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Annex C: Best Practices for Online Engagements

Leveraging Communication and Collaboration Tools

Defence Team members are having to find new ways to stay connected with their colleagues and teams while working remotely in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To facilitate better communication and increased collaboration when traditional face-to-face meetings and conversations may not be possible, the use of publicly available platforms are being explored to remain in contact with teams regardless of whether they are working in the office or from their home.

Organizations across Defence are strongly encouraged to explore the depth and breadth of MS Teams as Office 365 - a cloud-based MS suite of tools - will soon be accessible across DND with the rollout of Defence O365. Make sure you familiarize yourself with Office 365 to develop skills and get comfortable with new and effective ways of staying connected throughout the organization.

While MS Teams and Defence O365 are the preferred and only departmentally approved/accessible platforms, not all staff have transitioned over. Additional options are listed and can be leveraged in the event that Defence O365 is experiencing technical difficulties/challenges and the engagement/meeting must proceed. It is best practice to only share unclassified information on these applications even though both Zoom and Webex have security measures in place.

Popular web applications:

  • MS Teams (part of Defence O365) (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website),
  • Google Hangouts (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website),
  • Slack (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website)
  • WhatsApp (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website)
  • FaceTime (you are now leaving the Government of Canada website)

Choosing the Right Application

Accessibility Considerations

  • Consider who the participating audience is and what they will have access to
  • Be mindful that some staff may have limited Internet access or connectivity as well as minimal experience using these tools
  • Consider the privacy of staff, as some may have concerns about the use of personal devices or public services, or sharing personal contact information
  • Consider trying a few tools to find what works best for the whole team, and make sure everyone can participate and has the opportunity to learn
  • Determine what accessibility requirements are needed

Microsoft Teams

  • Considerations – all personnel will need to be onboarded to use Office O365. For more information, consult the Defence O365 page.
  • Accessible using laptop, desktop and smartphone
  • Capabilities: Audio and video calls, instant messaging, desktop sharing, file sharing and calendar sharing available. Exploring options for closed captioning.  

With any web meeting application, familiarize yourself with the following commands:

  • Start/end the meeting
  • Invite/remove participants
  • Share your camera video
  • Mute/unmute microphone and participants’ microphones
  • Share files
  • Share your desktop/screen
  • Share presenting privileges with other presenters
  • Record the meeting
  • Send and read chat messages

Technical Requirements and Equipment

Always test all technical requirements and equipment in advance to avoid any hiccups the day of.

Technical requirements

  • Stable and reliable Internet connection
  • Audio (computer speakers, microphone, telephone, etc.)
  • Webcam

Technical considerations

  • Dependant on the web meeting application, you may need to download software, or purchase a corporate account for access to more functionalities
  • Have a wired Internet connection option as backup
  • Presenters can consider using a microphone for better sound (headset, clip-on, desktop mic)
  • Include dial-in info for participants who cannot connect with audio through the internet
  • Decide how media will be displayed (and test it in advance) – share your screen/desktop, or import presentation directly into the web meeting application

Keep Participants Informed

Share all necessary information and documents to participants in advance so that they can prepare. 

Ask participants to try technology in advance

  • Send log-in information a few days in advance so participants can test it out (access codes, URLs, call-in numbers), provide support if required
  • Some web meeting applications may require an application download
  • Ask participants to log in at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting to test connectivity

Virtual meeting etiquette

  • Let participants know how they will be able to make comments/ask questions during the meeting
  • For large scale meetings: ask all participants to signal and wait a couple seconds before speaking to account for lagging time, and to state their name and institution each time they speak
  • Remind participants to be on mute, have webcam on or off (depending on the meeting), limit background noise as much as possible

Contingency plan for potential technical issues

  • Give participants an online and offline method to reach event organizers should there be any issues before and/or during the meeting
  • Provide a backup plan – dial-in info for those who can’t connect with audio through the internet, alternate date/time set for if the meeting fails

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Designate a Facilitator/IT Support

Designate a facilitator to assist the presenter(s) by monitoring any chat questions or comments that come in, as to not disrupt the flow of the presentation.

For large-scale meetings, have IT support on hand to help with any technical problems that may arise.

It may be beneficial to designate a notetaker as well to take minutes/record the meeting so that information can be shared as a follow-up afterwards.

Engage your Audience

Find ways to engage your participants virtually. Include visuals for presentations, if possible.

