Moving Meetings Online Training

I have been deep into online training for Toastmasters in the last four weeks, since I last wrote in my Diary of an Online Toastmaster. The month has just flown by in a whirlwind of Zoom meetings; as all clubs now practice physical distancing by meeting online.

D73-Online-Education-Invitation-April-2020-CB

A training project called ‘Moving Meetings Online’ was prepared collaboratively with the D73 Team Pathways to help clubs to run their meetings online and learn how to master Zoom. The program consisted of three workshops run over consecutive weekends in April with the following titles:

• 101:Be a confident first time Zoom User
• 102:Build skills as a confident Zoom Host
• 103:Demonstrate being an effective Zoom Master

The training model for this program was a traditional delivery of Educationals (15 minutes) with a facilitated Q&A segment (5 minutes)  immediately after. Session timings were capped at 1 hour and 15 minutes and recordings made of each one. Each Educational provided an overview of how to use the Zoom functions and Tools effectively. This model enabled several D73 Toastmasters to step up into roles such as Zoom Host,  Zoom Master, Toastmaster of the Day and Timekeeper.

Lessons Learned:

• Provide practical resources for participants prior to, during or after training sessions and remind attendees to complete a Feedback Survey. eg Agenda templates
• Need to schedule team meetings prior to each training session to ensure that each person knows what their role is and how to contact each other during the online sessions. eg private chat in Zoom or message on smart phones.
• Ensure that the session roles are given to separate individuals, and enable them to focus on their tasks in that role. eg Avoid being the Zoom Master and TMoD concurrently!
• Plan the promotional aspects of such training events with all district members in mind. We need consistency of promotions, registrations and notifications to enable awareness  of training opportunities for members across two time zones. eg Ensure that the program for the month is displayed in the District Newsletter.

Follow up plan:

• Further Zoom sessions could dig deeper into the practicalities of Moving Meetings Online and enable more participants to have hands on experience with Zoom Mastery. eg Reschedule 101, 102 and 103 and simplify content.
• New sessions could focus on the Basics of being a Toastmaster for those who are brand new to Toastmasters. eg Introduction to Pathways education, participation in club meetings, overview of club officer roles, and introduction to speech delivery.

Light Bulb Moment!

Toastmasters need time to become comfortable in the online environment! Provide any time training resources and readings for them to focus on prior to, during and after the real time training sessions.

Toastmasters can also be encouraged to visit other online club meetings prior to training.

1. Further Reading: Moving Meetings Online eCourse
2. Resource: Online Toastmaster Meeting Roles
3. Resource: Online Toastmasters Meetings Agendas
4. Club Hopping Opportunities for easy-Speak users:
   Take the Toastie Tour with Online Meetings

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 18 March 2020

I attended my Indigo Speakers club meeting via Zoom whilst the other members practiced appropriate social distancing in our usual meeting room for our second meeting of the month. For me the experience was made enjoyable and I felt included.  An experienced member accessed my Zoom room on her iphone with ease and I remained at home. The audio was very good from both venues and I was able to see others in the room when the camera on the iphone was focussed on various areas of the room.

Many months ago Indigo Speakers had already indicated to prospective visitors and guests that our club permitted virtual attendance. That was recorded in Club Central by selecting the Club Demographics and clicking the Online Attendance Accepted option. See above.

At that meeting we discussed our plans for meetings during COVID-19 pandemic. It was agreed we would meet online in Zoom for the time being, with each member logging in from their own home. We can now boost our membership by inviting other community members to attend these online meetings as a visitor on the first and third Wednesdays of the month during the mandated period of social distancing. Details here.

Thursday 19 March 2020 (afternoon)

As  a  former member of the Global Trainers Online Advanced Online Toastmasters Club I was invited to assist as Chief Judge in a Mock Online Contest.

I had been a Contest Chair and a Chief Judge in many land-based contests and had, over the last few years of being an onliner, practiced the skills of being an Online Contest Chair and Chief Judge. The tasks involved for both are quite different and challenging at first. The Mock Contest was a commissioned event for leaders in D7 and attracted a large number of their members.

Leader Michelle used Zoom, of course, and I created Breakout Rooms for the Judges where they could be briefed on the online protocols of casting their votes.  Once they were briefed they could return to the Main Room individually. Later they could be called back to the Breakout Room individually to present their results to the Chief Judge and the Counters. Officials could ask Judges to return to Main Room again and then tally the results, sending a Private Message to the Contest Chair when ready.

