How best to explain Skype to a retirement community?
Next month I’m presenting a presentation to a retirement community about how awesome Skype is for keeping in touch with their distant (sometimes great-)grandchildren. I’m trying to work off some community service (karmic, not legal) by donating my time and knowledge to local seniors on the use of Skype in particular.
The problem I’m facing is that I’m on slide 8 and I don’t know how, or if I should, continue. Slide 1 is the splash "What is Skype?" page, 2 is a list of free services, 3 is paid services (and within the accompanying speech I intend to emphasize that these are business oriented, and that the free services are truly robust, and will not leave them wanting, and slides 4-6 are screen caps to demonstrate clarity of the video. Slide 7 is a sample screen recording from a wicked cute me, mom, and my daughter call, and slide 8 is going to be a "And one more thing…" and do a live call at that moment.
I’m trying to get an idea of what kinds of questions seniors might have so I can be best prepared to address them, what fears I should expect (in their shoes I would assume that I was trying to grift them somehow), and generally any other notes.
Our country’s seniors are NOT afforded the respect they once were, and as a 28 year old I find it infuriating. My goal is to help them use the tools that people in my age range take for granted, because I have the patience to explain (literally) 14 times in a row how to copy pictures onto The Drive Thing.
If anybody can help me with any suggestions on what kind of questions I should prepare for, or really any other input at all that would be super.
And I totally promise that I will give a best answer within a reasonable amount of time (I don’t wanna close it too early, but you’ll get credit). Thanks a lot, all!
Edit 1: Thanks for the support! The presentation is how the business wants to get it started; we show the residents what it is, what they can do with it, do a q&a, etc, and kind of go from there. They want to be sure that it’s something worth investing time and energy into, and interested residents would have to sign up for certain blocks of time and so on.
I’m just hoping that y’all might know somebody who had trouble getting to know Skype and could help me out with THIR questions, or pointers on the slide show; this is my first Keynote presentation since one on PUNK ROCK AND SKINHEADS in high school, so although my concept is good, I was hoping that from what I described somebody more into presentation design theory or whatever could give me some pointers.
Edit 2: Larry, you know that just cos you *can* write stuff doesn’t mean you *should*. The site it called "Yahoo! Answers," not "Yahoo! I’m A Grumpy Old POS Who Is So Stupid I Think That 1/3 of a Page of Text Is Too Much To Be Bothered To Read."
Filed under: Retirement Communities
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Skype may be wonderful, but it does have annoying glitches. I use it about once a week to talk to my daughter interstate….we both have excellent computer systems and high-speed broadband connections….but I can guarantee that at least once, sometimes five or six times in a 15 minute call, the damned screen will "freeze", we’ll lose the audio, or the whole call will drop out. I report it every time and still it happens. When Skype is really reliable I’ll recommend it to everyone – right now I won’t.
It sounds like you’re well prepared for it. I may suggest giving them a hands on experience. How to set up their skype account perhaps, or even have them calling their relatives right then and there, a little workshop if you will. It may be much though.
Your post is way too long. I didn’t read much of it, but I can tell you most of us aren’t interested in skype,whatever that is.I have a phone and know how to keep in touch with anyone I want to.
I have used Skype and Messenger for a number of years. But I know others who wouldn’t try it.
I am suggesting that it is a good first step to talk about it. But it won’t be as successful as it could be unless you have a hands-on workshop to provide step by step assistance. Once you get them started, then it will be valuable. But just to give the information, won’t do it. Many fear failure, frustration, unknown dangers.Just the weird word, "Skype" is a bit scary really! Lead them through the process and you will have a winner!
You can compare it to the phone, but a more modern way. You get to see the other person just like you are there. Phone call comparisons, may demystify, and engage the imagination.
Good luck.
first ask those who already know how to use it to raise their hands. Then the few left can learn from them. Just set it up and go.