Page 32 - October 2020 Voices
P. 32
ON THE PATH
THE ZOOM-BIES AMONG US
James Wantz, DTM
October is the time to celebrate vampires, To spice up a regular meeting try one of the
witches, pumpkins, bats and zombies. All things following:
Halloween-y. Unfortunately, zombies have Get every member involved at every meeting.
invaded many Toastmasters meetings and are If I go to an online meeting and don’t get a
sucking the life out of them. Clubs around the chance to talk—well, I am less likely to ever go
district are losing members to Zoom-bies— back (especially if I am a visitor).
otherwise known as Zoom fatigue and the Appoint an energized greeter or someone
speaking undead. who is all bounce. You know, the one person
If I am attending online meetings for my job, in your club that always has more energy than
I don’t want to go to another lifeless meeting in any one person should have for a single day (or
my free time. I want to attend a fun, memorable, lifetime). They are awesome at energizing online
and energetic meeting that I will remember long meetings. I love watching them ricochet off the
after it is over! sides of their camera box (yes, I’m talking about
I go to Toastmaster meetings to socialize you, Raynette).
and get out of my own head—I am an inveterate Look for a way to have a team activity early in
introvert that verges on the edge of misanthropy the meeting. Sunrise Toastmasters has a theme
if I don’t get out and remind myself that other for their group photo at the beginning of every
people are pretty cool (most of the time). I really meeting. It was Hawaiian shirts one time and
like attending fun meeting—and by that I mean bow ties the next time I visited. I really like their
meetings that are actually enjoyable, not ones in creativity and group involvement.
which the Toastmaster is insisting everyone is Expand introductions. Instead of just having
“having fun” despite evidence to the contrary. the visitors introduce themselves why not have
How do you make your online meeting more everyone introduce themselves and say a few
member friendly to combat the Zoom-bies? words at the beginning. One club in the UK has
There are two areas to focus on: the meeting in every member introduce themselves and answer
general and the presentations. the question of the day. It is a bit like Table Topics
32 ONE COMMUNITY
