• 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.

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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.

The post Finding the Perfect Resolver Ballot Alternative: Why Ppvote Matrix Stands Out appeared first on CLiKAPAD.

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. 

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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

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If you have spent a lot of time planning and writing your conference presentation, you might want to believe that it contains everything the audience needs to come away with a full understanding of the topic. But it is inevitable that some people in the crowd will have aspects of your talk that they misunderstood, need further clarification on, or would like their knowledge expanded. A Q&A session following your talk can be a great way to add clarity to the presentation. Here are five tips to help you conduct a better interactive Q&A session.

1 – Let the audience know

It is a great idea to let your audience know before the talk that you will be providing a Q&A segment at the end. One of the major advantages here is that it gives them the chance to prepare useful questions in advance, and allows them to keep in mind anything that they feel needs clarification from your talk.

2 – Plan enough time for Q&A

Crucially, you need to ensure that you are putting in enough time for your interactive Q&A. This is something that needs to be spoken about during the planning stages of the talk – think about what sort of Q&A session you want to have, and then ensure that you have the appropriate amount of time to be able to carry this out effectively.

3 – Stick to the time limit

If you have planned out a time for your talk as well as Question & Answer time, it is essential that you stick to that time limit. The best way to do this is to have a very strong understanding of how long your talk is going to go on for. This means practicing it over and over to make sure you are doing it at the correct speed.

4 – Prepare the moderator for the Q&A

Speak to the moderator before your talk takes place and let them know about your plans for the questions after the talk. It is a great idea to provide them with a couple of questions that they can ask to get the ball rolling and allow others in the audience the chance to open up and ask their questions.

5 – Use the right tools

It is also a great idea to use software like an audience response system. Having a voting keypad can allow introverted audience members the chance to vote on what they want to hear more about – there are more ways to be involved for those who might not feel confident to speak up.

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Before you speak at a conference you need to feel confident in your voice. If you are new to public speaking, or you have struggled in the past with a faltering voice interrupting you as you give your presentation, it can be a great idea to warm up your voice before your talk.

The best speakers will always warm up their voice to ensure that they have the fullest range available for emphasizing and ensuring a strong vocal tone throughout. If this is something that you have never done before it can feel a little unusual, but to make a great impression at a conference, this is important.

Hum

One of the most important ways to warm up is to hum; this gets your vocal cords used to changing pitch. Humming for a few minutes gets your voice ready for talking for an extended period. And you can also use this time to loosen your jaw by moving it around.

Tongue twisters

It’s not just your vocal cords that you need to warm up before speaking at a conference, you also need your tongue and lips to be ready to work hard. Get them ready for a talk by practicing tongue twisters; this can be great for your diction too. Some great tongue twisters for warm ups include:

• Irish wristwatch Swiss wristwatch
• She sells seashells by the sea shore
• Red lorry, yellow lorry

Stretch

It is also important to remember to stretch and loosen your body before your talk at a conference. You might think that you only need your lungs and your mouth in order to talk, but your whole body needs to be ready for your period of talking.

Now that you’re ready to speak at a conference how about you increase your audience engagement using an Audience Response System.

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With technology continually on the rise, the workplace is fast becoming a hive for the latest gizmos and gadgets. Long gone are the days of fax machines and dial-up internet – nowadays, it’s all about having super-fast fibre broadband and a streamlined phone system.

In today’s day and age, companies need the latest technology in order to keep up to date and stay relevant. Whether it be one-touch scanning from your smartphone, or the latest in computer operating systems, many companies are now always on the lookout for new technologies to improve their workplace environment.

One such technology comes in the form of an audience response systems (ARS). These systems are not only fantastic at gathering large quantities of data quickly and easily, but they also enable offices to monitor their staff’s feedback. How, you ask? We take you through it.

Anonymous Voting

It can be difficult in meetings to hear everyone’s voice and opinions on certain matters. Normally one or two people are much louder than others, leaving quieter members of staff who are less comfortable speaking out, with less of a say. ARS systems prevent this, giving each member of staff the opportunity to vote on issues anonymously. Plus, since the results show up on screen immediately, nobody can dispute the way in which people have chosen to vote.

Staff Training

ARS systems are a great way of tracking progress during any staff training days. For instance, after each training module, you can use the system to ask a series of questions that test what they have learnt. This can be especially useful when training staff about health and safety procedures, for example, as you can ask specific ‘what would you do if…’ or ‘how would you respond to…’ scenario-based questions to test their learning.

