Rotary Information

PDG.Oranong Siripromanas Rotary Club of Plutaluang

Rotary Training in the New Normal

“Virtual Conference หรืือ Virtual Meeting is meetings combines a Live In-person Event with on-line virtual event components ”

By now, the words “Virtual Conference” or “Virtual Meeting” must have become more familiar to Rotarians. This is because the COVID-19 pandemic has forced people in this world to change their way of living and working to a new format. Likewise, Rotary has to adjust itself so that all missions can be carried on smoothly. Rotary International encourages all Rotary districts to organize on-line or virtual training to minimize the risks from contacting and spreading the COVID-19 virus. I believe that at present no-one would question if virtual meetings are necessary or not. However, some may doubt if this new type of meeting is important and why we have to follow this trend. I’d like to explain that virtual meetings respond to the measures of the Department of Disease Control under the Ministry of Health to prevent and control the pandemic. In addition, through virtual meetings participants not only save their time and expenses in renting the location, organizers can also choose an appropriate format to encourage participation as per the meeting objective. Participants can join from anywhere while communication among them remains normal. Moreover, virtual meetings facilitate more efficient record keeping and analysis. At the same time, this type of meetings combines a live in-person event with on-line virtual event components. As a result, it allows those who may not be able to join the meeting at a particular location due to travel or time limitation to join that on-line meeting instead. Since the meeting format has changed, as the Training Chairperson for 2021-2022 I have done more research on virtual meetings. I am sure that this type of meeting will continue to be used in the future even after the pandemic disappears. People’s way of life will not be the same again. Working from home will be normal while working at the office will be less. Many people will spend this time moving to a closer location to their family as they can work from home now. Accepting various technologies that help us connect more will be beneficial to us in the long run. I believe that living apart during this pandemic has enabled us to see the value of privacy and safety. In every crisis, there are always hidden opportunities. I hope you will handle the new normal with conscience. The pandemic has frightened us, but we have learned more about how to protect ourselves. It may have interrupted the implementation of our various activities, but it has allowed us time to prepare for the next steps, farther than before. Please look for alternatives for our survival during this crisis. Be open-minded and be able to use new technologies. Fellow Rotarians, we will move forward together and strengthen our friendship through the new channels which will stay with us for a long time.