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Audio Change Hybrid Productivity Saw Sharpening Video

Hybrid Personalities!

As restrictions ease and the frequency of what have become known as ‘on-site’ or ‘in person’ meetings increase, so too increases divided opinion between ‘on-line’ and ‘off-line’. Is there a third option between the polarity? Of course there is, it’s known as hybrid.

Some don’t like the idea of hybrid and consider it a miserable experience; they think everyone should be ‘in the room’.

Some don’t like the idea of hybrid and consider it a sub-optimal experience; they think everyone should be online.

Some like the idea of hybrid and consider it the win-win option allowing each participant to engage bringing their strengths and personality to the encounter.

We have been doing a different kind of hybrid meeting for years, as different personalities gather to generate ideas, seek solutions, solve problems, progress projects, set policy and make decisions.

I like hybrid. I like to explore and experiment. I’m an ENFP Myers Briggs personality type, and like to think that I am aware of differing needs in those with different personalities.

There is a good article explaining the different ways different personality types engage with remote working at: https://www.fastcompany.com/90582809/a-practical-guide-to-working-remotely-with-all-16-personality-types

Some will clearly thrive in the online space, while others are at their best in physical space with others . No rights or wrongs, we interact differently.

There are many pitfalls to online and hybrid meeting. There are many pitfalls to on-site meetings. There must be honest reflection on whether the negatives are because of the online context, or because of the culture, experience and expectation that we bring to any meeting.

Hybrid gatherings bring many advantages including:

  • Choice for participants to engage in ways that allow them to give their best to the experience.
  • Carbon-footprint reduction by reducing travel
  • Time saving, reducing travel to and from meetings. Those living in remote areas often appreciate ‘remote access’
  • Choice to remain home in the family space while working without child-care/ parent care implications
  • Inclusivity: allowing disabled, or infirm people to engage, and with live captioning for example will make it possible for the hard of hearing to participate in a more meaningful way.
  • possibility of many different ways to engage creatively using virtual white-boards, online Q&A spaces and so on.

I recently drove 5 hours to attend an ‘in person’ consultation. Similar events had been online. It was really good to see people ‘in real life’. At the online events at least as many comments and ideas as people present were captured. At the ‘on-site’ meeting – the number of contributions ‘from the floor’ represented about 10% of those in the room! Enough said…

IRL, or ‘in real life’ enters our vocabulary. We talk of virtual meetings, and of ‘in person’ gatherings. Can I suggest that there is nothing virtual or any less ‘in person’, when we encounter one another using current technology.

In recent years, I have facilitated small hybrid meetings with participants around my rural congregations at virtually no cost, have facilitated hybrid Presbytery meetings with around 40 participants half online half in the room with a portable set up with a few hundred pounds worth of kit, and lead the brilliant team that has enabled a General Assembly with around 700 participants to meet, costing several tens of thousands of pounds in tech and people hours.

Hybrid is technically complex to achieve, but quite achievable as long as you can put in a little more effort and expense than simply plonking a laptop in the centre of the room and expecting everyone to have a satisfying experience.

For a small group of up to 6 or so meeting together sharing with a number of participants that can be seen in one screenful, the single laptop solution will work.

Beyond that, you need to consider:

Who will facilitate the tech aspects?

From experience, I’d say don’t try to facilitate or chair anything beyond the simplest of meetings yourself and keep an eye on all the tech aspects. Have someone else admit participants, watch for virtual hands, human hands, chat messages and ensure that online participants are brought into discussion as seamlessly as if they were in the room.

Audio In, Audio Out, Video In, Video Out

How do we ensure we hear everyone in the room?

You need to get audio into the computer running the on-line platform usually via USB. For a small meeting a single mic may suffice. Boundary mics are designed to pick up voices from a wide area and placed in the centre of a room will be effective. For larger spaces multiple mics will be required in which case an audio interface (analogue to digital/USB) will be required to connect mics (via XLR or jack plugs). An audio mixer can be connected to an interface, and many are available with USB connection built in.
Zoom, MS Teams and many other conferencing solutions provide very good ‘audio cancelling’ meaning that you don’t get feedback causing noisy audio. Experiment with the set up before the first real meeting!

How do we ensure we hear everyone online

The internal speaker on a laptop will probably not be sufficient for all but the smallest of meetings. Connect a Bluetooth or wired speaker. You will want to check on the position of the speaker to avoid possibility of feedback – but generally if you face the speaker away from the mics it should be good. Speakers will have a rating in Watts – a general rule would be 1W for every participant in the room. 50 folk in the room you want a 50W output to fill that space.

How do we see everyone in the room?

Don’t rely on the built in camera on a laptop. USB webcams will provide a very good Hi-Definition image. Have the webcam on a tripod or mount that can be swiveled round to view the current speaker. For a larger meeting you might consider a PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) camera which can be moved smoothly, or multiple (HDMI) cameras through a video switcher such as the ATEM Mini.

How do we see everyone online?

Connect the laptop HDMI output to one or more (through an HDMI splitter) projectors or monitors to enable that all can see online speakers.

Settings

In Zoom there are a number of settings to consider for hybrid meetings. Other platforms will have similar options.

