I tested Microsoft Live Meeting last week, to be able to run a VizPro® process mapping workshop in Cape Town with participants in Johannesburg. Live Meeting is collaboration software that is installed on client PCs, and uses a central server for all clients to connect to.
Live Meeting enabled me to map the process as the participants gave their input. They were following what I was mapping on their screen.

The benefits:

1. Time efficient: a round trip CPT-JHB takes about 10 hours door-to-door. Now we could just stay in our own offices.
2. Cost efficient: tickets cost about R2500 pp for a return flight.
3. Environmentally friendly: travelling leaves a carbon footprint (for this specific trip 515 lbs CO2 ), which was now avoided completely. A great fit with our Green policy to reduce our impact on the environment where we can.
   

Interested to check how much your carbon footprint is? You can check it by using this calculator at the Food and Trees for Africa website, and to make up for your impact on the environment you can plant a tree from the same site.