It was also necessary to create Breakout Room for Contestants, this was especially important for the Evaluation Contest that we were demonstrating. Contestants could be in a private quiet area to prepare their notes supervised by the SAA, and then asked to return to the Main Room through a Broadcast Message from the Zoom Master.

Note: It is recommended that the Zoom Master not have another role. The creation of Breakout Rooms, assigning contestants or judges to the rooms and closing rooms, is an intense process.

Thursday 19 March 2020 (evening)

I attended an online meeting with the Toastmasters Without Borders– one of the early chartered 100% online clubs sponsored by colleagues in D73 and mentored by yours truly. That night they attracted many visitors and guests with a high quality online meeting featuring three prepared speeches and six impromptus. There was a busy round robin segment in which every visitor could test their audio.

It was inspiring to watch the way this club managed their meeting with close attention to the cultural and language differences among their international members.

Saturday 21 March 2020 (morning)

I attended an online meeting with the Ablaze Online Advanced Toastmasters, a vibrant club that meets early on Saturday mornings (6:00 am for me). This meeting featured a long educational project speech, opportunities for many table topics impromptus, lessons from Magda and a busy round robin segment. This meeting too attracted a large number of attendees and yet everyone had a chance to speak briefly and gain valuable experience of being an online meeting attendee.

Ablaze Advanced Toastmasters is a 100% Online club. Our members are our top priority. Heart above headcount is our motto. In this club, we live the values of TM.

Saturday 21 March 2020 (afternoon)

I had offered my service as a Judge for the Division Contest being held online for Central Division in D73. During this event I learned how to be more efficient in the use of Breakout Rooms from Emma the Zoom Master and how to facilitate smoothly as the Contest Chair Kerry. I experienced what it was like as a Judge to be assigned to the Breakout Room seamlessly and prompted on how to return individually. We were briefed on the use of our Ballot forms and how to cast our votes to the Chief Judge and Counter via Private Chat message in Zoom, and our job was done.

This event was a complex arrangement of a variety of some physical locations for contestants, delivering their speeches whilst on view by computer cameras on their own laptops or one provided by the Contest Chair, and a Zoom presence for the Judges.

Note: Lessons Learned at this session were invaluable for me, just in time, for my next roles for other Online Contests. See below.

Saturday 21 March 2020 (evening)

The online Toastmasters Meeting called ‘Moving Meetings Online’ was scheduled for D73 and D69 attendees at 7 pm AEDT (UTC +11). We used Zoom of course, and attracted 160+ attendees across the districts. I had setup the Agenda to offer D73 Toastmasters an opportunity to deliver a speech or play a role in the online meeting, sharing it with them as a Google Sheet. (see above)

We learned again how important it is to prepare key role players for their task in an online meeting. Practice sessions were offered prior to the event and discussions took place offline in various social media tools such as Messenger, What’s App and Facebook.

This meeting was designed to showcase a typical Toastmaster meeting online and to provide educational information on how to run the meeting. With that event now satisfactorily sparking interest in the process of Moving Meetings Online, we have planned another for 28 March 7 pm AEDT (UTC +11). The Saturday night seems to appeal, given the current restrictions on attending functions with crowds or eating out in restaurants.

By participating in Online Meetings (the new normal) you will find new ways to grow as a speaker and a leader.

Sunday 22 March 2020 (morning)

I had been asked to be the Zoom Master to help with D73 Ranges Division Contests online. They, like many other Divisions needed to act quickly to organise an alternative to running the contest in the usual way. I had not really known what to expect in a hybrid arrangement so I took on the challenge to increase my knowledge and expertise.

My previous online activities that week gave me the confidence to approach this complex task. At this contest the speakers were (mostly) in a physical location and the judges were online. Guests and visitors formed an online audience for the speakers who had prepared for the International, Humorous, Evaluation and Table Topics contests. Humorous winners are shown above with Division Director Kelly and Contest Chair Nola! Congratulations to all participants, officials and audience for a great event.

We learned how important it is for clarity of audio (minimised echo) for online speakers to have the best impact. The online Zoomers also learned how to remain silent in voice and in text chat during the speeches. The judges learned how to be nimble and the contestants learned how to be flexible.

