal of information can be transferred within the team itself, so allow some time for people within the session to discuss ideas and provide opinions.

4. Have follow-up sessions

It’s vital that any learning from the training is reinforced with follow-up sessions. It can be all too easy to forget what has been learned in a session, so it is important to have reminders and refreshers to help staff get the most out of the training.

When you understand that almost any question you receive in a Q&A will be a positive, it shows that this session can be a very valuable time in the presentation. So use it to your advantage! Here’s how:

Reinforce your message at Q&A

The Q&A session is a great time to reinforce the message you’re putting out. When someone asks you a question it gives you license not only to reply but also to continue talking. Making a point for a second time will make it last longer in the mind of your audience as well as giving another opportunity for late comers to hear it.

Expand points

One of the problems that many conference speakers come up against is the time limit on their presentation. It’s not always possible to fit in all the details that you had planned when you’re up against a strict time deadline. The Q&A session can give you a vital opportunity to expand on some of your points and add in valuable information. Think about common questions you might receive and find ways to work in some of your additional material.

Explain anything unclear

When you’ve been working on your presentation for a long time, it can be easy to forget that this will be the first time that your audience has heard it. That means that you need to explain each point clearly. Sometimes it is the case that a presenter can be ambiguous or skip over a key issue. The Q&A session here can actually be very important as it gives the audience the chance to let you know, so that you can clarify.

Address specific examples

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the Q&A from an audience perspective is that it gives them the opportunity to apply the things you have talked about to their real life examples. This can be important for you too as it can help to make certain point clearer.

A conference can be a fantastic place to network with people in your industry as well as a chance to gain insight and ideas on a variety of different topics. But sometimes you can go away from a conference feeling that you haven’t really gained anything. There’s no use wasting your time on a flat experience, so here are four ways to get the most out of a conference that you are attending.

Smart networking

Many people think that networking isn’t their thing. How do you awkwardly approach and then keep up a dialogue with strangers? The truth is it’s actually relatively easy to be an introverted person when networking – you just do exactly what you do normally: listen. Ask questions to the people you meet and let them do the talking. Ultimately you are looking to forge strong relationships with people and sometimes the best way to do this is to allow them to take the lead.

Go it alone

If you attend a conference with a number of colleagues it can be tempting to spend much of the day with them, watching presentations together and even attempting to network together. This can actually be a mistake – trying to do anything in a large group just encourages you to talk to each other and can be too intimidating for other people to try to strike up a conversation with you. You’ll get more out of the day if you split up. You can spend time watching different speakers and engage in natural networking with others.

Get ideas for your own
presentations

Of course one of the key aspects of going to a conference is the opportunity to take a range of ideas away from it. One aspect of this that is sometimes overlooked is that the fact that you can get fantastic ideas and techniques for your own presentations. Your company may wish to be involved in a conference itself at some point down the line and this can be the perfect opportunity to take down notes on the best presentations you watch. This could be anything from the layout of a slideshow on PowerPoint or the use of technology like an audience response system.

Engage with speakers

There’s nothing that a conference speaker likes more than to have an audience that engages with their presentation. From your perspective this can also be a brilliant way to set up a great basis for networking later on. As you watch the presentation, think of questions to ask at the end so that you can begin a dialogue with the speaker. This can be an ideal way to get more knowledge or even develop unexpected business connections. Remember, speakers will always be flattered by the interest that you have shown in their talk and this can start your conversation out on a strong foot. It is a great idea to forge connections with respected experts too.

CLiKAPAD recently visited the UK-based manufacturing plant where our keypads are created. Here we oversaw the whole manufacturing process. We think it is important to regularly check over the way that our handsets are created to ensure that every keypad we sell is perfect for our customers’ needs.

It is exciting to see our designs being brought to life. We feel that we get the best value for money by working with our expert UK-based manufacturer. We can rely on them for the exceptional quality of the devices that they provide. We also love to work with other British businesses – all of our software development is completed in the UK as well.

We are so sure of the quality of our hardware that we offer a 12 month parts and labour warranty on every piece that we sell.