Lesson 6 – Guide to Online Meetings

Guide to Online Meetings

Objective: To learn how to run Digital Skills Sessions remotely and online using Zoom on different platforms, navigate its features, and present with confidence.

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Lesson Resources – Guide to Online Meetings Handout

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Video Transcript – Guide to Online Meetings

Objective: To learn how to run Digital Skills Sessions remotely and online using Zoom on different platforms, navigate its features, and present with confidence.

“Welcome to Guide to Online Meetings, Volunteer Managers! Email effectiveness is an exciting and important module and what we learn here will be of great usefulness for all of us and our computer skills going forward.

We started out with the very basics of Google, from there exploring the undeniable power of digital skills. We began to develop these skills, learning how to deliver webinars, send effective emails, build successful websites, develop winning social media strategies, design striking content, and even protect our information and data online with cybersecurity. We then put our skills to the test in our last two Modules, applying these principles to use digital marketing to strengthen your purpose.

Now, we’re going to complete our journey here with an even more comprehensive guide to online meetings. As a Volunteer Manager, you will be passing on some of the skills learned here to your teams. You may deliver lessons, meetings or webinars that will take place remotely and online using Zoom. Navigating Zoom is one of the most important digital skills. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom users exponentially grew by 2,900%! In fact, 3.3 trillion meeting minutes took place on Zoom last year. Yes, you heard that right – trillion!

With 300 million Zoom meeting participants each day, it’s nearly common practice for businesses to rely on the platform to communicate with their teams. This is especially true for remote employees, as it’s the main way they can connect and meet with their team.

This means that knowing how to confidently use Zoom and its features on different platforms, whether your phone or laptop, is crucial to operational success in the digital environment. It opens up opportunities for individuals and organisations alike, enabling us to communicate with colleagues and stakeholders, no matter where they are! Using technology, we’re able to make a greater impact in our communities, even from the comfort of our homes.

Nevertheless, people of all ages, education and backgrounds experience difficulty navigating online meetings. If you’re new or unfamiliar with Zoom, don’t worry. You’re not alone!

First, we’ll learn how to access and get familiar with Zoom for online meetings by successfully turning on your video and mic, knowing your equipment, and logging into a meeting. We’ll provide step-by-step instructions to access and host online meetings, use helpful features, and compare it with a couple of other online meeting software.

Then, we’ll empower you with the confidence and comfort to speak, present, organise meetings and even manage your own personal online brand with stellar presentation skills. Remember, your personal brand is how you portray yourself online.

Of course, one of the hardest parts about communicating through technology is not having the context and connection that comes with speaking face-to-face. Texts and emails are always delayed, and it’s easy to misunderstand someone’s message or tone over the phone or computer! But this is where online meetings help change things. When it comes to digital communication, online meetings are the most intimate, powerful way to interact with each other.

With just a bit of practice and preparation, you can become an online meeting pro, confidently and comfortably attending and hosting meetings in your personal and professional life! Using these skills, you can present yourself with power. You can know how to connect with others and break down barriers, even from a distance. Soon enough, you’ll be able to set up meetings, invite participants, create polls, and even move participants into breakout rooms with just a few clicks of a button! This will lend you even more success as you serve as one of our valiant Volunteer Managers as we serve, teach, and connect across distances.

Ready to get started, Volunteer Managers? Great! Continue onto the reading portion of this Module to learn more.”