BWSR has a new Regional Training Engineer:
Welcome, Amanda Deans!

BWSR is pleased to announce Amanda Deans as one of the new Regional Training Engineers for the Technical Training and Certification Program! Over the past 12 years Amanda has worked throughout Minnesota for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, most recently as the State Hydraulic Engineer in St. Paul, MN.

Amanda and her husband, Shawn, have a 2 year old daughter, Aubrey. When Amanda isn’t working, she likes to spend time with her family, likes to travel, likes baking & being crafty, and likes being outside!

Amanda brings a wealth of knowledge of NRCS conservation practices, engineering design, and Job Approval Authority. If you have questions or suggestions for Amanda, she can be reached by email at amanda.deans@state.mn.us or by phone at: (651) 297-7360.

Tips for Online Meetings

Skype, WebEx, Zoom and GoToMeeting are becoming familiar words to us as there has been an increase in conducting meetings online due to COVID-19. For some, this is something new. Below are some useful tips when hosting and participating in meetings online.

For conveners of the meetings:

• Before the meeting starts, be sure to send out all documents that will be part of the meeting. This is especially important if some participants will be joining by phone or audio only.
• Be sure to assign someone other than the person(s) presenting/convening to monitor the Chat Box or Question and Answer Box. It can be difficult to do both tasks at the same time.
• Do an online test run with others who will be convening the meeting and/or sharing their screen to be sure everyone knows how to log in, use the features available such as chat, and upload documents to the screen.

If sharing your screen:

• Be sure to have the documents you will be sharing open and minimized on your computer before the meeting starts.
• If you have the option to use “Annotate” during a meeting, use it to keep the attention of participants. Selecting this option will allow you to highlight, point to, or draw on the screen when you are presenting.
• Be sure to close email and Instant Messaging.

For all participating in the meeting:

• Mute yourself when you are not speaking. Background noise such as pets, traffic if window is open, or others talking will be picked up and make it difficult for others to hear.
• If you start your audio connection with a headset, use the headset for the entire meeting. Some online platforms will disconnect your audio if you started with a headset and then unplug your headset from your computer to use the computer speakers.