Virtual Community with TokBox

Top: me, Donald Wise (North Point), Chris Brown (Ridge Church, Charlotte) Bottom: Bobby Jones (Auburn Church, Auburn), Chad Clemons (Anthem Church, Gainesville)

Disrupting the Time/Space Continuum - Do you have the need to meet occasionally with people who do not work next to you? Why do you insist everybody get together in the same place? Every month, we have a conference call with teams of our Strategic Partner churches. There are 15 of them around the US and Canada. We meet in groups of 3 churches at a time. Historically, that occurred as an audio conference call. Recently, we have switched to TokBox, a free video conferencing system. The early results are very good.

Consider using this idea for training volunteers, for brainstorming, for accountability sessions.  It could even be used for small group sessions.  Maybe this idea will keep you from having to attend the family reunion in Branson, MO…  I realize it’s inferior to meeting together in the same room; however, its convenience may dramatically improve the frequency of everybody being able to meet.

Structured Conversations - Rather than a free-flow conversation, we try instead to have a structured conversation. Prior to each call, each Lead Pastor presents the Top 3 issues they’d like to discuss. In the call, we spend a little time talking about vital statistics and most of the time talking about the Top 3 issues they’re facing. Here’s how 1:30 call breaks is organized:

• 0:00-0:20 – Vital statistics – Each of the 3 participants will share, at a minimum, the following stats:
  • Income – both regular giving and fundraising (about 7 minutes each participant)
  • Expenses
  • NOI, or Cash Flow
  • Cash balance
  • Attendance trends
  • Groups participation
• 0:20 – 0:40 – Each participant will present Top 3, Item 1. (about 7 minutes each)
• 0:40 – 1:00 - Each participant will present Top 3, Item 2. (about 7 minutes each)
• 1:00 – 1:20 – Each participant will present Top 3, Item 3. (about 7 minutes each)
• 1:20 – 1:30 – Wrap-up

TokBox Hints – Here are some helpful hints for using TokBox:

• If your laptop does not have a built-in camera, you can order a USB plug-in camera for $10 from a supplier like Newegg.
• Plug simple iPod-type headphones into your computer. Otherwise there’s a lot of reverb from your computer’s speakers back into your computer’s mic.
• Be in a quiet place. Calling from outside or a Starbucks won’t work well because of all the ambient noise your computer’s microphone will pick up.
• If possible, try to use an ethernet or actual line connection to your network. The bandwidth or “throughput” speed on those is generally a good bit faster than what you’ll get via a wifi connection.

How can you use TokBox and the idea of Structured Conversations in your meetings?