In our new world of virtual interactions and meetings, iDigBio wanted to provide some suggested guidelines and resources when hosting or attending an event.

• Try to limit interactions to 1-3 hours with ample breaks scheduled. Hold the event over multiple days if more time is needed.
  • Workshops, conferences, and other events need to be reimagined for a virtual format. Content and structure should be streamlined.

• Keep it interactive and try to mix media to increase engagement.
  • News broadcasts have perfected this by switching between news clips, broadcasts, stats, etc.
  • Reduce split visual attention (like having a chat conversation going at the same time you are sharing important content on slides).
  • Incorporate Polls, Q&A, Video clips, etc.

• Preparation and structure are key
  • Provide a detailed agenda, and possibly other online discussion forums/documents, well ahead of the meeting so participants can prepare efficiently.
  • Assign roles ahead of your meeting: host, facilitators (to keep note of questions, raised hands etc.), note takers, someone to answer questions in the chat, etc.
  • Prepare, practice, repeat: Schedule a test meeting with the main speakers ahead of your live meeting to test sound, screen-sharing, lighting, transitions, etc.
• Consider adding intro slides to provide key information and ground rules as participants enter the session. See below for example points to include.
• Engagement from the beginning is key. Otherwise people may be passive and not contribute to content.
  • Example: have people contribute to a shared document from the beginning, consider using an icebreaker exercise
• Make a plan for how your event will be recorded and shared for later viewing.
• Use live captioning to ensure accessibility of your content. See below for more information.

• Keep your computer on a solid surface to avoid camera movement.
• Use a headset to prevent background noise and feedback.
• Dress and act professionally as though it was an in person meeting. Lounging on the couch during your presentation or wearing pajamas may not give the best impression.
• Try to face a window or light so your face is well lit.
• Mute your mic when you are not speaking.
• Verbally describe important images or figures.
• Avoid overuse of pronouns such as this/that/here, use descriptive language instead.
• Take your time speaking, don’t rush through your slides. 

• You can edit your name and affiliation and add pronouns to your Zoom name.
• Mics will be muted at first, but we can enable them during discussion.
• Private chat and file share are also disabled for participants.
• Please return to mute after you speak.
• Feel free to participate in whatever works best for you (verbally or through chat).
• We will try to pause in our discussion section to let people who may not always jump right in contribute, so don’t be alarmed if there is “dead air”.
• Expect the unexpected (video/audio lag, freezing) but let us know in the chat if you are experiencing any issues.
• If we lose a speaker because of connection issues, they will return!
• This session is being recorded.
• Waiting room is enabled.
• Links for shared notes document
• Organization’s Code of Conduct. iDigBio’s CoC can be found here: https://www.idigbio.org/content/idigbio-code-conduct [1]
• We suggest the desktop client or mobile app, which use less bandwidth than Zoom in your browser. See Zoom help for more: https://bit.ly/2RM0rzQ [2].

• ​Zoom has self live captioning: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/207279736-Getting-started-with... [3] and 3rd party live captioning: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115002212983-Integrating-a-thi... [4]
• Zoom's transcripts are automatically embedded as closed captions in the Zoom recording.
• If you record through Zoom with the Cloud option, you get an audio transcription file that can be edited after the fact: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115004794983-Automatically-Tra... [5]
• Google slides has an option for live captioning (CC turned on), which does OK, but we haven't found a way to edit them after the fact: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/9109474?hl=en [6]
  • These live captions only work in Chrome to our knowledge. ​
  • Microsoft Stream (part of UF's Office 365 subscription that integrates with Teams) can automatically generate captions of uploaded videos: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/stream/portal-autogenerate-captions [7]
• Web Captioner free software. Works with Chrome only. Live captions (not perfectly but pretty great). https://webcaptioner.com/ [8]

• Example opening Zoom slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1O-g6fP9teA13KfCtX41r-Hfa9l1fOsME... [9]
• Events Industry Council Webinar: Moving online: How to transition your live event to an engaging virtual experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNPqhzAXWaE [10]
• Zoom settings - How to enable hand raising and other nonverbal feedback in your meetings: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115001286183-Nonverbal-Feedbac... [11]
• HackMD: A Lesson to Demonstrate a Few Techniques for Online Meetings: https://hackmd.io/cFL-4VosSfq3RpvCfVpxEQ?view [12]