Organising a Remote Meetings¶
This document lists the various tasks for organising remote meetings. The tasks and responsibilities are listed in a chronological order and have been divided into “before”, “during” and “after” the meeting.
Before the meeting¶
Identify a most suitable slot that is time zone compatible for all the members using tools like Doodle or when2meet
If you are planning a meeting that includes Americas/Oceania (with over 12 hours difference), consider to have two sessions to avoid holding a meeting in very early or vary late in the day
Assign different chairs when holding calls in two different time zones
Use a standard time with a custom link like arewemeetingyet or timeanddate.com to different time zones when communicating
Set a protocol for your meeting participants (if there is not any available already), which should include basic etiquette explaining the following
Is keeping the webcam and microphone on recommended? Can they be turned off during the call?
Is there a password needed to join the call? Can attendees join before the host?
How can attendees ensure privacy of their family member? Provide instructions for blurring their background, or using a virtual background?
How will attendees be able to particiapte in an ongoing discussion? How can they raise their hands of ask the chair personally?
What kind of challenges attendees may face while joining the call/meeting and how can they troubleshoot them?
Identify a chair and note-taker for the meeting
Share guidelines and protocols for chairing and note-taking
Decide if there will be designated speakers with presentations
Share speaker’s guidelines and protocols with them
Establish a shared document that can be updated online for agenda and note-taking
Create a template for this meeting (that can also be used for future meetings)
Create a shared document to share the following:
Participation guideline
Code of Conduct and contact information of people who can help with any issues regarding the meeting
The exact date, time, location (if any!) and choice of tool that will be used for communication
Agenda of the meeting
A place to indicate their participation or absense
Share this document via an email to all the attendees and also add this to a calendar invite so that people have it handy when needed
The choice of tool should be preferably an open source tool to avoid inaccessibility
If using a tool that is available only upon subscription, make sure that all the members have the access information
Share a how-to guide to ensure that everyone knows how to use the tool
If possible, offer help with installation and testing of the tool in advance
Distribute the shared document a few days before the meeting
Ask everyone to add any agenda item that they would like to discuss at the meeting
Ask everyone to write their name indicating their participation in or absence from the meeting
Remind everyone to arrange microphone or headsets
If possible, provide any hardware that the organisation prefers to use
Ask people to check before the meeting that their system and headsets are working
Send a reminder with link to the document and other important resources to all the participants a day in advance
Create slides or presentation that might be needed from organiser’s side (welcome, wrap up)
Add contact details, date and location of resources and licence, to make your slides reusable
Designated venues to participate from¶
If there are physical office locations, or co-working spaces accessible for most members
Reserve conference room(s) (or similar venues) with high speed internet
Share details on how members can access this venue
When possible, use individual cameras to simulate remote participation so that those who are not attending in person don’t feel left out
If the reserved location has a webcam and microphone, check that they work properly
Plan the seating arrangement so that people are facing to the main screen/camera
Test the screen with different light intensities
Arrange all the required materials and equipment, like extension cords or power strips
Arrange for beverages/snacks for the breaks, and ensure that the catering service will label the food for contents/allergens
Make sure that the protocols are written to favour the remote participants
During the meeting¶
Re-share the links to the collaborative notes for the meeting in the chat system or email
Remind of the community participation guideline and the Code of Conduct
Introduce the chair and notetaker, and let the chair take over for the rest of the tasks
Introduce the format of the meeting and briefly describe the overall schedule, such as the timing of breaks
If possible, keep the video call separate from chat system to ensure that the speakers are not distracted and the conversations can be recorded on the chat system
Explain the basic protocols for participation
Muting microphone when not speaking
Using a chat system during the meeting - if there is one
Request everyone to keep their camera on whenever possible
If recording the call, make sure that all the participants are aware before you hit the record button
Allow people to turn their video off when recording
Remind the guidelines for participating in discussions
Raise hand - on chat, or virtually (like in Zoom) or physically
Other ways to involve others in the discussion equitably
Start the meeting with an icebreaker question that can be either written down or shared out verbally depending on how many people are on the call
Create opportunities for everyone to share something personal (about their hobby, or experiences) on the document or verbally
Facilitate questions and answer or discussion on the agenda points
Help answer procedural questions like “where is this button that I should click”
Direct technical questions to the organiser when needed
Use breakout rooms whenever possible to ensure that people can connect with each other while discussing questions or issues of mutual interest (more tips below)
For gathering opinion and response, use silent writing time rather than open discussion
Give clear instructions of what’s expected from the writing exercises and how long it should take
Give reminder in the last minute to wrap up
Ensure that the discussion is inclusive of everyone, aim to have a fair discussion, don’t fixate on one argument or speaker
Indicate if the speakers should speed up or slow down, or if there is a technical issue that the speakers should check
Notetakers should document important outcomes from every discussion
Encourage everyone to help the notetaker in documenting correct information
In the last part of the call, create action points and delegate them to different people while on the call
Ask people to volunteer to assign themselves to each task, but be inclusive and equitable in this process
End the meeting on time by thanking everyone and sharing the date for a next call, if any!
If possible, stay a few minutes extra on the call to make sure that people have a chance to clarify their questions after the meetinf
Breakout rooms¶
If using breakout rooms in Zoom (or similar tool), make sure that each breakout has an organiser to help
Create groups that are more diverse (they will have better discussions)
Remind everyone to give others a fair chance to speak
Ask them to write notes from their discussion in the shared document
Send message periodically reminding everyone of how much time for discussion is left
Reminding them to move on to next person if only one person has spoken so far in their group
When people come back from their breakout rooms, ask them to share main arguments from their discussion
After the meeting¶
Create a debrief document to capture what went well and what could be improved
This can also be requested from the participants by circulating a feedback form
Request any additional document or information mentioned by others/speakers during the meeting
If the meeting call was recorded, process and share the recorded video with everyone
Send thank you email with the link to the complete notes and other relevant information