Wipe boards are popular in offices, schools, and even kitchens around the country, providing a handy space for sharing ideas, making notes, writing reminders, or explaining concepts. This may be a pretty standard item to have around, but are users really getting the most they possibly can out of their wipe board?
Tips to improve wipe board efficiency
Make good use of the space
Where possible, plan what you want to do with the board, then organise how to best present things. Consider where to put information which will stay up for longer, and which may need more space to expand. This saves a lot of time having to erase and rewrite key points, and avoids over-filled boards which become hard to read or follow.
Keep it clean
Everybody makes mistakes sometimes, and being able to instantly erase yours is what makes using a wipe board such a pleasure; or at least until you cut corners and try to smudge something away with your hand. Then you just get a blurry dark stain that makes everything else look messy too. The solution is simple: always use a dry wipe eraser, or at least a cloth or tissue to erase marker pen, but let the ink dry before you do anything or you could get the same result.
Take a picture of your work
Snapping a quick shot of your wipe board is a useful way to record things like: information you have to deliver another time to different people; responses to a topic noted in a class or office meeting, or to use as an aide-memoire in the next meeting – https://officeninjas.com/6-tips-for-rocking-a-whiteboard-in-your-next-meeting/.
Use wipe board accessories to exploit space
Magnetic dry wipe boards for schools from suppliers like https://wedgewhiteboards.co.uk/ are a dream. Magnets are great for displaying something briefly, especially visuals, allowing for more teaching time rather than minutes spent erasing and rewriting. Sticky notes can also be handy, although being smaller they work better with numbers or solo letters than words.
Check the lighting
Black wipe board pens are generally fine in any light, but if you plan to use red, blue or any other colour, write a few test words and then wander the room to see how the board looks from different angles. If the angle is wrong some people may not even see what is on the board.