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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
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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

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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…

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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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Change General Productivity Saw Sharpening

What will you start today?

What will you start today..? Something you’ve been putting off… something you think you won’t do well..? Something you’ve been worrying about doing..? Whatever it is – just start it?

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Change Leadership Productivity Saw Sharpening

Saw Sharpening

‘Why don’t you pause and sharpen the saw?’

‘Can’t you see I’m too busy cutting these logs’

Take time to sharpen the saw! If you are not familiar with Dr Steven Covey’s phrase – google it – or check out the info and video at the link below … Covey talks about taking time for Body, Mind, Heart and Spirit – and sometimes it’s as simple as taking time to learn a new skill – how to get the most from an app on your pc or tablet, get the most from the tools of your trade.

What do you need to take time with to help you be a better version of you?

https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/habit-7.html

And a video with an overview of Covey’s 7 habits of effective people.

https://youtu.be/ktlTxC4QG8g

Advent 2021 – update

Why not take time to sharpen the saw – and get to grips with scheduling social media posts. The new Creator Studio in FaceBook will help you set up posts to be released at a particular date and time.

CANVA.com is simply brilliant – and free for non-profits and charities. Among its many features you can set up scheduled posts. Take some time at the beginning of Advent to hone these skills…

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Leadership Productivity Saw Sharpening Video

Tips for Teachers

Tips for teachers from Apple are transferable for Ministers!

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Change Leadership Meetings MindMapping Productivity Saw Sharpening

Mind Map Everything!

Today 2nd June 2020 is World Mind Map Day! I’ve been an avid mind-mapper since the mid 1980s. During University studies which weren’t going too well, discovering mind-mapping transformed me from being on the brink of being ‘chucked out of Uni’ to turning in a piece of work to a lecturer who always said he marked out of 75% – and getting a 76%! It was a turning point in life! I completed the degree, and was able to help some other students to realise their greater potential too.

35 years on, I still mind map everything. Sermons, agendas, reports, shopping lists, brainstorms, decision making and so much more. It just works for me, it’s a brilliant thinking tool, mirroring the way the brain naturally works – making connections, linking ideas and keeping the big picture overview literally in mind.

www.tonybuzan.com is the go to place for all things mind mapping!

TED Talk: Hazel Wagner, explains mind mapping.

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Change General Leadership Meetings Productivity Saw Sharpening

6 Thinking Hats

Are you thinking well?

When thinking about anything, whether on our own or in a group, we tend to have a variety of different kinds of thoughts. There are gut feelings, positive ideas, and the cautious constraints, there are thoughts about the process of thinking, creative alternative solutions may pop up and there are the evidence based hard facts. All together in an often confused chaotic way.

Edward de Bono, who coined the phrase ‘lateral thinking’, also brought us the phrase ‘parallel thinking’ – the idea that we think best when we focus on one kind of thought at a time. So whether on our own or in a gathering with others, we can metaphorically put on each hat in turn – perhaps revisiting some along the way… and process all the positive benefits of an idea… and then all together consider the constraints and all the reasons that it will never work… and so on…

Six Thinking Hats
Six Thinking Hats

If you google Six Thinking Hats you will get loads of info…