Operating Overview’s

Currently, operating on the tech team includes using either a sound desk or operating our visuals computer.

Over the past 8 months, I’ve been training volunteers at our various services to operate in these roles. My training strategy has been a process of: watch, try, do. Our volunteers would join myself or another trained person, watching and discussing how things worked. The following week, they’d try themselves with help. Finally, they would have a go doing it themselves, with myself supporting them. This process is an adaptation of William Stewart Halsted’s 1890s ‘see one, do one, teach one‘ concept in surgical training.

To support this training, I constructed copies of condensed instructions with tips and reminders for both roles.

This strategy has helped volunteers learn not only how to operate, but also taught how the systems work. We’re still training more volunteers and I am still filling in a lot of the gaps in our roster.

As mentioned in my blog: The Future is Now, stage 2 aims to introduce cameras, live-streaming, and new lighting. These will require operators either adapted from current roles or new roles entirely. I expect to continue the ‘watch, try, do‘ approach in training these operators. As I have both training and experience in each of these areas, I’ll probably be covering this position for a little while before training our team.

You can read more about our lighting and camera plans in some of my other blogs.

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