Remote Meetings
Conducting Remote Meetings
Considering having your club board and committee meetings online. You can do a teleconference where participants are able to share their computer screen to display documents (agendas, reports) and videos. Most service providers include an option for each participant to have their camera on and thus see each other live.
Some Service Providers
Zoom – Free, 40 Minute Limit
if purchasing plan, go to Rotary Global Rewards first and
you will receive a discount. Click here for the Rotary Global Rewards Discount.
JoinMe – Fourteen Day Free Trial
Each of these services have online tutorials to teach how to use their system and to follow best practices for online meetings. For example:
Best Practices for Leading a Remote Meeting
- Before the meeting, take the time to develop an agenda.
- Simulate an in-person environment.
- The more you can make participants comfortable to join in the better.
- Give each person an opportunity to respond.
- Identify yourself and others.
- Follow up with notes from the session.
Technology and Hosting Tips for Remote Meetings
- Hosts should test their computer microphone and camera in advance to assure all are configured to work properly.
- The primary host should sign on at least five minutes before posted meeting time.
- Encourage viewers/participants to mute their microphones when not talking.
- Hosts need to recognize that when someone wishes to contribute verbally it may take a couple seconds for them to unmute, so be patient with short pauses.
- It is easier to host if you have multiple computer screens. One for sharing and one with all the documents/videos, etc., on so you can have them open and ready in advance and easily slide them over to the shared screen.
- Hosts can use the ‘chat’ function to cue the next presenter on the agenda, so that they are up and ready.
Some tips for Hosting Online Board, Committee and Club Meetings
Tips: Presentations on Webinars
Tips: Techniques for Making Good Webinars
Best Practices for Remote Meetings
How to be effective presenting remotely
HOT TIP:
Schedule meetings 5, 15, 45, or 50 minutes past the hour. As an example try scheduling your meeting to start at 9:50 instead of 10:00. This is because demand surges on the hour and the half hour and your phone carriers network will be most strained at those times.
Ideas for Club Meetings
- Host an online club meeting – brown bag breakfast, lunch or dinner – everyone stays home.
- Sample agenda may include:
- Announcements
- Recruitment for getting club work completed.
- A speaker – recruited to have them give a talk on a subject from their office/home – meeting host can give them ‘Shared Screen’ permission, or a Rotary Video – watched together followed by a facilitated discussion on the topic of the video.
Tip: in your internet browser search “Rotary Videos”
Close the meeting with the Four Way Test