Note: Ensure that your venue has a carpeted speaking area to provide better acoustics and place the microphone in an optimal position to capture best volume.

breakout room creation from my view as Zoom Master

The first process of creating and moving judges into the breakout room in Zoom was a little tense, but then I understood how to make it seamless for the judges. Having a list of the Judges names and updates of any changes was crucial. During the second contest I relaxed and did a better job, taking some screen images along the way.

Note: You need to have the Host permission in the Zoom room to execute the task.

Sunday 22 March 2020 (evening)

The final event for me last week was the International Video Speech contest for members of the Firebirds Collective, 100% online club, where I was the Contest Chair.

This time the organising team decided to have the contestants briefed in a separate Zoom room altogether prior to the contest. I presided over that briefing and helped the five contestants get to know the protocols of competing online. (Each of these contestants had competed online before, so my job was easy.)

The selection of speaker order needed an innovative approach and I chose this one. The picture above displays the end result of speaker position choice. I created the slides using coloured rectangles in PowerPoint and used Screen Share in Zoom to display. I asked the speakers in alphabetical order to choose a colour and I added their name to that rectangle. The colours, revealing the speaking order number, formed separate slides that were then displayed. I recorded the results on the first slide and  the contestants and Toastmaster of the Day, could record the result. The TMoD asked for the speech titles and I added those in the last rectangle ready for copy and pasting.

Then we left the briefing Zoom and returned to the Firebirds Collective Zoom room with plenty of time before the Judges returned from their briefing. The contest was facilitated by the Toastmaster of the Day after the SAA had briefed the audience on the meeting protocols online.

This event attracted over 60 attendees who were most impressed with the smooth running of the contest, the high calibre of speakers and many stayed on for the ‘after party’ for a discussion.

Lessons Learned

Online Participant needs to have good internet connection, good audio and video functions on their device, and willing to participant with both.

Online Chief Judge needs to have prepared the judges prior to the meeting eg request the submission of eligibility forms via email.

Online Judge needs to have the Ballot sheet beside them and to be swift in responding to the request to cast votes in the private chat to the Chief Judge.

Zoom Master needs to have confidence and expertise in the use of the Zoom Breakout Rooms as well as keeping an eye on the Chat panel and prompt with private messages.

Online Contest Chair needs to have access to a separate Zoom room for the contestant briefing and how to use a Breakout room in Zoom for gathering contestants in the Evaluation and Table Topics contests.

EXTRA RESOURCES

ONLINE CLUBS LIST 

If you are looking for ‘best practice’ in running online meetings for your club, try visiting one or more of the existing 100% online clubs.

ONLINE ALLIANCE

If you are seeking support and advice for preparing to move online, apply to join the Online Alliance Facebook group.

ONLINE TOASTMASTER TRAINING

If you are wanting to discuss the potentials, protocols and purpose of online training for Toastmasters, apply to join the Online Toastmaster Training Facebook group.

Zoom hosted Toastmasters Contests v1.0

If you need to run your contests online, this PDF document provides valuable advice. Thank you to Kit Barritt from D71, United Kingdom.

ECOURSE: MOVING MEETINGS ONLINE
If you are planning on moving your meetings online (specifically to Zoom) for your Toastmasters Club this short ecourse will help.

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Some years back I created a simple free ecourse on Starting an Online Club. This was in the heady days when online clubs were just emerging in the Toastmasters environment. At the time of writing that ecourse, in 2017, we had just eight online clubs! Now we have 28 totally online clubs – all of which are designated as Undistricted! Of course there are hundreds of clubs around the world that have been enabling virtual attendance and have been successfully running their meetings online. This post is designed to spark your interest in participating in the short ecourse right here in this site called ‘Moving your Meetings Online“

Overview of Content

Each chapter is a Page or a Post in this Blog.

1. Prepare to go online
2. Gather your resources
3. Build your community
4. Create your online presence
5. Create online agendas
6. Create online meeting roles
7. Access support
8. Schedule your meetings
9. Facilitate your meetings
10. Record and share your meetings

Virtual Meetings

The recent Corona Virus Pandemic has impacted on our lives in many ways. One that I will focus on in this post, is related to an alternative strategy for group meetings of Toastmasters – ‘virtual meetings’ = meeting via video conference. I have been keeping up-to-date on the advice from the World Health Organisation and our Australian CoVid 19 Advice and Risk Policies.

