B L U E P R I N T LEVERAGING ONLINE TOOLS There are multiple ways to handle large groups in an online meeting without the speaker constantly being interrupted. ● Raise your hand in real life or in the chat, let the speaker know you have something to say. ● Put your message in the chat and the speaker will get to it at the right time. ● Start a Slack room so you can always revisit what was said during the meeting, and can start sub-threads based on any questions that were asked and really dig deep into those topics. We use Zoom.us because of features such as pools and breakout rooms for large groups. There are other video conferencing options available, but they come with challenges that are worth being aware of. Google Hangouts is a great free service and offers some of the same benefits as Zoom such as an in-meeting chat. But, it’s hard to switch between active speakers and recording the meeting involves adding browser extensions and other software. TOP 3 MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN LEVERAGING ONLINE TOOLS X Avoid fumbling around with your tech after the call has already started - plan ahead. X Noone loves a surprise video call. DO Make sure the invite and message are clear that they should be ready to turn on their video when the call begins. X Don’t let your meeting spiral out of control if tech starts to fail. DO have a contingency plan if your internet goes out, such as adding a co-host to the meeting who can take over if something happens.