Have you thought about how meetings via Zoom could broaden who can attend a gathering?

When our local groups and organizations only meet in person, it was impossible for folks outside the area to attend. Yet, now with so many meetings being held online, it is possible for others outside the local area to visit.

 

Two Recent Examples of Out of the Area Visitors to Toastmasters Clubs

Last week, two of my Toastmasters clubs welcomed visitors from outside the Denver Metro area. Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs.

Timberline Toastmasters

At Timberline Toastmasters, we’ve had a woman from Connecticut visit us once we started meeting online. She and her husband hope to move to the Denver area later this year. So, she’s excited about getting to virtually meet our members.

The reason she’s visiting stems from a recent exchange we had via Facebook Messenger. She and I had met at the Toastmasters International convention last August and became Facebook friends.

When we chatted on Facebook in March, she asked if I knew of any online meetings in Denver. That’s when I invited her to visit my Timberline Toastmasters club, open to anyone 18 or older. She came to our first online meeting in late Match and continues to attend. Learn about Timberline Toastmasters at https://timberline.toastmastersclubs.org/

Excelsior Advanced Toastmasters Club

About a week ago, a Toastmaster from Taiwan found my email via the Toastmasters International website. I’m listed there as the contact person for Excelsior Advanced Toastmasters Club. To join this club, you have must completed at least seven speeches in another Toastmasters club.

As it turns out, she and several other experienced Toastmasters in her country were eager to virtually visit an advanced club in the U.S. I consulted with the other officers of my club to see what they thought of the idea.  With their approval, I arranged for these Taiwanese Toastmasters to visit the April meeting of our club.

Six of them attended for at least part of the meeting. Each of them introduced themselves to us, sharing how long they have been in Toastmasters. One man had started in Toastmasters in 1978! Each of our members also introduced themselves.

We had such a wonderful experience together, and we all felt so blessed to have these fascinating visitors. Learn more about our advanced club at https://3247.toastmastersclubs.org/

 

Some Considerations for Opening Zoom Meetings to Non-Members

These tips are geared primarily toward the person who is the Zoom meeting host.

  • If possible, research any person outside of your group who asks to join your Zoom meeting. You may need to get approval from your group’s leadership team for that guest to attend.
  • Only provide any guests the meeting link, ID and password (if used) if you feel comfortable having them attend.
  • Use the waiting room feature of Zoom and only allow people to enter the meeting if they have been pre-approved.
  • If a guest starts acting inappropriately, (if you know how) first send them a private chat via Zoom. If the issue continues, remove the person from the meeting.
  • Limit the number of guests. For example, when I emailed with the woman from Taiwan, I said that no more than 10 people from her group could attend. You might prefer to limit the guests to two or three.
  • Encourage the guest to put their names and contact information in the chat feature of the Zoom meeting. It’s usually best to have them do this at the end of the meeting. If needed, tell them how to use the chat feature. Then be sure to save the chat. You can send that information to your members and to the guests via email. Also, if someone takes minutes of the meeting, consider sending those to the point person for the group of guests.

 

How About You?

Have you been part of a Zoom meeting for a local group or organization where people from out of the area visited? If so, what was that experience like for the members and the guests?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 45 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

She works with business owners, business development professionals, business consultants, job seekers, and more – ranging from entrepreneurs to people in large corporations. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.