We must stop, contain, control, delay and reduce the impact of this virus at every opportunity. Every person has the capacity to contribute, to protect themselves, to protect others, whether in the home, the community, the health care system, the work place or the transport system.

Leaders at all levels and in all walks of life must step forward to bring about this commitment across society. 

Toastmasters Club Leaders are currently discussing alternative methods for keeping their clubs meeting without having to travel and meet in public venues. This strategy may well be something for your club to consider. Its more than just selecting a video conferencing tool, it is all about planning for the transition and the facilitation.

Zoom is my video conference tool of choice and my advice will be centered around that tool in the following Transition and Facilitation Tips for Toastmasters.

Tips for Executives: Learning Plan

Step 1: Discuss with your executive team the benefits of offering some of your meetings online and introduce them to Zoom

Step 2: Visit the Zoom.us support website and learn how to access and use Zoom.

Step 3: Setup your own Zoom account and practice with a friend

Step 4: Schedule an Executive meeting in Zoom and try it out with your team.

Tips for Facilitators: Action Plan

Step 5: Practice how to use Zoom on a laptop, tablet or mobile device.

Step 6: Notify your club members of the plan to run virtual meetings.

Step 7: Create a simplified agenda for a meeting (eg one speaker, one evaluator, a few table topics) and invite your club members to attend.

Tips for Toastmaster of the Day: Meeting Plan

Step 8: As the Toastmaster of the Day, access your Zoom space about 30 minutes prior to meeting start time and be ready to meet and greet attendees.

Step 9: Help new users become familiar with the Zoom features (eg audio, video, chat, share screen.)

Step 10: Display the Agenda on screen and explain the process of meeting online. Start the meeting.

Managing Zoom Meeting Strategies

Experiences from being a member of several online Toastmaster Clubs has shown me the benefits of having some specific strategies for managing the Zoom Toastmasters meetings. For example these strategies that can be used before, during and after the online meeting:

Before the meeting begins

• ask participants to join the Zoom event at least 20 minutes prior to start time to enable technical checks
• request a Technical Sergeant-at-Arms to provide an overview of Zoom features for interaction, and provide advice on screen sharing for slides etc.
• request the Toastmaster of the Day to facilitate the meet and greet opportunities

During the meeting

• request the Technical Sergeant-at-Arms to record the meeting
• request the Timer to display visual and audible timing devices
• request a Chat monitor to check on comments and votes in text from participants
• request the Speakers to activate screen sharing if required, prior to starting their speech

After the meeting

• request the VPE to sign up speakers and other roles for the next meeting
• request the Technical Sergeant-at-Arms to send a link to recording to the group

More Learning

If you are keen to experience a well planned and well delivered Online Toastmaster Club event you will find sample club meeting recordings in You Tube. Here’s one from the Online Presenters Toastmasters YouTube Channel recorded in February 2020:

For more details on how to Facilitate an Online Meeting, please read these posts.
Zoom Posts

Find out more about what Zoom.us is providing for educators in response to the need for more online meeting opportunities.

If you want practical Zoom tutorials for Toastmasters, join us in April for scheduled online learning. See the District 73 Southern Cross Newsletter and the Calendar for details.

In Episode 1 we considered how to choose the story to tell; who it is about, its scope and why it is important to tell.

Our families have roots that stretch back in time to other places and other dimensions – the past lives of our ancestors have had their impact on us. Family History is made up of the myriad of stories of individuals in our family tree and it is from these stories that we get a true sense of ‘who we think we are’.

In Episode 2 we consider the essential ingredients for your story!

Digital Storytelling Tips:

Episode 2: Seven Essential Ingredients

These 7 essential ingredients were developed by Joe Lambert from the StoryCenter, the continuing education facility for digital storytelling around the world. Your storytelling success will be enhanced by including them in your story.

1. Point of View
2. Dramatic Question
3. Emotional Content
4. Authentic Voice
5. Soundtrack
6. Pacing
7. Economy

Storytellers you can learn the art of Digital Storytelling Online through this self-paced course and collaborate with other participating storytellers. Take advantage of the special price for the next 10 enrolled participants.

