How to go Hybrid

You may still be meeting online, finding that meeting room options are more difficult to secure. Perhaps your club has already gone hybrid but is struggling with details to make it work smoothly. Whatever the current status of your club, hopefully this article will assist you in moving forward.

Colleen Marie Kelly, DTM, our Club Growth Director, expressed the need to build hybrid clubs.

As meeting places are opening up and people are more comfortable meeting in person, some individuals will only want to meet in person while others will only want to meet online, and we honor both of those realities. Yet, the greatest membership building and rebuilding opportunities lie between those two realities.  If we will take the learning journey of doing hybrid meetings well, we will tangibly demonstrate that there is a place at the table for everyone in Toastmasters. If we do that, we will all reap the benefits of Toastmasters at a level we could not even begin to imagine. Will the journey be bumpy? Yes, and yet, like our learning journey with Zoom and other online platforms, the benefits that we achieve will be well worth our efforts. 

A reference your club may use to get started is found on our Toastmasters International website:

• https://www.toastmasters.org/…/adopting-a-hybrid-format

We are grateful to Colleen Marie for her compilation of resources which are featured on YouTube:

• Hybrid Meeting with Zoom: How to Set up Your Room
• Going Hybrid: Small Meeting Hybrid Tech Setup
• Create hybrid Toastmasters ZOOM meeting using low-tech equipment and free software.
• Toastmasters Hybrid Meeting Best Practices (10 latest lessons learned)
• Zoom Setup for Hybrid Meetings and Hybrid Teaching (in 5 simple steps)
• 5 Hybrid Meeting Tips that will Boost Your Events in 2021

Sincere thanks also go out to Toastmaster leaders Craig Weckwerth, Tim Amert and Dave Hansen of Rochester Chamber Club 20210614 for contributing two resources for hybrid meetings. Their club has proven to be extremely successful in their use of a hybrid meeting platform. The first document is a graphic display of their actual equipment set up. The second document is a checklist for the Zoom Master and others assisting with set up.

• Webmaster Hybrid Meeting Procedure.pdf
• Rochester Chamber Hybrid Setup.pdf

Craig Weckwerth suggests setting up sound, lights and cameras, while another member sets up the online meeting platform. He states that total setup takes nearly an hour, however, less elaborate schemas would take less time. Their club utilizes the help of more people to disassemble equipment which is usually accomplished in 15-20 minutes. I enjoyed his quip that, “Mistakes and technology glitches take no time at all.” 😊

Ron Parpart, DTM, a recent TLI presenter, offered a comprehensive slideshow and discussion about hybrid meetings. Look for his presentation which will be featured on d6TM.org and YouTube soon. 

Good luck going hybrid. Think of the advantages of having your club remain open to those still working from home, or not missing a meeting due to inclement weather! Indeed, your club will be open to membership from around the world. Think of how exciting that could be!

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A thank you to Paul Lubinski, DTM, Division C Director and Sergeant at Arms of Gophers Toastmasters, who assisted in coordinating with contributors to this article.