Tips for Holding Virtual Guild Meetings

We’ve been using ZOOM in The Quilter’s Way for over a year now to allow our members (who live in many different countries) to interact with each other virtually. Recently, we held our first virtual quilt retreat, Energize!, to great success. Participating in a virtual meeting is not quite the same as attending one in-person but it sure is a lot more convenient (i.e. no travel and no “forgotten” items). It can allow for some extra creativity such as sharing video courses or photos as part of your meeting. It’s also very easy to host guest speakers from different locations – and it’s a lot cheaper too!

A number of guilds, including the local one that I belong to, are adapting to social distancing by holding virtual meetings. This is a great way to interact with your other guild members at a time when it’s difficult, if not impossible, to be in the same place together. It does take a little getting used to get comfortable using this type of technology, but it isn’t hard and it’s the perfect way to connect with your quilting friends.

If you are considering holding a virtual meeting in your guild, I have a few tips to help the meeting go smoothly:

• Assign someone to “run” the meeting and manage the technology and member interaction to ensure everyone gets to participate. It is difficult to be “leading” the guild meeting and managing the members and technology at the same time.

• Have someone available to help members who may be struggling with technology.

• Decide if the interaction with members is going to be via the chat feature (where people can type in their comments) or video/audio. Video is more interactive but requires a more structured approach to the meeting to ensure everyone gets a “turn” and that only one person talks at a time.

• Provide a fun activity (even just a chat) at the start of the meeting to keep members entertained while people are joining the meeting. It can sometimes take a minute or two for everyone to be admitted to the meeting.

• Encourage members to have good lighting especially if they want to show off their quilts.

• If you are having a guest speak at your guild, work with them ahead of time to make sure that any tech issues are resolved and that they have the right amount of control of their portion of the meeting. Supporting them with member interaction or chat responses helps them focus on their presentation and makes the experience better for everyone.

I am currently booking for virtual presentations or workshops. If you are planning your guild program, I offer the following presentations:

• Conquer Your Fear of Free Motion Quilting

• Setting up Your Studio Space

• How to “Wrangle Your Scraps”

You can go to the Chatterbox Quilts website here to get more information or you can email me at kjh@chatterboxquilts.com if you are interested in hiring me for a guild presentation or workshop. I’d love to speak to your guild or quilt group.

Take Care,

Kim

Creatively,