Join the growing community of enthusiastic digital storytellers in social media and learn from other family historians at Digital Storytelling Community

Digital Storytelling Online helps you to create a Digital Story including voice recordings, a storyboard of digitized memorabilia and the combination of both into an oral history video using simple software.

Digital Storytelling Tips!

Episode 1: How to choose your story?

In this episode I help you to answer these framing questions!

1. Who or what is your story about?
2. What is the scope of your story?

Do you want to learn how to draft your story?

Storytellers you can learn the art of Digital Storytelling Online through this self-paced course and collaborate with other participating storytellers. Take advantage of the special price for the next 10 enrolled participant.s

Are you a family history storyteller? Do you tell digital stories of your ancestors? Where do those stories come from? How do you create and share them?

My aim this month is to provide five specialist tips for your digital storytelling projects!

• Episode 1: How to choose your story?
• Episode 2: How to create your script?
• Episode 3: How to record your narrative?
• Episode 4: How to prepare your slide deck?
• Episode 5: How to create your digital story?

Let’s set the background for these tips in context!

I am a keen family history storyteller and I love creating and sharing the stories of my ancestors with my family, my followers and my learners.

My stories document the lives of my ancestors and family members who have passed on. I am speaking about the dead, not the living. The stories may have impact on the living but are not directly about them.

My Allery family have Celtic roots with connections in England and Wales. I am married to a Scot, and his McCulloch family have connections in Scotland. To date I have not found any links to clan members in Ireland; but that may unfold as I do my family history research.

I created the Digital Storytelling Online course this year to help others to create their stories. This was developed in response to requests for digital storytelling learning in local communities, and here is their feedback:

Pauline Wilson: I really enjoyed this course and was able to create a complete  digital story through this process. There was an amazing range of resources!

Kathleen Zarubin: Excellent! Fantastic overview of the process and the requirements. Great information and examples included!”

You may wish to complete this Online Quiz to see if this type of learning is right for you!

If your appetite is whetted, you can now view the first set of lessons free and decide then if you wish to enrol in the whole course. The DST Online course is accessible here!

Base Camp Changes

Members will now be able to view projects in all Levels in their Path.

Listen to a summary of this change in Episode 1 of the Pathways Updates Podcast below.

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Want to know more? View the recording of this Zoom session:
“Base Camp Updates: Impact, Implications and Insights”
Episode 13: Tuesday Talks n’ Tips on September 24/25.
https://youtu.be/ic7fVa5rCOM

Tuesdays at 7 pm PDT
Wednesdays at 12 noon AEDT

Details and RSVP available at the
Pathways Discussion Forum events.

What would you include in a Pathways Orientation for Toastmasters just beginning their journey in Pathways?

This is a question that arises often in Pathways Training sessions and this week I have been thinking about what to include. On the one hand it would be best not to overwhelm with too many printed items. On the other hand it would be practical to include a variety of resources to suit the learning styles of your members. Some like to watch video tutorials in their own time; others like to attend face-to-face hands-on training sessions and others want access to resources on a ‘help yourself’ basis.

There are three initial things that a Toastmaster will be considering for their orientation:

1. How to get started with Pathways Online!
2. How to identify and achieve personal goals!
3. How to choose a Path that meets those goals!

My first recommendation is to instruct the Toastmaster to access Toastmasters.org and review the Pathways Learning Experience.

My second recommendation is to ensure that the Toastmaster can login at Toastmasters International and access their personal profile page to perform these tasks:

• view The Navigator
• choose a New Path
• go to Base Camp
• edit contact information and privacy

My recommendation for running an introduction workshop on Pathways is to present these slides from Michael Clancy on Pathways Commitment.

Pathways Committment Final 

Or watch the recording of his presentation here: https://sites.google.com/view/d73guide/video-tutorials 

Share with the group these slides from George Marshall, D57 and distribute this one page handout that displays the required projects for each Path.

