Learning Zoom – One Meeting at a Time

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Thanks to COVID19, like a great part of the population, I am learning Zoom, one meeting at a time.

Most of my Zooming is just one click at a time during a meeting.  Slowly easing into learning the program.

My first Zoom call, a few years ago, was aborted.  My siblings and I were trying to use it to discuss our Mother’s health situation.  We failed to connect so ended up with a conference call using another program.

My husband and I belong to a couple of non-profits that were forced to meet remotely due to the pandemic.  My husband also had to work from home for a while. Those circumstances were the beginning of my baptism into Zoom.

Zooming Life-Long Learning Classes

I also signed up for “Life-Long Learning” classes that transitioned to remote learning.  That was a new experience for me.  I knew about the classes, but previously hadn’t the time to take them. The lectures are a partnership between Framingham State University and the Framingham Public Library.  Often the lecturers are affiliated with the University.

I signed on with my desktop computer, which has speakers, but no camera or microphone.  Fine with me.  My office isn’t particularly “photogenic” and I mostly didn’t mind being a bit incognito.  Once in a while it was frustrating when no one noticed my comments in the chat area.  But, in the scheme of things, it didn’t make a difference.

First Class : ‘Honorable Escape Fiction’: The Regency Romance Novels of Georgette Heyer”

The first class was taught by a retired college professor that I knew slightly in a different context.  Somehow, I had never taken a class from her during my college days.  I was surprised at how much I enjoyed her class, which was about one of my favorite historical romance authors.  She drew people out to answer questions, in spite of the less personal way of interacting on Zoom.

I had a great time reliving my enjoyment of the books she covered, as she reviewed the humor, the historical background, and the plot twists. She also provided background on Georgette Heyer herself. In the meantime, I was tidying my office, and scanning photos from my vintage photo collection.  That was a task I had been meaning to get to for a long time.  It was great to listen along while I worked.

The dynamics of the class was interesting, too.  The professor has been teaching through the Life-Long Learning Program for several years.  It was evident that she had a fan club, or groupies in the class.  At first I felt left out, but then, because they couldn’t see or hear me, and only my first name was displayed, I just lurked and listened.  It was obvious, too, that some people, like everywhere, have to let their opinions be known. But the professor was able to move things along and prompt in a way to let everyone speak who wished to.

By the way, if you like the new Netflix series, Bridgerton, and you haven’t discovered Georgette Heyer’s books, give them a try.  Heyer was the writer who started the Regency romance genre.  Her novels are notable for their attention to period detail as well as their wit and humor.

You can find discounted books by Georgette Heyer and other historical romance writers at The Book Outlet.

Second Class: “Votes for Women: The Story of the Woman Suffrage Movement”

The second class I listened in on relied on a lot of slides so I had to pay more closer attention.  It was another great class and on the history of how women in the U.S. got to vote.  One part of the professor’s presentation that I related to was that women first were able to vote in Colorado and Wyoming.  My husband and I had traveled there the year before and learned about the local history.  When we visited the house museum of the famed “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, we learned that she had donated money and her support to the local suffragette movement.  Also that Buffalo Bill Cody who was from there, spoke in favor of giving women the vote.

Virtual Learning with AARP

As I got used to using Zoom and looking online for enrichment, I started using more online resources that I had ignored. The AARP Virtual Community Center has all kinds of free online events and classes for learning, self-improvement, and fun.  I’ve enjoyed the One Day University Lecture series.  Some online programs are featuring museum exhibits that I would otherwise not have been aware of, or been able to visit.  So, thanks to Zoom I’ve found and become more comfortable with virtual learning and entertainment.

Non-Profit Meetings – Learning Zoom

As I mentioned, I belong to some non-profits.  Thanks to Zoom, I attend their Board meetings virtually. Each meeting I learn a little more about how Zoom works, muting, adding a background, tilting my laptop for a better visual if I want to be seen, adjusting the lighting and volume, etc.  In some ways, thanks to Zoom, I have gotten a better sense of some members that I didn’t know very well.  Some of this is because when we met “in the flesh”  the conference room tables were set up with a lot of distance between us.  I couldn’t see people who were on my right or left very well.  Now I can see everyone and we are more relaxed in our home environments.

One of the non-profits used Zoom to hold a book discussion.  That worked out fairly well for a first time endeavor.  Having a format set up ahead of time was good, but for some, it was hard to break into the conversation.  One of the moderators did ask for input from those who hadn’t spoken yet, before the discussion wrapped up.  Perhaps setting it up so that everyone takes a turn, and then a general discussion is opened may be the way to go.  We are finding our way.  Next up we are discussing a documentary.

Virtual Beer Tasting

 

If you have been reading my blog, you know that my husband and I like craft beer and visiting breweries.  Our craft brewery adventures have really been stifled by the Pandemic restrictions. When I had the opportunity to participate in a virtual beer tasting, that was another opportunity to learn more about the features of Zoom.

The organizer had the above Octoberfest beer garden background.  I hadn’t realized that you can upload a photo that shows up as a backdrop behind you.  Unfortunately, I discovered that my laptop doesn’t support that Zoom feature.

Presenting on Zoom  – Learning by Doing

A year and a half ago I volunteered to join a committee to start a new monthly program series, Coffee and Conversations, for my alumni association, the Independent Association of Framingham State Alumni. The concept is to have a guest speaker, an alum, give a short presentation about a topic related to their career with perhaps any correlations to our alma mater. Following the presentation there’s time for casual discussion.  Until the Pandemic, the presentations were held in the living room of our Alumni House, with coffee, tea, and cookies served.

