Leading your Video Call

Get ready before the call

Technology

1. Shut down any apps or sites that may also use your camera or mic

2. (If allowed) Connect your headphones with a mic

3. If you have time, run through the setup steps detailed here

4. If you don't, at the very least take these steps:

   1. Open your Sound settings to see if the mic is getting sound

      1. On a Mac, you should see blue bars moving

   2. Open your browser settings to see if you have allowed the platform to use mic. For example, meet.jit.si should be listed as Allowed.

5. Quit your browser completely and then restart it

   1. On a Mac, use Cmd + Q or Quit from the app menu to quit completely

Environment

Try to find a quieter place with fewer people on the wifi.

Preparation

1. Make sure you have the most updated location of the call. It will either be a link or a phone number.

2. Review your agenda once more and how much time you plan to spend on each item.

Don't have agenda? Check out the how-to article.

Sample Call Timeline

24 hours before start	Send a confirmation email with the agenda
5 minutes before start	Make sure your camera and mic are working
1 minute before start	Review your agenda--what are your objectives for the call, and what will you cover?
At start	Join the session
Minute 1	Small talk. Ask how your participant is doing.
Minute 2	Verbally go over the agenda so everyone knows what they will be talking about and ask if there should be other items covered
Minute 5	Discuss what's on the agenda. "Open" an agenda item by referring to the previously-sent agenda and mentioning which item you are focusing the discussion on. Lead off the discussion with your first question or update. Discuss. Before you "close out" an agenda item, summarize the key decision or action items and then ask if there is anything else to discuss for that agenda item. Then move on to the next agenda item.
5 minutes before end	Mention that time is almost up and ask if there is any last item that can be covered in 2 to 3 minutes. If so, discuss it briefly.
2 minutes before end	Say that you'd like to be respectful of everyone's time and that the scheduled time is up. Verbally list all action items.
1 minute before end	Say that you know how busy everyone is, thank them for their time, and say you're looking forward to the next time they talk.
At end	Close the session