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Online Meetings and Conferences: How to Run Effective and Secure Events online course

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Online meetings have long been seen as a poor substitute for face-to-face ones. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the responses from governments around the world, this view has changed. Online meetings are now a necessity for most state and non-state organisations. The question is no longer ‘should we use online meetings despite their drawbacks?’, but rather ‘how can we use online meetings effectively?’ and ‘how do we blend online with face-to-face meetings?’ 

With the recent restrictions and limitations on international travel, online meetings have become a key working tool for governments, businesses, and organisations worldwide. Diplomacy and global governance have been particularly affected as meetings, conferences, and other major events are being cancelled. As lockdowns are gradually being lifted, we are faced with questions on the future of meetings, and how to switch to hybrid formats which combine online and onsite meetings.

Reviews

Online Meetings and Conferences

Text – Selly Muzammil

RmFWbwAG Selly Muzammil alumni reviewsThe course was very well designed, timely, and most importantly, easy to digest and apply. After the five-week course, my level of awareness and confidence on how to effectively conduct and attend online meetings improved significantly. From planning and the technical and social aspects of online meetings to tips and tricks for effective moderation, I gained a great deal of new knowledge, applicable to both my professional and personal engagements.

– Ms Selly Muzammil, Regional Government Partnerships, World Food Programme Regional Bureau for MENA, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, Cairo, Egypt

Text – Charline Van Der Beek

DDL9W1fO Charline Van Der Beek alumni reviewsThis course perfectly responded to a know-how gap many of us experienced while abruptly transitioning from physical to online meetings in International Geneva. With all our diplomatic meetings shifting online, it has been great to compare different web-conferencing platforms and be able to choose the one that best fits the needs of our meetings. I loved the hands-on approach of the course, which provided step-by-step guides on preparing and running online meetings, as well as opportunities for students to test the features of different platforms and even moderate online discussions.

– Ms Charline Van Der Beek, Economic Affairs, Development Cooperation, Environment and Internet Governance Attachée, Permanent Mission of Austria to the UN, Geneva, Switzerland

Text – Sandra Bart

KBRzVXFw Sandra Bart alumni reviewsI found the discussion on the role of moderators especially useful. Preparing the team is as vital for the success of a meeting as the actual moderation. It was also very helpful to move from the role of participant to the role of organiser, and to understand which elements are vital for the success of a virtual meeting. The entire course was extremely beneficial and well-timed now that so many of us have been suddenly thrust into the world of virtual meetings.

– Ms Sandra Bart, Sandra Bart, Legal Officer, CARICOM Secretariat, Guyana

Video – Benson Ncube

15-Benson-Ncube-alumni-video

– Mr Benson Ncube, Business Development Manager, System Automation, Botswana

Video – Katharina Frey

13-Katharina-Frey-alumni-video

– Ms Katharina Frey, Deputy Head, Swiss Mission to the UN, Vienna, Austria

Video – Mohamed A. Gawad Allam

14-Mohamed-A.-Gawad-Allam-alumni-video

– Mr Mohamed A. Gawad Allam, Commercial Office, Permanent Mission of Egypt to WTO and UN

Video – Kanika Y. Tomlinson

12-Kanika-Y.-Tomlinson-alumni-video

 â€“ Ms Kanika Y. Tomlinson, Senior Legal Officer, Implementation Unit, CARIFORUM–EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) Directorate Jamaica, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Jamaica

What skills will you gain?

  • How to organise and run online meetings, starting from the initial idea, via practical steps, to reporting and wrapping up
  • How to effectively moderate online events
  • How to select an approach to online and blended (hybrid) meetings that meets your organisation’s needs
  • How to manage the psychological and behavioural aspects of online interaction
  • How to select appropriate technical platforms and tools
  • How to benefit from the current uses and potential contributions of artificial intelligence (AI) for online events

How will you learn?

In this course you will interact intensively in discussions with classmates and lecturers from around the world. Every week participants also take part in a practice-based exercise for building management and moderation skills for online events. You will receive guidance and personalised feedback on your classwork from the course team.

How long will you learn?

The course lasts for 5 weeks:

  • 1 week of course introduction and orientation to online learning
  • 4 weeks of addressing the course topics one by one (see below for more details)

Course lecturers

Beard, Face, Head, Person, Adult, Male, Man, Accessories, Glasses

Arvin Kamberi

Head of Online Meetings, Diplo

Jovan Kurbalija

Executive Director, Diplo

Katharina Höne

Scientific Officer, DLR Projektträger (German Aerospace Center) | Researcher Diplomacy and Technology

Massimiliano Fusari

Professor, Consultant and Trainer in Digital Marketing, Strategy & Visual Storytelling

Stephanie Borg Psaila

Director of Digital Policy

Virginia (Ginger) Paque

Senior Policy Editor, Diplo

Face, Head, Person, Mustache, Adult, Male, Man, Photography, Portrait, Accessories, Glasses

Vladimir Radunović

Director of Cybersecurity & E-diplomacy, Diplo

Who should apply

This course will be of interest to:

Diplomats and other civil servants, and staff of international and non-governmental organisations, who need to build skills for managing, organising, and moderating online events.

