2 Jun 2020
Due to the current circumstances, most of our work in the community is on hold so we have been finding new ways to engage with our supporters. To celebrate Volunteers' Week, Ali talks about delivering our first online community talk:
When I heard that the Community Team were planning their first online talk, I jumped at the chance to put myself forward to deliver it, not only because the lockdown had left me with time on my hands, but also because I’ve spent the last few months getting involved in online sessions in my own industry and could really see the potential of using technology to resume reaching out to supporters in the community.
In the theatre profession we’ve been using online sessions both to deliver training to students and to keep our community connected. This is very similar to what a London’s Air Ambulance Charity talk to a community group is all about; it’s a chance to learn lots about our charity but also for a group to come together and socialise.
From my point of a view as a volunteer speaker I already had all the technology I needed at home: an internet connection, a laptop with webcam and a good quality headset with microphone. Sitting in a well-lit room with my laptop raised to the best position for the webcam - and having negotiated a one hour ceasefire with the workmen in the flat upstairs - I managed to set up a handy little studio. We used Zoom as our meeting room, rather than the usual church hall or community centre, which meant that everybody was sitting in their favourite chair and other members of the household could join them. I always use slides and a video to illustrate my talks and Zoom allows me to easily share these to the screen whilst I’m talking.
From the point of view of the audience, the online meeting ran in a very similar way to our usual talks. The Chair of the Pinner Men’s Probus Group welcomed the members of his group as they arrived and initially people had a catch up with one another. Once everyone on the guest list had come online, the Chair shared the group’s latest news, also pointing out that the audience included some people who can’t normally manage to attend the group’s usual meetings, which is definitely testament to how online meetings can be great for accessibility. I then ran through some housekeeping before starting the presentation, which took about 45 minutes.
For me, as the volunteer delivering the talk, there were a couple of differences around how it ran but, thanks to preparation and a few rehearsals, I was ready for these. One of the biggest ones for me was making sure I always focused on talking straight into the camera, as if to one person, rather than playing to a bigger room where I’d be trying to make eye contact with multiple people. This focus does improve the experience for participants as they feel they are having a more personal interaction with the speaker than if they were in an actual audience.
The other key difference was that once I shared my Powerpoint presentation to the screen, I knew I would no longer be able to see all the audience and feed off their reactions. That said, I do already have a good grasp of what the usual reactions are and where they occur, so was able to factor these in and push forwards with confidence. I had also joined the meeting on a second device - my iPad, unconnected to sound and with camera off - so that I could stealthily monitor what the audience were seeing, when they were seeing it, which was helpful.
The talk was really well received and when I switched back to gallery view at the end it was terrific to see so many engaged faces and take some interesting questions. What’s more, we were thrilled to receive an email from the group a few days later, letting us know that they were making a generous donation to the charity.
I really do think delivering our community talks online at this time is an incredibly positive development, which benefits everyone involved. It brings together groups who have been unable to hold their usual meetings, it allows volunteers to participate in the charity’s work again and, most importantly, it helps London’s Air Ambulance to resume community engagement at a time when fundraising, and community, is more important than ever.
