Tasks of moderation in classic assemblies and the implementation for digital assemblies

Some of the tasks of moderating classic assemblies require translation to the online situation. In digital assemblies, technology increases complexity, so digital assemblies need particularly clear rules.

Arrangements with organizers
In digital meetings, the moderation helps the board translate their goals into digital form and therefore additional tasks arise in the preparation phase.
Many organizers have little experience with digital events and benefit from the moderation giving them advice on organizational preparation in advance, for example, tips on technical glitches that the organizers can send out with the invitation.
More and more people are now experienced in using online presentations and can present directly from their computers. For the smooth running of the event, it is nevertheless useful if, if possible, all presentations and films are either already uploaded in the system and / or can be imported by the moderator as a safety net and breakdown help.
Film or sound files need their own technology test. Specialists for digital meetings like www.linkando.com organize all technical issues for attended events, but if you work independently with the Linkando APP in Zoom or teams, you need the tests.

Association boards that operate primarily within their own association often take the rules for voting, valid votes, and qualified majorities for granted, but for digital events, these rules must first be filed.

Visualizations
Visualizations signal preparation and commitment - and in combination with well-chosen images, they also improve the mood.
The visualized agenda on the screen also makes it possible to include photos of the board members, speakers, and presenters, or even images to illustrate the content. Life photos in which the face is moving are ideal here.
The most important information on rules of conduct - such as how and when to report for discussion - should also be presented in visualized form after the agenda.

For a minute of silence in a digital meeting, the moderator can display a reverent image for this time, a wreath or a lily. In digital meetings, the atmosphere of shared silence is missing and such a symbol is a valuable substitute.
When guests or speakers are introduced at the beginning of the meeting, bring them into the picture and let them speak briefly. Here, too, the moderator can show a (live) photo as a substitute if technical reasons prevent a direct appearance.

Mood, side conversations and chat
In face-to-face meetings, both the body language of those present and the visible and audible side conversations provide clues for the content and pace of the meeting. Atmospherically, side conversations also act as lightning rods. In the digital meeting, chat provides clues to the mood and allows it to be captured and addressed.

Some organizers think the chat function is too distracting and therefore deactivate it. However, a chat promotes both the group feeling - for example, when members greet each other in a friendly manner - and the smooth running of the event. The online variant of side conversations is the private direct message in the chat, which does not disturb, but strengthens the commitment of the participants. Especially with emotionally charged topics, the chat acts as a lightning rod and helps to identify essential issues.

A chat observer works to the event moderator, filtering out questions that interest many and keeping track of requests to the leadership and requests to speak.
There are two types of chat: open chat, where everyone present can see all posts, and private chat, which provides additional one-on-one interaction.
The chat observer only sees the open chat and can then bring topics and questions from the chat and moods into the meeting.
A knowledgeable chat observer can also answer questions already directly in the chat.

Request to speak
In digital meetings, either the system automates the speech list or those present request to speak in the chat. In this case, someone should keep an eye on the speech list.
Requesting to speak in the chat has the advantage that everyone can see the order and thus the suspicion of manipulation is eliminated.
In meetings, the speech list leader must always announce in good time how much time is still available and ask whether anyone else would like to be on the speech list, which must be gradually closed. In the digital assembly, you can announce this verbally and use the chat.

Questions and discussions
In digital meetings, questions can be asked in the chat and the chat moderator can pick up relevant questions at the appropriate time.
Digital meetings and hybrid events are harder to keep together than face-to-face meetings and therefore need a consistent way of handling presentations, interstitial questions and discussions. Only if there is a good reason should an exception be allowed.

Moderation measures in the event of disruptions at digital meetings
An essential task for every management is the orderly running of the event, especially in the case of emotional topics, it ensures the return to an orderly flow.
In digital assemblies, several people cannot speak at the same time, which facilitates the work of the moderator. The latter can mute the microphone of a speaker who is getting out of hand in the digital assembly and thus regain control. If two parties are talking out of turn, the moderator can bring their palms into the video image (slightly pushing forward) and thus use an effective stop signal. At the same time, a verbal caesura marker such as "Stop - one moment" is used, more energy goes into the voice and into the reasoning - "Now it's getting more and more emotional, we're not getting anywhere like this."
After that, the moderator regulates the further procedure in a transparent way, for example, inquires with the people in charge of the chat about questions or topics that have come up there. Next, they consider together with the internal managers which steps are possible and sensible in order to deal with the situation and possibly introduce a break for structure and calming down.

The moderator's voice is an essential means of setting the mood in digital meetings. The more tense the atmosphere in the meeting, the more important the controlled voice of the moderator is as a calm anchor.

In digital events, those responsible tend to take rather short breaks. Considering "screen fatigue" (zoom fatigue), a minimum break length of 15 minutes is a good guideline.

Digital or hybrid meetings save time in voting and elections, especially when dealing with larger numbers of members, and the automatically generated minutes also bring efficiency gains. Well-designed digital assemblies bring joy, friends and results!
Digital assemblies have proven themselves and remain a valuable tool for the future!