While the COVID-19 pandemic is cancelling in-person workshops and conferences across the country, it’s still essential that local election departments train their poll workers. Plus, state election offices and associations need to convene their local officials so they can lead training and share new guidelines.

CTCL has been training election officials online since 2016, and we’ve learned some things along the way. Here are affordable, easy-to-use resources and pro tips that any election office can implement to create online training content or host a virtual conference. The costs range from $0 to about $100, and tools can be scaled up for additional fees to include more features, storage, and users.

Online training tools

• Zoom for sharing presentations with any size group. It has chat and polling features that help keep your audience engaged. We haven’t tested the breakout rooms, but that’s something to consider for larger events like conferences. Start with the Pro plan so you can host meetings that last longer than 40 minutes.
• Vimeo for hosting recorded videos. Sign up for the Plus plan so you can customize privacy settings for each video.
• Rev.com for captions. Remember to caption your videos before posting them to make your videos accessible. This is a speedy service that we use a lot.
• iMovie and Windows Media for editing and trimming recorded videos before posting them online.
• Google Slides for collaborating on slide presentations so you don’t have to keep passing large files back and forth.
• Pathwright for creating self-paced courses. We haven’t tried Thinkific, but we’ve heard good things about it.

Online training pro tips

• Wired internet is best, but a strong wifi signal can handle Zoom. While you’re running Zoom, be sure to close other programs on your computer that might eat up bandwidth.
• Find a quiet room if you can. Limiting background noises helps you and your participants focus.
• Set up your lighting and webcam so your face is visible and centered.
• Use a second external monitor when presenting a slideshow. It gives you more real estate to see your slide notes.
• Use a headset to improve mic quality. We like the wired, USB headsets from Logitech. The wired earbuds that came with your phone probably have a decent mic, too.
• If you’re sharing your screen, pause your computer notifications like calendar reminders or text messages that might pop up.
• Ask new Zoom users to log on 5 minutes early to make sure their tech works.
• Ask participants to update their screen name to include name and city or county so you know who and where everyone is.
• Encourage participants to chat in their questions. If possible, assign a coworker to monitor the chat window. It’s helpful to have a teammate respond to questions as they come in or flag a few to answer with the group.
• Use polls to keep participants engaged and accountable. Try asking a light-hearted question at the start to get people comfortable with selecting answers to polls. Then ask a few questions throughout the session that help people check their understanding of the content you’re covering. You’ll see their responses and will be able to assess whether your message is getting through.
• Mute when you’re not speaking, and be ready to mute others if they aren’t able to do it themselves.
• Don’t forget the basics. Like in-person sessions, your online training should have clear objectives that you share with everyone at the beginning and return to at the end.

Questions for the CTCL team? What other tools and tips are you using for online training and virtual conferences? Let us know so we can add it to the list. Email [email protected].