Overview

In this highly interactive, practice-based course participants learn how to plan, manage, and run successful online events: choosing and using an appropriate technical platform, planning the entire process from the initial idea to follow up, and effectively moderating interaction in an online environment.

The course consists of 4 modules:

Module 1: Approaches and preparation

  • Psychology and behaviour (why we meet, attention spans)
  • Approaches to meetings (key decisions to make before selecting tools)
  • Principles of meetings (timing, cost, human resources, discretion, security, and other practical aspects)

This module explores the psychological and behavioural aspects of online meetings, such as how attention spans differ online from offline. We explore the main types of, approaches to, and principles for online and blended meetings, and how to match them to your meeting objectives and needs (awareness building, exchange of information, drafting, official negotiations, etc.).

Module 2: Effective moderation

  • Essential characteristics of a good moderator
  • Steps for effective moderation

In this module, you learn how to prepare both technical and practical aspects of  moderating a discussion, including technical skills, attention to accessibility and user experience, and mitigation of problems and failures (the common ‘can you hear me’ or ‘un/mute your mic’ situations). We also discuss the application of rules of procedures in online meetings.

Module 3: Advanced and emerging technologies for online meetings

  • AI tools and their use the context of online meetings
  • Virtual and augmented reality for online meetings

This module looks at advanced and emerging technologies for online meetings. We look at tools that are already in use and those that might change the future of online meetings. By the end of the module, you should be able to answer these two questions: First, what advanced and emerging technologies are out there with (potential) applicability to online meetings? And second, what do they mean for the future of online meetings?

Module 4: Security for online events

  • Information security challenges (flow of digital data, components of information security, and risk assessment)
  • Minimising security risks (encryption, security settings, digital hygiene)

Digital data is like water: it easily leaks. In this module, we explain how data flows around the Internet when we use everyday applications, what are the main risks for information security, and how we can address them. By the end of this module, you will be able to rationally assess the real security risk of a particular online activity. You will know what to look at when selecting various communication and collaboration platforms, and what are the ‘rules of thumb’ for setting up and using these platforms smartly.


With the support of:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland

Also of interest

Advanced Diploma in Internet Governance

Need more info:

DiploFoundation (attn Tanja Nikolic)

Anutruf, Ground Floor, Hriereb Street
Msida, MSD 1675, Malta

+356 21 333 323; admissions@diplomacy.edu

Methodology

The Online Meetings and Conferences online course is based on a collaborative learning approach, involving a high level of interaction over a period of 5 weeks. Reading materials and tools for online interaction are provided through an online classroom.

Each week, participants read an assigned module text, adding questions and comments as hypertext entries. Lecturers and other participants read and respond to these entries, creating interaction based on the module text. Every week participants also take part in a practice-based exercise for building management and moderation skills for online events.

Please note that due to the spread of course participants across time zones worldwide, scheduled online meeting times may not fall within working hours for all participants. Some participants may need to attend online sessions during the morning or evening hours.

This course requires a minimum of 6 hours of study time per week. Before you apply, please consider carefully whether you can commit the necessary time in order to complete the course successfully.

Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a Certified Online Moderator certificate awarded by DiploFoundation.

Prerequisites

Applicants should have:

  • Working experience with government, an international organisation, or a non-governmental organisation.
  • Responsibility for managing and/or running online meetings or conferences for an organisation or institution.
  • Sufficient knowledge of the English language to read academic texts, discuss complex concepts with other course participants, and deliver short presentations.
  • Regular access to the internet.
  • Sufficient time for online study (at least six hours per week).

Fees and scholarships

The course fee is €1000 per participant.

Note: Diplo alumni can benefit from a 15% discount on the fee for this course.

A limited number of full and partial scholarships will be provided by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland. Preference for scholarships will be given to applicants from developing countries who are responsible for managing and/or running online meetings or conferences for their organisation or institution.

How to apply

Fill out the short form to start your application process for this course. You will receive an instruction email on how to continue.

Please upload a motivation letter with your application (maximum 1 page) indicating:

  • Details of your relevant professional and educational background, including your personal objectives and plans for the future.
  • Reasons for your interest in this course.
  • Why you feel you should be selected to participate in this course: how your participation will benefit you, your institution and/or your country.
  • If you are applying for a partial scholarship (only available to developing country applicants) please include the name and email address of a referee in your organisation.

Selected applicants will be notified shortly after the application deadline.

Late applications will be considered only if places remain in the course. In case of enquiries, please contact us at admissions@diplomacy.edu

Cancellation Policy

Diplo reserves the right to cancel this course if enrolment is insufficient. In case of cancellation, Diplo will notify applicants shortly after the application deadline.



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