It is that time of the semester where we are all finishing classes, getting ready for finals, and helping our students prepare for their final client presentations. Well, this is where I am at currently at the University of Louisville.
This week marks our last “full week” of the semester and our Spring 2020 term will finish in the next few days. To say that this semester has been eventful would be an understatement!
As we are all part of Zoom University, the question arises on how – or even if – we are still able to do the things we are able to do before with our classes.
I am currently teaching two social media classes with two different clients. Each have been impacted by COVID19 and are currently working on formulating strategies and tactics to address these points on their social media handles.
Today, we had our final presentations for my advanced SM strategy class, otherwise known as #FrebergSM, for our class client the Kentucky Derby Festival. We had originally planned on working with them to engage and build on the social media conversation surrounding one of their main events – Kroger-Fest-A-Ville (aka the Chow Wagon).
Then COVID19 hit and everything changed.
I was very impressed with the agility and proactive measures my six students did for this project. Instead of saying – oh no! We can’t do our project – they said – what can we do to help? This really made the project come alive and we went to work.
We did everything with Zoom and the only change that we experienced was the fact that we were all online. We had virtual class meetings, lectures, and guest speakers come to the classroom. Students also hosted their own digital workshops where they were able to navigate the tool to not only gain more experience, but practice leading up to our client presentations.
So, you may be asking – how do you actually make sure your Zoom client presentation goes well for your final class? Here are some tips I have from my experience this semester.
Host trial runs for your groups. Practice makes perfect. This is a big one to make sure everyone is on the same page, understands the needs for coordinated transitions, and timing. Instead of hosting regular office hours, set up times for each group to walk through the presentation with you.
Set up some do’s and don’ts for the Zoom meeting. I am a big believer on inspecting what you are expecting. Go over what you think are some must haves for your presentation (ex. dressing professionally, using a professional background, eye contact with the webcam, technology check ins, etc) before you present.
Explain the new marketable skills students will gain through this experience. I know many universities have been pressured to cancel finals amongst other things, but one of the things that is universally present across the broad for students is this: Most will or are looking for an internship of job. Highlight the marketable skills and experiences that the students will be able to gain from doing their client presentation virtually, and how this would translate into items they can add to their portfolio and resume.
Provide your presentation expectations in video and text format. Outline what are things that are not to be done during the presentation. Presenting this either in an email or infographic is key. Another way is having a short video to embed in your announcement outlining your expectations so students can see what you mean.
Set the example. Lead by example is also important here as well when it comes to final presentations. Make sure your lighting, background, and presentation is at a high level to set a president on what you expect everyone to follow.
Update and provide an overview for your client. We are not the only ones having to use Zoom and other video conferencing tools for our work, but it is important to let your client know what you have been doing for your class, and the overall expectations you have here for the Zoom presentation for your class. It is good to make sure your client(s) feel comfortable with the set up for the presentation. Send them the invite ahead of time to put this on their calendar.
Set Zoom presentation etiquette expectations. Outlining not only your expectations for the overall presentation for content will be important, but also highlighting the etiquette practices when in the Zoom room for the client presentation. For example, making sure to coordinate slides using the chat function for a smooth transition to muting when one is presenting. These are just some of the basic ones, but there are many other points to highlight and share w/ your class on this. I have found also having one person in charge of the slides and coordinating the speakers that way helps the overall flow of the presentation and engagement in the talk.
Summary
I am very, very proud of the work #FrebergSM did this term, but they rocked their final presentation for the Kentucky Derby Festival via Zoom. I was very impressed with how they all came together to really make this a powerful and successful final project.
Congrats Natalie, Madison, Chelsy, Jalyn, Andrew and Cheyenne for being the #SensationalSix for this term! I wish you all the very best for your future chapters after graduation and beyond!
Hope you all are doing well and staying safe!
Best Wishes,
