GEEK SPEAK! What is Toasty and how can I use it for my virtual gatherings? BY JESSICA DUNHAM
Meet Jessica Dunham, EAST Director of Events. Jessica introduced EAST to Toasty when the staff began working remotely as a way to remain engaged and entertained during long meetings. If you are looking for a fun way to help colleagues, staff, and students combat “Zoom fatigue” and remain interactive while virtual, take a look at what Toasty has to offer!
What is Toasty?
Why/when would I want to use Toasty?
Toasty was created to combat the frustration of ineffective, unproductive online meetings by transforming them into interactive, collaborative experiences. In a nutshell, Toasty is a video conferencing platform with built-in activities that are designed to engage attendees. Think Zoom or Google Meet but with a variety of icebreakers and team-building right at your fingertips.
It’s perfect for any type of virtual gathering! Use Toasty to encourage brainstorming and discussions during a team meeting or to complement the training activities in a workshop. It’s also a great tool to establish trust among team members, to encourage conversation among people meeting for the first time, and to facilitate networking opportunities. It should also be noted that Toasty limits its platform to 25 participants per session, so keep that in mind.
Getting attendees to participate in meetings is not an easy task, and virtual meetings have additional obstacles to overcome. Attendees can more easily go unnoticed in the “background” and some find it even harder to speak up during a virtual meeting. Toasty helps meeting planners create a comfortable, inviting atmosphere that encourages conversation and engages attendees right from the very beginning.
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EAST QUARTERLY | EASTinitiative.org
How does Toasty work? Toasty is very simple to use - it can be set up in minutes and adjusted on the fly. It features a control center that enables the meeting host to manage participants, including moving them into breakout rooms. The activity toolbar is where meeting hosts can create activities or add templates on the spot, as well as edit, rearrange, or remove activities at any time.