Risk Assessment

Every office requires a risk assessment, so who is going to understand where the potential risks are in the workplace than the staff who actually work there? Using Audience Response Systems enables staff to contribute their ideas quickly and easily, automatically collating answers in an infographic format. This, in turn, enables the dedicated health and safety team to identify how staff voted, allowing them to make any relevant changes.

Staff Quizzes

Audience Response Systems aren’t just great for the day-to-day office tasks – they can be used for fun reasons too. For many years, gameshows like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire have used ARS systems to gather audience feedback. Why not do the same in the workplace? The office Christmas party needs a quiz after all, so what better way to inject a bit of fun into it. You can either show staff responses individually or as a whole, if you’re after more of a team game.

If you are looking to incorporate an ARS system in your office or workplace, you’ve come to the right place. Here at CLiKAPAD, our audience response systems have helped a number of businesses function more efficiently, gathering large sets of data both quickly and easily. Get in touch with us today for further information.

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To make the most of your presentation it is essential that you have audience engagement. This can be one of the biggest challenges in giving talk at a conference. Here we provide four great tips that will help you improve your engagement with an audience.

1. Do your preparation

Audiences love it when the speaker is confident and in control. If the room feels awkward because the speaker has not done the proper preparation, it can be a real negative in terms of engagement. This puts the onus on you to really know your presentation well, and to perform it to the best of your abilities.

Clearly then, it is essential that you put in the practice beforehand. This will make all the difference when it’s your time to present.

2. Promote interactivity to increase audience engagment

If you want to engage with your audience, you can’t expect to do so with a long monologue and nothing else. It is important that your presentation captures their imagination – and one of the best ways to do this is through interactivity.

It can be a great idea to use technologies like an audience response system (ARS) as a part of your presentation. If your audience feels like they have a part to play in your talk, for example by quizzing your audience or taking a poll, they will feel a lot more engaged.

3. Make Q&A an important part of your talk

Many speakers don’t leave enough time or put enough emphasis on the Q&A section of their talk – but this can be absolutely crucial. Additionally It’s a great idea to shorten your presentation and leave plenty of time to discuss the topic with your audience; it is often here that you can get them to really engage with your talk.

Answering the questions of individuals in the room can actually help you talk directly about the aspects of the subject that your audience is interested in.

4. Push your talk on social media

You need to be promoting your talk on social media as much as possible – not just to get people to come and see it, but also to encourage them to think about the topic before, making it more likely that they will attend the talk with their mind primed for what you are going to talk about.

Want to learn more about improving engagement at a conference using technology? Get in contact with the team at CLiKAPAD for details on using an Audience Response System as a part of your next conference presentation.

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Keeping your staff up to date on all the knowledge they need to carry out their jobs is essential. If there are any gaps in your employee’s knowledge providing the right training is key. A staff training day can be a great way to get everyone up to date quickly. Having your staff take the time to learn new skills can be hugely beneficial to you and your business. Keep reading to take a look at some of the ways you can host an effective staff training day.

1 – Identify what needs to be improved

In order to achieve the best possible results, you need to make sure you’re focusing on improving the skills that are most essential. For example, if there’s a new bit of software that will be used by employees throughout your business, you may want to focus on teaching them how to use it effectively. Take the time to figure out what needs to be improved – this way, you and your team can get the most out of the training day.

2 – Make sure that staff training is a serious investment

A staff training day can be a serious investment for both you and your business. That being said it will have fantastic long term benefits. Make sure that your staff understand the long term goals of the training day. Additionally let them know what they’ll get out of it. Spending the right amount of time and money on training is also to consider when it comes to your business.

3 – Choose a good location

A good location can have a major impact on the success of your staff training day. You may want to look into hiring a venue to host the event. If so, you will need to make sure they have the right equipment and  space to incorporate your team. Spend some time researching the venue before the training day. If you have any specific requirements, don’t forget to discuss this with the venue beforehand.

4 – Don’t forget to include managers and team leaders in staff training

If you’re looking to get the most out of your staff training day, then its important to include team leaders and management staff as well. This way, if any employees have questions after the event or need help in the future, your managers are properly equipped to help them out. Including speeches / involvement from team leaders is an effective way of engaging your team in the training day.

5 – Use audience response technology

Team engagement is one of the best ways to get the most out of your staff training day. For example, using Audience Response Systems are a great way to encourage interactivity, ask questions and to get feedback. All answers and results can also be anonymously displayed, providing instant feedback.

If you’re interested in hiring our handheld voting keypads and audience response technology for your event, click here to find out more. Alternatively, you can get in touch with our expert response system team on +44 (0)3333 448 550 or email us at sales@clikapad.com.

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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.

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