To get the ball rolling, I also volunteered to be a speaker, as did the Association’s president.  I also am flexible and said put me in the schedule as you need me.  My mistake.  While the first couple of events went well, mine was scheduled in December and was cancelled due to the weather.  Then, due to the Pandemic I was cancelled again and the series put on hiatus.

The head of the committee decided to revive the series, but by necessity it would be via Zoom.  She reached out to me and the other previously scheduled presenters to ask if they would be willing to present on Zoom.  Some declined.  While I was, and am, still pretty much a novice on Zoom, I wanted to do my presentation and move on.  I was assured that I would get some help with Zoom.

Then I realized that the cozy presentation that I had planned for the in-person event wasn’t going to work so well on Zoom.  Also the presentation was going to be recorded.  That made me feel I had to up my game. I wasn’t going to just sit and talk into the laptop for 20-odd minutes. Luckily another presenter gave her talk a month and a half before me.  I noticed that she was using slides and was off camera.  She had an advantage because she had given a related talk before. Not only in person to the group, but as part of a Framingham History Center program.  Therefore, she already had a formal script to use.

One Step at a Time

So, learning Zoom meant learning how to add slides to the screen and not be on the screen myself.  Then I had to find out how to prepare the slides and then post them to the screen.  As far as the slides, Powerpoint or Google Slides was the answer.  Next I had to decide what I was going to put on the slides.  Then I had to scan or photograph the items that were going on the slides. After that create a Powerpoint document and plug everything in and organize them.  Certainly learning by doing.

As for my talk, that was a whole other animal to tame.  I pulled out my notes and made a fresh outline and then fleshed it out.  The trouble was, I was talking about my experiences from 20 years ago.  I helped a local politician, Massachusetts St. Rep. Barbara Gray, now deceased, write her memoir.  I offered to talk about her because she was an extraordinary person with a legacy that deserves preservation.  So many talented women’s achievements are lost and her impact on Massachusetts and beyond is considerable.  To boil down what she did and why we should care into a cohesive Zoom presentation took some thought.

Luckily I had saved some campaign ephemera to use in the slides.  One had a good photo of her.  Poking around in a stash of Framingham town memorabilia that I collect I found a campaign lawn sign.  I also had some photos of her when she was working on saving an historic building on the Framingham State campus.  That was a great tie-in.

I added a scanned in picture of the cover of the book, A Woman’s Ways and Means:  Making It Happen…24 Wild Years in the Massachusetts House.  I still have several copies of the book and sell it online.  I tried but wasn’t able to interest a publisher in the book. Back then the concept of Print-On-Demand books was in its infancy so we went with a local printer who had printed books for the Framingham History Center.

So I Googled up how many words would be needed for a 20 minute talk.  Depending upon how fast you talk, it’s from 2000 to 3200.  That helped me with the length.  I formatted the talk in Bold and larger size font and double spaced.  I noted the slides in larger red type as cues for me to move to each slide.  Then I read it through aloud, and made changes to make the flow better and more organized.

I ended up buying a headset with a microphone for my laptop.  My voice is on the soft side and there’s nothing worse that someone saying “Can’t hear you,” when you are in the middle of a making a point.

The Association’s Executive Director gave me some tips about the slides and screen sharing. I signed into Zoom and pretended that I was in a meeting. I hit record and did some partial run-throughs and played them back until I felt comfortable enough with everything.

As I couldn’t put a background on the laptop, I opted to hang the campaign lawn sign behind me.  That was another challenge.  I ended up using binder clips to attach it to a curtain covering the deck door behind me.  Luckily the clips were strong enough so that the sign didn’t fall in the middle of my spiel.  The sign is black, red, and white so I chose a red top and black jacket.  Somewhere I read that solid colors are recommended on Zoom.  After my preparations, I was comfortable enough to have a good night’s sleep.

Well, we had the highest “attendance” yet for a “Conversation.”  Many of those participating knew Barbara, or knew of her.  And I knew most of them. There were several great sharing moments.  Some were surprised at all of the bills and laws that she had generated and some about how the Ecumenical Center was saved. Her former aide added some great comments. All went pretty smoothly considering my lack of experience.  The response made me glad I had persevered.  Everyone signed off except for the Committee Chair and the Executive Director.  Then the boom fell.  Someone forgot to start the recording from the beginning, so only part of my talk was preserved.  The introduction and many comments by the participants were lost.  They asked me if I would re-record with the thought that maybe the two recordings could be stitched together.  The Executive Director has video editing experience.

I signed off and had a cup of tea and did a few exercises to work off the tension and disappointment.  I really wanted to punch a pillow or something.  I had been so happy that I was done.  Well, I signed back into Zoom, created a meeting, and after one false start, I tried to speak and posture as if people were listening and was fine with the result.

BIG LESSON LEARNED: If recording of a Zoom meeting is important to you, be sure to ask a backup person to record it, or record it yourself. Put a note in big red letters in front of you as a reminder. It never occurred to me to hit record.  I don’t think I will forget this. Ever.

So that’s how I’ve been learning Zoom – one meeting at a time.

Please share your comments and experiences with Zoom.

Note:  I will share my presentation about Mass. St. Rep. Barbara Gray in another post.

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