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Help for INCA Members: Working in a COVID-19 World

As with most – if not all of – our members, here at INCA we've been coming to terms with the need ot transform how we do business in the new reality of COVID-19. INCA’s team has been working remotely since we started in 2009, so we have plenty of practical experience in managing small teams and larger groups in online meetings. During the current crisis all of our seminars and group meetings will be run online using Zoom. We are very happy to share our experience so you can benefit.

We're shaping our services around three core themes:

Keeping the Show on the Road

The situation we’re in is likely to worsen before it improves, if the experience of other countries is anything to go by, and with luck will then begin to plateau and hopefully improve. Our focus during this phase is about keeping our members well informed in what is a fast-changing situation, and providing practical support where its helpful with some of the basics of distributed working:

Everything Online - Using Collaborative Working Tools

Do you need advice with moving your meetings and collaborative working online?
We can offer advice and packages of training and support around some or all of the following:

  • Video Calls and Conferencing
    • The Pros and Cons Video calls vs Telephone calls
    • Technology choices - and why video calls are better (even with video switched off)
    • Checking the Home Set-up
    • Computer, tablet, phone
    • Sound - headphones and microphone
    • Camera - on or off? Camera position
    • Broadband connection and wifi
    • Managing and Chairing online sessions (for small and large groups)
    • Scheduling tips and getting everyone into the call
    • Avoiding the deathly silence, or the cacophony of everyone speaking at once
    • When to use group calls and when a webinar works better
    • Presenting using screen share
    • Using group and individual chat to ask questions and increase interactivity
    • Recording calls - share the info once, make it available later
  • Working collaboratively on documents
  • Using Slack to facilitate teamwork
    • Creating Slack teams
    • Direct messages to colleagues
    • Using Slack channels
    • Bringing members of partner organisations on board
    • Openness and Privacy
  • Online Surveys
    • Surveymonkey basics
    • Closed and open questions
    • Multiple choice
    • Question logic - keeping larger surveys short by presenting just the relevant questions

INCA Helpline

We've established a Member's Helpline, open to everyone who works for an INCA member organsiation. Got questions about the current state of play on safe working, social distancing, key workers, support for businesses, or maybe you just need to hear a friendly voice in these difficult days. Call us between the hours of 10 and 3 on weekdays on 0330 113 2070, or you can also reach us via email at helpline@inca.coop.

Co-ordination & Communication

We're working to help our members and our sector survive and thrive through these challenging times. Digital connectivity is perhaps more important now than ever before, in enabling people to work effectively from home, and in keeping vulnerable people in touch and supported. Let us know what you needs and challenges are, and we'll ensure that we feed this in to the twice-weekly calls with DCMS and other industry leaders. And we're working hard to get important news and information disseminated promptly andf effectively.

Preparing for Recovery

We're all hoping that the situation will ease as soon as possible, and restrictions will begin to be lifted to enable the economy to regather pace. This in itself will be challenging as supply chains may have collapsed, money might be tight, skills may have been lost, business may have gone to the wall. We've already begun the work of thinking through how best INCA can be of use to help in this recovery phase – understnading the challenges, developing ideas and solutions.

Let us know if we can help. By working together as a sector we will get through this crisis in better shape and better prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that lie beyond COVID-19.