Roles - Is everyone clear about their responsibilities and feeling grounded? 

We recommend dedicating time before the event starts to get aligned with your team members and also to take space for getting grounded before attendees arrive.  

• Take a few minutes before the event begins to check in with any support team members on their roles and responsibilities
• Before the event starts, remember to take a restroom break, nourish yourself with a snack or water, take care of your bodily needs, etc. 
• Assign any technical roles such as captioning or co-hosting permissions
• Create a group text message thread or alternative chat space/method to create clear lines of communication with you and your supporting team members

Accessibility - Are all access support inputs ready and functioning? 

It’s essential to test all technical functions to ensure your event runs as smoothly as possible. 

• If you are leveraging Sign Language interpretation or Live Captioning, as an example, check to see that all accessibility services and service providers are prepared and ready with what they need
• Write out a short script for yourself to clearly announce all access notes at the top of your event, e.g. “Today’s event will be supported with live captioning and ASL.”
• Create a separate, direct line of communication such as a text message thread or chat space with your access providers in case any adjustments are needed during the event, TIP: remember to speak slowly for ease of live translation, interpretation, captioning, etc. 

Logistics & Tech - Are all technical inputs ready and functioning?

• Make sure you’re connected to a stable and secure internet connection to avoid any disruptions
• Assign all technical roles and co-hosting permissions and test out the functions to make sure everything is working properly
• Check that all audio and visual outputs are functioning correctly and at reasonable parameters, e.g., volume levels, levels of zoom, selecting presenting options conducive to reading smaller text, etc. 
• Optimize your settings beforehand if you plan on recording the session, e.g. Zoom Recording settings enabled to include gallery view, speaker view, live transcription, etc. 

Agenda & Resources - Do you have a clear way to keep track of time and the topics you’ll cover? 

Always facilitate with a plan and some way to keep track of your time. 

• Prepare your internal facilitator agenda with linear time markers and indicators that help you to flow through your event; TIP: Use the Agenda Template located in the Resources tab
• Share a broad/big-picture agenda for the audience to understand how the time will be spent during this virtual gathering, e.g., “We’ll plan to use the next 90 minutes covering the following: Welcoming, Introductions, Main Activity, Q&A, Closing” 
• Make sure you are notifying audience members of any specific guidelines or content notes that will help attendees understand how to behave, and act accordingly, e.g., “Please use content notes or trigger warnings depending on what you hope to share during our event.” 
• Prepare any links and resources to share more easily with audience members, e.g., Stay in Touch Contact Forms, Resource Lists, Social Media, etc.