Given the current situation, the need for online meeting formats grew exponentially and is now more important than ever. With this comes the inevitability to start training ourselves in both adapting to the current situation and future use of these platforms. For this we need to understand the full picture of opportunities available in the context of these formats – particularly what they offer in terms of blended learning activities and what answers they provide to the necessity of transferring offline into online meetings. That is why Sofia Platform Foundation organized an online webinar on how to host a good online meeting. Together with 30 colleagues and partners from our network we improved our skills in providing more efficient and interactive meetings online by making good use of the variety of tools and methods available. We consulted Kim Ochs as the lead expert of the training. She is an International executive on a mission to grow/improve education and empower educators. 15+ years developing, creating, and implementing solutions and programs (online and blended) to advance global and holistic education. The training was carried out in three sessions of between 1.5 and 2 hours:

1. New Technologies for Online Meetings
2. Art of Hosting a Good Online Meeting
3. From Offline to Online: Transforming Meeting Content

Session I started with an introduction to synchronous meeting fundamentals, dealing with available tools and features. In Session II we dived into the essential aspects of hosting online meetings – the different types, facilitation techniques and what to pay particular attention to in this specific setting. The last session – Session III – was designed to try out a specific example for organizing an online meeting. We used step by step templates and discussed the various meeting formats in small groups. This last session was particularly insightful as it offered the possibility to try out the newly gained knowledge of organizing a meeting. Here’s some of the feedback that we received from the participants: “I liked how it (the training) was structured and the way Kim presented everything, including many examples and offering good explanations.” “The sessions were very resourceful, the online world seems not that easy, there are many things to learn, but with practice and sessions like these ones, it will get better.“ „Especially the third session was perfect for us and the materials we have received are of great use.” And now, we are looking forward to putting into place what we have learned, making our next online meeting an even more pleasant experience for all of us! The training was organized in partnership with DRA and MitOst e.V..