Over the last few months I have gotten several requests to write a blog about using Facebook Live and how a school council can leverage this tool. It is a great tool to use when you want your school community to be more inclusive and help bolster poor parent meeting attendance.
What is Facebook Live?
For those not familiar with Facebook Live, Facebook Live is a free video livestreaming tool that is a part of the Facebook platform/app. Facebook Live allows you to broadcast live to your Facebook audience right from your Facebook account. You can simply broadcast using a smartphone or tablet that has the Facebook app loaded onto it. A wireless Internet connection is required (Please keep in mind that if you are broadcasting from your mobile phone without a WiFi connection that it will use a considerable amount of your data).
How can Facebook Live help my school parent council?
Taking advantage of the use of Facebook Live, parent councils can broadcast meetings, allowing parents at home or work or even those taking their children to after school activities to view the meeting. It is also a great way to encourage communication from the school community by posting questions and asking parents for feedback via the comments section of the live post. The Facebook Live tool brings your school community into their surroundings by delivering it to them right on their phone or device.
Another great asset of using the Facebook Live tool is that once the live broadcast is wrapped up, the video stays on the group’s Facebook page where it can be viewed anytime. The original broadcaster can also save the video file to his/her device for use on other mediums such as posting on YouTube.
Here are some tips to help before you begin
- Do a test run
Before going live on your groups page, do a test run by selecting the Live Video option on a Facebook post. Get familiar with how to start and end a Facebook Live session so you are familiar with the basics. Once you select the “Go Live” option, there is a “3-2-1” countdown before you are actually live.Doing a test run from the actual location you are going to broadcast from is another great idea as you will be able to tell if your internet connection will be fast and stable enough to broadcast. - Have a reliable wireless connection
Sometimes in schools, more specially older buildings, that is not the case. You school council may have to come up with a work around. Either using a laptop with a wired connection or having to broadcast the meeting from another location. - Consider purchasing a microphone
If you plan on broadcasting in a large room or will be broadcasting in a room with a lot of people in it your school council should invest in a good microphone. - Test all equipment before broadcasting
Make sure everything works! If you are using a mobile device make sure to have a plug close by. You do not want to have your battery run out during the broadcast. If that is not possible try investing in a portable battery pack. - Invest in a phone stand or small tripod.
This way, you do not have to burden yourself with holding the phone throughout the broadcast. You can get an inexpensive tabletop tripod from Amazon. - Check the background
Make sure your background is appealing and not distracting to viewers. - Assign a moderator
Ask someone on parent council, or a volunteer to help track likes, questions and comments as they are posted. Make sure to introduce your moderator at the start of the broadcast and reminder your audience that he/she will be interrupting you from time to time with questions that are being received from the Facebook Live feed. - Don’t forget to post a recording of your live meeting to your page
This is a good resource to your school community for those who were not able to attend.
Broadcaster/Host tips
- When you first go live, take your time and allow a few minutes for people to join you.
Group members get a notification that you are live and may need a few moments to tune in. - At the start of the broadcast, introduce yourself and let viewers know they can post questions in the comments section.
- Don’t worry if something unexpected happens.
If something comes up, just roll with it. Remember that you’re broadcasting to other parents in your school community; they’ll understand! - Keep interacting with your viewers.
At different times throughout the broadcast, reintroduce yourself and welcome people who have just joined you. - Be sure to say goodbye when wrapping up the video!
Make sure to say goodbye when ending your broadcast and thanking those both in attendance and those joining your Facebook Live feed for coming to the meeting. Be sure to also thank your moderator and those parents who provided feedback.
If you are able to, taking advantage of using the Facebook Live tool is a great way to engage many parents that you may have not been able to in the past. It is an easy way to connect with parents that might not have not had the opportunity to attend meetings due to other obligations. It is a great way to include more parents and keep them more engaged.
Want more info?
If you are still searching for more information and can’t find it in one of our blogs/articles be sure to reach out to other parent council members via our parent engagement forum.
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