How to Pick a Path-9

Paths required projects 1.1

My recommendation for things to include in a Pathways Orientation Kit are as follows:

Copy of the Icebreaker Project

D62-Pathways-Short-Path-Description-2.13.19-1

Pathways-Companion-Guide-V2  

My recommendation for things to include as the Toastmaster makes progress in their Path:

Pathways Resource Flier from D73 Pathways Coordinator

pathways_level_completion_checklist 

For ongoing, just-in-time training and networking with other international Pathways enthusiasts you could also recommend Toastmasters to attend or review any of the regularly scheduled Pathways one-hour webinars called Tuesday Talks n’ Tips. This series of events is hosted by Global Trainers Online and represents a plethora of easy to access information, collaboration and presentation from several international Pathways Champions. Look for the recordings here: https://sites.google.com/view/d73guide/pathways-talkstips 

For other short video tutorials (15-30 mins) you can access the D73 Team Pathways videos here: https://sites.google.com/view/d73guide/video-tutorials

 

What a month of frenetic activity around Pathways as club executives changeover and new Base Camp Managers emerge. The changeover also meant that many new VP Education officers sought help in managing their easy-Speak club sites; a series of requests for help come across my desk in that period of time.

Meanwhile the D73 Team Pathways (now grown to 15 members) has added to our downloadable Pathways resources for clubs in D73 and planned for our monthly Online Education webinars to take place on the last Sunday of each month. The recordings of these events and shared resources will be displayed here: https://sites.google.com/view/d73guide/video-tutorials

We have also begun a new segment in our Southern Cross Newsletter, called Pathways Corner. This month we’ve followed the lead from the Toastmasters International Magazine and focused on the champions who are progressing with their projects in the Motivational Strategies Path. We aim to publish the stories and lessons learned from many of our club Pathways Champions in the Southern Cross Newsletter as motivation for others. (Link to July edition coming soon.)

Then add to these the preparation for taking on an Area Director role; attending and presenting at District Officer Training; I was feeling all Pathway-ed out! I needed a new direction – I could do with some motivation for myself. ‘Seize the Day’!

Now, I really thrive when focused on a project that has meaning and a clear process. My next project in Level 4 of my Path, Team Collaboration is Motivate Others. My goal is to motivate other Toastmasters in my Area to step up as presenters/trainers at the Club Leadership Training day in August.

Motivate Others in Area N29

I am a member of the three clubs in my Area N29, located in regional Northern Victoria, Australia. Therefore I needed a project that would benefit all three clubs. Recent discussions among members of those clubs, while planning for the Area Club Leadership and Officer Training day in August, led me to think that within those plans I had the basis for a Motivate Others project.

A plan begins to emerge!

Here’s my communication plan for building a team to fulfil the completion of this project:

1. Communicate initial plans for Educationals at the the CLT/COT event to club leaders
2. Build on suggestions from the leaders about what they want to do
3. Enable ideas for their involvement to percolate and keep communication channels open
4. Suggest that the leaders become the ‘team’ who will plan and present a series of related Educationals.
5. Invite the leaders to a Zoom meeting to discuss the plan:
   • at this meeting define the benefits of accomplishing the goals you set out
     • participating as a ‘training team’ will help club leaders in their individual growth
     • sharing the preparation for the event will help cement the Networking between the clubs

The important feature of this project is to motivate others to challenge themselves! Part of the challenge in providing Educationals at CLT/COT sessions is having confidence in themselves to engage, inspire and educate their peers. My background in professional development for adult trainers will enable me to provide support for that confidence to grow.

In Motivate Others, you will learn the different ways individuals can be motivated, how to strengthen and nurture relationships with others, and how to promote internal growth in other individuals. You will review methods of providing encouragement and helpful feedback to others.

My Pathways in July is all about motivating others!

I suggest that an executive team could all work together on the Team Collaboration Path and in particular work on these three projects during their year in office:
Level 3 ‘Successful Collaboration’
Level 4 ‘Motivate Others’
Level 5 ‘Lead in any situation’.

What’s yours?

Share your ideas, progress and challenges by attending the Tuesday Tips n’ Talks hosted by Global Trainers Online – one of the Online Clubs I belong to. (details of these weekly events in Zoom along with the schedule in your time zone displayed here: https://www.facebook.com/GlobalTrainersOnline/ )

If you have something to share from your Pathways experiences and would like to attend or present at one of the upcoming D73 Online Education sessions, please let the D73 Team Pathways know. Email pc@d73.toastmasters.org.au (details of these monthly events in Zoom displayed here: https://d73.toastmasters.org.au/online-education/

Pathways in your Club Success Plan

recording and monitoring pathways acheivements