Enable dual screen – will give you a secondary output showing just the current (or spotlighted) speaker – which is nice and clean without the chat/ participant list, or toolbars showing on screen

There is a setting to enable Hi-Definition video for all participants which if the broadband will allow would be good to enable.

There is much more…

that could be said about Hybrid, why it’s good, how to effect it, how to make meetings more engaging and why hybrid is here to stay. Do comment… I sense that this is a post to revisit and revise…

Hybrid is here to stay.

Embrace it, Invest in what it takes to make it work in your context, reflect on how to make meetings better, not because they are online or hybrid, but because they are the encounters that transform, progress and deliver.

Rev Donald McCorkindale
Updated: March 2022

Links

  • Chad Littlefield at www.weand.me has some great free advice and tools to create engagement in online spaces.
  • In the ITsForMinistry FaceBook Group (supporting this website) there have been some helpful hints and tips about setting up and facilitating hybrid meetings. www.facebook.com/groups/itsforministry
Categories
Change Leadership Productivity Resources Saw Sharpening Songs

Resources

I’m pulling together a list of resources for congregational leaders in my Presbytery and will share it here too…

What other resources would you add to the list..?

Resources

Church of Scotland

Church of Scotland newsletters

Link: churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events/newsletters1

You can subscribe to the various Church of Scotland E-newsletters:

  • Ascend – Ministry Support
  • Children’s and Youth Ministry
  • Priority Areas
  • Life and Work
  • The Guild

News and Events on the web

Link: churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events2

Children’s and Youth Ministry

Now your talking Facebook group.

Worship Resources

Stirling Presbytery List

Link: stirlingpresbytery.org.uk/page/59/worship-resources3

Leadership & Change

Carey Nieuwhof

Link: careynieuwhof.com4

ITsForMinistry

Link: itsforministry.org5

Podcasts

Podcast links here are to Apple podcasts, but many will also be found on Anchor, Spotify sand wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

To Listen to:

To Be Fair

Link: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/to-be-fair/id16065073516

Rev Martin Fair reflects on faith and popular culture

Working Preachers’ Sermon Brainwave

Link: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/working-preachers-sermon-brainwave/id2823649027

How to:

Anchor – tools to power any podcast

Link: anchor.fm/features8

Create and Promote Video

How to create a YouTube channel

Link: blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-create-a-youtube-channel9

Bible Study

Logos Bible Software

Link: logos.com/connect/compare-subscriptions10

Music

Itsforministry.org/music

Link: Itsforministry.org/music11

Various links to music on the web, much of which can be used in recordings and worship streams. (Always ensure that you have the appropriate licenses in places when recording or streaming)

Fischy

Link: fischy.com12

Events and innovation

TryTank.org

Link: trytank.org13

Rev Lorenzo Lebrija

Link: lifeandwork.org/news/news/post/1588-beginning-a-culture-of-innovation14

A series of events will take place in March to kickstart new support for innovation across the Church of Scotland.

A joint event with the Scottish Episcopal Church, the workshops over the weekend of March 17-19 will be led by the Rev Lorenzo Lebrija (above), founding director of the US Episcopal Church’s TryTank initiative.

Graphics/Design

Canva

Link: canva.com15

Canva.com is a brilliant for content creation. The full version is available freely to charities on submission of OSCR registration verification. Great tool for creating, scheduling and posting Social Media posts, creating posters, powerful presentations, graphics of all sorts.

Pixlr

Link: pixlr.com/16

Edit photos and create stunning designs right in your browser, on your phone or desktop for free (and paid options) Start from an empty canvas, a photo, a video or select one of the crafted templates.

Images to use

Link: itsforministry.org/images17

Listing of free (and some paid) image download sites.

Procurement/ Discounts

Charity Digital – Software

Link: charitydigital.org.uk/home18

Charity Workers Discounts

Link: charityworkerdiscounts.com/19

Digital Offerings, Donations and Fundraising

Donr.com

Link: donr.com/20

Funding.scot (SCVO)

Link: funding.scot/21

Find funding for your charity, community group or social enterprise using our free online search engine. From small grants to funding for big capital projects, we can help you track down the funding you need to make a difference in your community.

BeyondGiving.co.uk

Link: beyondgiving.co.uk/22

Our aim at Beyond Giving is to support you find the best solution and turn a complex problem into a simple solution. We can also help you achieve financial sustainability through the accessing of grants and funding, including exploration of new income generation models, enabling your mission and community based projects to flourish.

