Instructions to Set Up and Organize a Teleconference
1. Decide on the Goals for a teleconference. They could include having your community share their cultures with another community, or more specific goals like having groups interact to produce a work of theater, a piece of art together or do a science project together.
2. Decide on the community that you are bringing to the teleconference, the language they speak. If the teleconference involves children, then what is the age group of the children. Please keep your groups small if possible.
3. Go through the list of Facilitator Contacts. Identify the person you would like to work with and contact him or her through email. In the email, please list your name, your location, and request the contact’s help to set up a teleconference with community in your contact’s neighborhood. Please include the age group of the children you are bringing to the teleconference, or the interest of the community group you are representing.
4. It is a good idea to exchange information on the people who will participate so that the groups are introduced to each other. Such information MAY include names, gender, interests.
5. Decide on a date and time that is suitable to both groups.
6. Please decide on a set of 3-5 topics that will be of common interest to both these groups as well as 3-5 events that you can do together. Common interests may include sports, education, families, food, music, etc. Common activities may include reading poems, singing songs, exchanging stories.
7. Decide on the mode of communication. If you are using phone as the medium for communication, please make sure that you have speaker phones on both sides. Also, please ensure that you have decided on a protocol for the discussion. Since both groups are not in the same room and cannot see each other, it is important that the discussion have one facilitator on both sides of the line coordinating who speaks and who listens and introducing the speakers to each other.
8. Other modes of communication may also be used. Google talk is another tool that can be used if internet access is available. More info at http://www.google.com/talk/. Webcams may also be used – visual component to communication is always helpful.
9. Decide on follow up processes. Will you follow up by email or letter exchanges? Or another such conversation? This is basic courtesy as well as a note for yourself to think why you are organizing this and what you need to do after this event.
10. Before the date of the teleconference, it is important to do a test run so that both parties are confident that the equipment and the process works and you do not waste time during the event itself.
11. You may invite other people – including local media – to observe. However, please let the other group know. Also, please ensure that observers do not disrupt the event itself.
12. Before the teleconference, please set out enough time so that the group can discuss why they are participating in such a teleconference, their personal goals and the goals of the group. It may be useful to discuss how we form prejudices, think about the prejudices we may have about the other group and the prejudices the other group may have about us. Also, you may want to discuss what you share with the other group and why such an event is of importance.
13. During the teleconference, it is important to be courteous. Please begin by a brief round of introductions. Please ensure that there is some time for each member. If there are too many members, then numerous events should be organized.
14. After introductions, the facilitators should suggest the chronology of events or make suggestions of new events if necessary. You may want to begin with some of the topics and activities you had decided before in point 6.
15. After the event, you should have enough time with your group to talk about what they learnt, whether their goals were met and what is the plan going forward.
16. Please write to the other group with your feedback and the future plan of action.
17. Also, please ensure that you send a note to thesouthasianATgmailDOTcom (replace AT with @ and DOT with .) with details of this interaction so it may be documented, shared with others and further strengthen the effort.
18. Also, if you have any questions, please email mohantysanatATyahooDOTcom