Presentations

  • Keep segments short to keep participants interested
  • Include a visual aspect for all presentations (speaking on camera, powerpoint, etc.)
  • Plan and practice how to smoothly transition between presenters

Give a voice to your online audience

  • Prepare a shared space for people to engage like a chat or slido (most web meeting applications already have a chat function)
  • Welcome audience interaction by asking participants questions, welcoming questions from participants, taking a live poll (all can be done with slido)
  • Include interactive games/activities for participants

Maintaining focus and attention

  • Although virtual, still give people breaks every 60-90 minutes
  • Video-conference meetings should move at a slightly slower pace than a typical meeting to account for 2-3 second delay for systems to communicate
  • For presenters, make sure there are sufficient pauses

Post-meeting

Send participants any follow-up notes, presentations, and the link to the recording of the meeting.

Feedback

Seek feedback from participants on their virtual experience to learn for the next online engagement (consider using a survey for large groups).

Checklist for Organizing Online Engagements

Preparation

  • Choose web meeting application
  • Prepare and test all necessary technical tools and requirements
  • Establish presenters and presentation delivery
  • Designate a facilitator, notetaker, and IT support
  • Send agenda and all other relevant information to participants
  • Conduct a mock meeting to ensure all presentations go as planned and transitions are smooth

During the meeting

  • Log in at least 15 minutes early
  • Record meeting and take notes
  • Monitor chat spaces/Slido

Post-meeting

  • Send follow-up documents and link to recording
  • Seek feedback

Additional Resources

Popular web meeting applications

It is recommended to use MS teams however other applications are available if MS Teams is not.

Zoom

  • Considerations – access may be limited by your organization and may require use of personal devices, corporate account needed to host with greater functionalities such as having more participants, no meeting duration limit, etc. (free to join)

Webex

  • Considerations – similar to Zoom, see the comparisons between Zoom and Webex below

Google Hangouts

  • Accessible using laptop, desktop and smartphone
  • Capabilities: Audio and video calls, instant messaging, desktop sharing, and file sharing

Slack

  • Accessible using laptop, desktop and smartphone
  • Capabilities: Audio and video calls, instant messaging, desktop sharing, and file sharing

What’s App

  • Accessible using laptop, desktop and smartphone
  • Capabilities: Audio and video calls, and instant messaging

Facetime

  • Accessible using Apple products only
  • Capabilities: Audio and video calls

With any web meeting application, familiarize yourself with the following commands:

  • Start/end the meeting
  • Invite/remove participants
  • Share your camera video
  • Mute/unmute microphone and participants’ microphones
  • Share files
  • Share your desktop/screen
  • Share presenting privileges with other presenters
  • Record the meeting
  • Send and read chat messages

Tips:

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Events and Conference Management

- Defence O365 (Teams) WEBEX Webcast Videoconference Teleconference Zoom
# participants 10,000 200 Standard, up to 1000 with ECM’s  enterprise account unlimited 25 via a Virtual Meeting Room (VMR), possibility up to 50 via a videoconference bridge 250 100 Standard, up to 1000 with ECM’s business account
Audio Yes VIOP & Teleconference One way (Participants listening only) Yes Yes Yes
Video Yes Up to standard definition (480p) Up to full definition (1080p) Up to full definition (1080p) No Up to High definition (720p)
Simultaneous Interpretation Limited to live event Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sign Language No Yes Yes Yes No Yes
CART No Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Screen Sharing Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Share documents Yes Yes Yes No No Yes
Mobile access Yes Android and IOS Android and IOS Android and IOS Android and IOS Android and IOS
Government laptop access No video access Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Mute/unmute your mic Yes Yes Non-interactive Yes Yes Yes
Chat Yes Yes Email box No No Yes
Browser Yes All All Access via VMR or Jabber No All
Security It is best practice to only share unclassified information on these applications.

Events and Conference Management

In advance:

  • Ensure presentations are videoconferencing friendly: Choose dark type on light backgrounds in large lettering. Limit the points on any one slide to six or fewer.
  • Clothing: Avoid bright whites, small or pinstripe patterns in clothing, and bright jewelry.
  • Adjust your camera so that everyone is in the frame: It's important to see each other.
  • Prepare the room: Ensure window blinds are closed, lights are on and participants are seated close to each other to minimize camera movement.

During the meeting:

  • Microphones are sensitive: Be mindful of your environment. Minimize background noise from papers and movement. 
  • Speak at a normal conversational volume: Speak clearly and in the direction of the screen. Ensure that your microphone is not obstructed. We highly recommend the use of headphone with integrated microphone. 
  • Keep electronic devices away from microphones and don’t put the conference on hold.
  • Make sure you can see and hear all the participants: Confirm that everyone can hear the discussion properly and encourage people to stay within their cameras view.

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