EMDC Support Center

Welcome

We are so glad that you have become a Series Host for an Affinity Group (AffGrp) or Community of Practice (CoP).  We hope the following information will be helpful as you setup your series. 

Contact with Speaker Liaison

Prior to your first meeting, the Speaker Liaison will contact you with pre-event information. The purpose is to help you prepare to host your first meeting.  Please feel free to ask the Liaison any questions you may have not covered by the help articles.  You will not receive pre-event letters for subsequent meetings. 

Recruit a Tech Host

Unless you're an experienced Zoom user/presenter, we would encourage you to recruit a Tech Host as EMDC does not provide one.  The following Tech Host help articles are available:  Hosting Instructions (Tech Host),  Zoom Audio & Video setup & troubleshooting.  NB:  Your Tech Host is responsible to gain Zoom Host status and assign you as a co-Host!  

If you are not familiar with how to claim Zoom host status see:  Claiming Host Status in Zoom

Confirm Series Host status

When your group was setup you should have been designated as Host in the Class Listing.  Please check to make sure that is true for your class listing.  If it is not true, submit a ticket.  See help article on submitting tickets: Best Practices for Submitting a Ticket

Admin Access Rights

Please verify that you or someone you designate has Admin Access Rights.  This is especially important if you want to create unique titles and descriptions for each meeting within the series you're hosting. 

Notification Emails

You will receive the reminder emails like other attendees. They come 24-hours and 1 hour prior to the session. You can use the link in either email to attend the class. Yes, even the "Confirm" link in the 24-hour email will get you to the class. When you use the embedded links from the email, you are automatically signed in.  

NB:  The Attend link will not be active until 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.  If you tried to use the link too early and left the browser page up; you may need to refresh the page in order to get the link to update to active when you return to try again.

Alternate Way to Attend

If you do not receive or cannot find either of those emails, please go to the site to view the class listing. Make sure you are signed in, then go to the class listing (second icon from the left in the navigation bar that looks like a list).  

Additional Help to Prepare

We have also prepared this article to help you prepare for your session.

Conducting a Webinar or Workshop on EMDC.online 

Request to See Attendee List & Send Emails

If you are interested in viewing the attendee list in advance, or you would like to have the ability to send a bulk email to all attendees, please submit a support ticket requesting those features be developed.  This will help us decide where to prioritize development efforts.  You can also communicate directly with your the Tech Host for other questions you may have.  If you are leading a repeat session, there may be a different Tech Host for the second session. 

Check Your Biography

You may also want to check your bio by going to: https://emdc.online/profile. You may need to first log in. At the bottom of your profile, there is a link to "Create/Update" your bio. 

Simplify Your Screen

Reduce the clutter, especially if you plan to share your screen.  Remove desktop links/icons and close any browser tabs which you won't need for your presentation.  This will reduce distractions for your audience and for you while giving the presentation.  It will also make it easier to recover from technical glitches should they occur.   

Using Video in Your Presentation

If you plan to show a video while sharing your screen during your presentation, we strongly encourage you to have the video on your local hard drive and not to stream it from an online site (Google Drive, YouTube, Vimeo, etc).  This gives you the best chance for success in Zoom.  Also consider using lower resolution video versus HD especially if your target audience live in areas with poorer internet connections.  Your internet connection may be able to stream HD video but theirs may not.

Allow Setup Time

We recommend that you and your Tech Host arrive 20-30 minutes before your meeting start time.  This will allow you to go through the checklist in the Tech Host help article.  It gives you time to sort out any glitches or issues. 

Session Debrief

Consider doing a debrief with your tech host or any other EMDC staff in attendance.  This allow you to process how the session went in order to provide a better environment to engage your audience in the future. 

Use of Breakout Rooms

If you wish to use breakout rooms, plan in advance.  Breakout Room Management (DRAFT)

Summary

In summary, here are the mission critical steps you need to know.

• You have been assigned a Speaker Liaison that you can communicate with directly.
• You will use the links in either the 24-hour or 1-hour emails to Attend.
• Read the preparation article in advance.

Thanks for your attention to these matters. We look forward to working with you.