My Webcast and Remote Comment Submission System allowed participants in a webcast to ask questions of the group that assembled in person. This system was used in a variety of contexts in the first twelve quarterly public meetings of ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). This method proved especially useful to some non-native English speakers, who reported finding written remarks more natural and less intimidating. It also allowed synchronous discussion to address more questions in less time, and it facilitated screening questions for relevance to the topic at hand.
Details in Berkman Center Meeting Tools.