When it’s your turn to present in a virtual meeting, ensure all attendees can contribute and are kept informed on what’s being discussed.
Imagine you’re running a Zoom call. You may tempted to disable the chat feature to discourage “sidebar conversations”. But this can prevent some attendees from being able to participate fully in the call. Not only does the chat feature let people share ideas as they come to them in a way that’s not disruptive, for some it may be the only means to participate. Disabling chat can block accessibility.
At the same time, as presenter, don’t neglect to monitor the chat – its contents should be acknowledged and shared. While some folks rely on the chat feature to participate, others rely on the audio/video function to participate – they are unable to use the chat function. So, sharing what’s going on in the chat helps ensure no one is missing out on ideas being exchanged there. Just as disabling the chat can block accessibility, so can ignoring it.
Many presenters who use the current version of Zoom know that when sharing a screen, the chat window is hidden. As a result, the presenter cannot monitor the chat without regularly exiting Share Screen mode. The solution is to plan in advance to ensure the chat is not ignored. For example, someone can be assigned to monitor the chat when a screen is being shared, and to share what’s going on in there in a way that balances “disrupting” the presentation while ensuring folks who cannot access the chat are kept abreast of those conversations, without undue delay.
Just remember: “The chat feature may be needed for some to participate”, and “The chat feature may not be accessible to everyone”. When it comes to accessibility, where technology falls short, the presenter needs to bridge the gap .
