Before you start the event, it’s essential that you feel ready and grounded and that you also provide an opportunity for attendees to get settled in. 

Do you have a starting icebreaker activity? Will participants listen once they arrive, or will they be asked to come off of mute to introduce themselves? Is there light music or some kind of welcoming invitation in the chat? 

First, get grounded by:

Jumping on the call early

Whether it’s 15 minutes or 50 minutes before the event start time, we recommend you jump on the call earlier than your teammates or participants to get yourself settled in and familiar with Zoom. 

Configuring your ideal screen layout 

You may be sharing screens or toggling between gallery view and speaker view. Whatever the context and needs your event will require, ensure you have enough time to configure your visual setup how you need to feel confident in facilitating and reading the room.

Practice your agenda or speaking script

It never hurts to walk yourself verbally through each section of your agenda, including the parts where you will be speaking or presenting by yourself. Practice is what makes your presence more felt. 

Take a few deep breaths

It’s common to feel nervous or anxious about your event. Try grounding practices or exercises to center yourself. Take a few deep breaths after your technical and logistical preparation. 

Welcome everyone into the space with some light guidance 

Greet participants with warmth and gratitude and provide a clear prompt as they enter the space. 

Some examples of prompts you may wish to use to help orient KQTs into the space: 

• Welcome! Introduce yourself in the chat with your Name, Pronouns, Location
• Please rename yourself on Zoom with your Name, Pronouns, Location
• We’ll be getting started in a few minutes. In the meantime, please see here for our Code of Conduct. We will be reviewing this at the start of our event.
• If this is your first time in the space, Welcome! We’ll have an opportunity to do a round of introductions so please be prepared to share a little bit about yourself. You are also welcome to pass if you prefer to observe and listen. 
• Welcome! We’re so excited to have you here with us today. Take a moment to check in by answering our introductory prompt: What are you most curious about learning from other KQTs today? 

Orient and align everyone at the top of your event with some clear and thorough ‘housekeeping’ notes 

Remind participants that this space will be collectively held together and that these housekeeping notes exist to support everyone’s enjoyment and comfort.

Review Access Notes

Remember to make accessibility notes easy for everyone to understand and use.

Ensure those who need specific support inputs like sign language interpretation, language translation, or closed captioning are all given the correct instructions.

Introduce Support Team

Take time to lift up the labor and support of your team and make sure participants know who to contact if they need assistance. 

Review Code of Conduct

Review any code of conduct or guidelines that will help set the tone for the event.

Receive Consent to Record
If you are recording the event, notify participants when you will be recording. You can use your Zoom settings to request explicit consent from all participants for recording your event.

Share the Agenda Overview
Make sure you take a brief moment at the top of the event also to remind participants what we came here to accomplish and/or experience together.