1: https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events/newsletters

2: https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events

3: https://www.stirlingpresbytery.org.uk/page/59/worship-resources?fbclid=IwAR2PTWhRUpkdEypMTn1cROgFYNJ-ocGsVRgoKqxlkCNo8OVCy7z2edloyc

4: https://careynieuwhof.com

5: http://www.itsforministry.org

6: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/to-be-fair/id1606507351

7: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/working-preachers-sermon-brainwave/id282364902

8: https://anchor.fm/features?fbclid=IwAR00qylTZkOprpBmAurkxmEpum9f8ak3fLwUxrkKtfKoVUPAbAMkZ8vlc

9: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-create-a-youtube-channel?fbclid=IwAR03E11VTxVzvp3ZeVhmnSjNTJ4vDP8mi9UgbjE9xbSa7Sprkv0V8Om8

10: https://www.logos.com/connect/compare-subscriptions?fbclid=IwAR2l7Nzt2Xfzo8M0iLx6-MjoOLSDINBByAHu1vvSsLrnvga8YXKFqwxgU

11: http://www.Itsforministry.org/music

12: http://www.fischy.com

13: http://www.trytank.org

14: https://www.lifeandwork.org/news/news/post/1588-beginning-a-culture-of-innovation

15: http://www.canva.com

16: https://pixlr.com/

17: https://itsforministry.org/images

18: https://charitydigital.org.uk/home?fbclid=IwAR0IwahDuUo9d5DCRwSAmrzyOL36HjZLAae1a2wQYBymM70IXqf3OeO7X8

19: https://www.charityworkerdiscounts.com/?fbclid=IwAR0z6iacKoguQgpEe29RPEyJnqPpVp2g2PsppeRK1zlsXPY6G5Pn9M7BJ6s

20: https://www.donr.com/?fbclid=IwAR2rmbaE8UWaL6tQF5gQcMwyCtInzlpn2TCT9qzkx8pq6bTb-J0QlXAzI

21: https://funding.scot/?fbclid=IwAR2-OhiCu5x6JMKD1zcuMeT5lBvwwEsUfoJ7OqhRcbebqFXNoU7Ds7PhNU

22: https://www.beyondgiving.co.uk/?fbclid=IwAR3WnzKDbweNOLDA6KDuUPVKjHun70jXdIKY8TOwJgHddfivMHA5x8vzUzU

Categories
Change Leadership Prioritising Productivity

Your Contribution

What must you do today?

What are you up to today….?

✅ What will you do today…?

✅ What difference will you make..?

✅ What will you learn..?

✅ What questions will you ponder..?

✅ Who will you ask for help and support..?

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Brainstorming Change Prioritising Productivity Resources Saw Sharpening

I have a dream…

Martin Luther King Jr Day is marked on the Third Monday January – close to his birthdate 15 Jan 1929

He famously said, “I have a dream…”

Not, “I have a plan… an idea… a project…

With the emotion of a dream he led others to action, changed beliefs, ideas, and plans… but it all began with a dream…

What are your dreams… your hopes… for the World, the Church, your nation, your community, your family, your self…

Categories
Brainstorming Leadership Meetings Productivity

Enabling the Impossible

It’s only impossible until it’s done”, words attributed to many including Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela.

On a Thursday morning in January 2022, 24 ministers, elders and others from within the ITsForMinistry Facebook group meet on Zoom for a Conversation triggered by some of Seth Godin’s thinking around Leadership always being qualified by ‘this might not work’.The Seth Godin’s Video which all had watched prior to the conversation was this one:

The recording of the conversation is available to those within the FB Group. If you are not already a member there you can request to join. (There are a few simple questions including commitment to the group rules which must be completed)

The Practice

Following the conversation a number of the group have committed to reading Seth Godin’s The Practice and to meet regularly to discuss its content and to encourage one another in our practice in the context of ministry.
Details are in the FB group if you are interested in joining in.

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FaceBook Images Productivity Saw Sharpening Video

Images

A consolidated list of good sites to download free graphics…

PNGs, Icons, IMAGES and graphics

Backgrounds, Countdowns, Images, Video clips

Free Bible Images

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General Leadership Meetings MS TEAMS Productivity Saw Sharpening

MS Teams – Notifications

Are you getting too many notifications on TEAMS… or too few… or just the right amount? Take control of what notifications you receive and how…

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Brainstorming Change Leadership Prioritising Productivity

Make time for the Important

Stephen Covey spoke of ‘First things First’, important things first. He borrowed Eisenhower’s Urgent/Important Matrix Michael Heppell and others speak of allocating time to the categories: ‘Me’, ‘Key’, ‘stuff’ – where ‘Key’ projects are the mission critical important ones… yet how often all the urgent stuff pushes out the important. ‘Me’ times – are, well it says it on the tin doesn’t it – times for YOU – and that’s important too.

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Change Leadership Meetings Productivity Video

Respond don’t React

In our fast paced world when communication can be instant there can be the temptation to react swiftly with an email reply. Remember though the slightly older technology that facilitates full duplex synchronistic conversation – the telephone – and its modern counterparts the Voice call or video call. You can engage much better, reach a full solution rather than just the next step… and there’s less opportunity for misunderstanding.

See also: Before you click SEND, think TRACKS

Categories
Prioritising Productivity

How to you manage your ‘things to do?’

“Thanks, I’ll try to remember to do that at the end of the month”

Mmm… why leave it to you memory…!

Capture ideas and ’things to do’ when they first crop up!

iOS users – try:

‘Hey Siri, remind me to…. tomorrow/ next Tuesday/at the end of the month’

More info on using Siri with Reminders

Put it in your diary, or notes

Or if you want to try something more robust explore Ayoa or Microsoft Tasks (within Office365)