Little thread about virtual committee meetings and viewer experience. Councils are a noticing an increase in viewer numbers, not huge perhaps but enough to ask & #39;how can we make these meetings as accessible as possible for people who are new to these types of meeting?& #39; 1/8

Now is a great time to try things out and experiment. I& #39;m thinking here about zoom streaming live to YouTube but there will hacks and tricks that can be applied to all platforms - I& #39;m sure there& #39;s lot& #39;s that can be shared. 2/8

Of course the best way to understand viewer experience is to talk to people. Even if you don& #39;t do any formal user research, ask a friend, or your auntie or your neighbour to watch the last meeting and tell you what they think. 3/8

One thing to think about is the introduction to your meeting. Are you & #39;diving straight in& #39; or thinking about a new viewer and letting them know:

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✅" title="Fettes weißes Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Fettes weißes Häkchen"> The purpose of the meeting
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✅" title="Fettes weißes Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Fettes weißes Häkchen"> Who& #39;s taking part and their roles
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✅" title="Fettes weißes Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Fettes weißes Häkchen"> The main agenda items
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✅" title="Fettes weißes Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Fettes weißes Häkchen"> How the viewer can get involved

4/8

Names on the screen can be tricky - long versions get shortened particularly in gallery view. Have a look at this from @WestBerkshire via @PhilRumens

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✅" title="Fettes weißes Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Fettes weißes Häkchen"> Name format is short - Cllr [name]
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✅" title="Fettes weißes Häkchen" aria-label="Emoji: Fettes weißes Häkchen"> Streaming host view allows switching to speaker view

5/8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWDdri1uKNc&list=PL6cepKKElwne9h0GajvDRG65M2AG0Wn_U&index=15">https://www.youtube.com/watch...

Another way to make the experience more interesting is to make use of screen sharing.

Use slides or videos or simply share the current report as they do in the example above.

Think of how news programmes are made more engaging through graphics, images and video reports.

6/8

Finally, I like the idea of having a host or guide for viewers.
Maybe someone not involved in the meeting providing a welcome and introduction. Check out this example from @kirkdemocracy of a general explainer about council meetings to give an idea:

7/8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHj2AQvAq1Y">https://www.youtube.com/watch...

So, there& #39;s never been a better time to think about how council meetings are presented to the public and I know many are.

It& #39;s also a chance to think about the content and hopefully be inspired to make changes that will last well after the crisis is over.

Ends