Virtual meeting options: choose what works for your post
The ability to host a virtual meeting has allowed American Legion departments, districts and posts to continue conducting business all while adhering to social distancing guidelines and safety measures surrounding COVID-19.
Virtual meetings are here to stay.
Virtual meetings allow participants to join in remotely, contribute to the discussion, vote and participate in other ways as they would if they were in the same room. Before exploring the various virtual meeting options available, I suggests posts should answer the following questions first.
1. How much can the post afford to pay per year for virtual meeting options or does it need to be free?
2. How many people will be on a session on average?
3. Do the majority of our people have the ability to video or launch an app on a smartphone, tablet, or computer?
4. Do we need to provide the ability for attendees to call in?
5. Do we need functionality for attendees to be able to vote?
6. Do we need to be able to share documents with all attendees?
I have researched the following virtual meeting options, both free and with an annual cost, to give American Legion posts an idea on what a good fit might be.
Free version: Number of participants (10); Length of meetings (40 minutes); Ability to raise hand and/or vote (No); Ability to call in (Yes); Video capabilities (Yes); and Ability to share documents (Yes).
Annual price: $180
Free version: Number of participants (1,000); Length of meetings (6 hours); Ability to raise hand (No); Ability to call in (Yes); Video capabilities (No); Ability to share documents (No).
Free version: Number of participants (100); Length of meetings (40 minutes); Ability to raise hand (Yes); Ability to call in (Yes); Video capabilities (Yes); Ability to share documents (Yes).
Annual price: $149.90
Free version: Number of participants (100); Length of meetings (50 minutes); Ability to raise hand (Yes); Ability to call in (Yes); Video capabilities (Yes); Ability to share documents (Yes).
Annual price: $162
Free version: 1:1 video calls only.
Annual price: $80 (video calls for 15 participants)
Free version: Number of participants (100); Length of meetings (60 minutes); Ability to raise hand or vote (Yes); Ability to call in (No); Video capabilities (Yes); Ability to share documents (Yes). Until June 30, 2021, the number of participants is 300 for 24 hours of meeting time.
Annual price: $60 a year per user plus an additional $48 a year for audio line.
No free version offered. Annual price is $144.
Free version: Number of participants (100); Length of meetings (60 minutes); Ability to raise hand or vote (No); Ability to call in (No); Video capabilities (Yes); Ability to share documents (Yes).
Annual price: $96 per user
At American Legion Post 557, we use the free version of Webex as it meets all of our requirements. But FreeConferenceCall is another option for posts looking for the basics.
And each of the virtual meeting vendors does a nice job with videos on how to use their software that are available on their sites. This technology allows American Legion posts to still hold professional meetings and complete our business even while adhering to social distancing.
I recommend the following etiquette guidelines for members who have not participated in a conference call previously.
Etiquette guidelines
1. Do not use audio on your computer and dial in from your phone. This causes an echo. You only have to do one or the other.
2. Mute your phone or PC audio when you are not speaking.
3. Be in a quiet place while on the call. Mute your TV, etc.
4. Don’t interrupt others when they are speaking.
For American Legion post leaders that have not previously hosted a virtual call, the following are suggestions for a successful meeting.
How to have a successful virtual meeting
1. Send out an agenda ahead of time.
2. Test all technology before the meeting. Ask a few of your members to help you test it and make sure you test the features to mute all participants and to unmute specific speakers.
3. Remind participants to not dial in on both PC and phone, to mute when not speaking, to be in a quiet place and to not interrupt others.
4. Take roll call during the meeting to acknowledge who is present. People who call in via phone are not always recognizable by name in the software.
5. Ask each member, when feasible, if they have anything to add to give them a chance to contribute.
6. Encourage the use of the raising of hand features for members to request to speak, during discussions, and when voting. It’s important to follow Robert’s Rules of Order.