How can you effectively train online volunteers to communicate with each other?

1 Set clear expectations

Before you start any online volunteering project, you need to set clear expectations for your volunteers about their roles, responsibilities, and goals. This will help them understand what they are expected to do, how they will be supervised and evaluated, and how they will collaborate with other volunteers. You can use online documents, such as Google Docs or Dropbox Paper, to create and share your project guidelines, timelines, and milestones. You can also use online surveys, such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey, to collect feedback and suggestions from your volunteers.

2 Choose the right tools

Communicating with your online volunteers can be done in a variety of ways, depending on your needs and preferences. Email is a simple and reliable way to send and receive messages, attachments, and updates. You can use group chats or channels to discuss specific topics or tasks with chat tools like Slack, WhatsApp, or Telegram. Video is also a powerful way to communicate face to face with your online volunteers for meetings, trainings, or presentations. Popular video tools include Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet. Additionally, you can use email to schedule meetings or events using tools like Calendly or Doodle. With these options, you can create rapport and trust while providing feedback and sharing ideas.

3 Provide training and support

Training and support are essential for your online volunteers to communicate effectively with each other. You need to provide them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources to use the tools you have chosen, and to follow the communication protocols you have established. You can provide training and support through various methods, such as online courses, webinars, and mentors. Online courses are a convenient and flexible way to teach your online volunteers about the basics of online communication, while webinars are an interactive and engaging way to teach them about the specific aspects of online communication. Mentors are a personal and supportive way to teach your online volunteers about the nuances of online communication. You can use online platforms, such as Coursera, Udemy, Zoom, Webex, GoToWebinar, MentorCruise, MentorCloud, or MicroMentor to access these resources.

4 Encourage feedback and recognition

Feedback and recognition are essential for online volunteers to communicate effectively with each other. You should provide them with constructive and timely feedback on their performance, progress, and impact, while also recognizing their achievements and efforts. There are various ways to encourage feedback and recognition, such as reviews, surveys, and stories. Reviews are a formal and objective way to provide feedback and recognition; they can be conducted on online platforms such as Google Sheets or Airtable. Surveys are an informal and subjective way to provide feedback; they can be created on platforms such as SurveyMonkey or Typeform. Stories are a creative and emotional way to recognize online volunteers; they can be shared through platforms like Medium or Instagram.

5 Foster community and culture

Community and culture are essential for your online volunteers to communicate effectively with each other. To foster a sense of belonging, identity, and purpose among your online volunteers, while celebrating their diversity, values, and passions, you can use various methods. Events are a fun and social way to create and maintain community and culture among your online volunteers. You can organize or join events using online platforms such as Eventbrite, Meetup, or Hopin. Additionally, you can use online platforms such as Kahoot, Jackbox, or Houseparty to play games, quizzes, or trivia with your online volunteers. Forums are an informative and collaborative way to create and maintain community and culture among your online volunteers. You can create or join forums using online platforms such as Reddit, Quora, or Stack Exchange. Furthermore, you can create or join groups, pages, or hashtags on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to post and comment on news or stories. Blogs are a personal and expressive way to create and maintain community and culture among your online volunteers. You can use online platforms such as Medium, WordPress, or Squarespace to create or join blogs for your online volunteers to write about their experiences. Finally, you can use Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok to create or join blogs using photos, videos, or audio.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?