Top 3 Hosting Tips from TAAE

Hey #TeachAgChat -ers! If you're here, you're most likely getting ready to host your own chat. We wish you the best of luck. Michael and I had a blast hosting in late January. We want to share our Top 3 Hosting Tips!

1. Promotion, promotion, promotion!: Infographics are a must for promotion. Data has shown that tweets and FB posts are more likely to be read when they contain a picture or infographic.  (We loved using Canva!) They also allow you more than 140 characters to get potential Tweeps excited about your upcoming #TeachAgChat. Also, consider that many people do not use Twitter as frequently, so cross-promote across various social media platforms. Be willing to share how a Twitter chat works with the less experienced educators. You may be the bridge into this new experience for them!
2. Be Quick on the Draw: The actual event is very fast-paced. One hour is not much time for 8-9 #TeachAgChat questions. In fact, we only posted 6 questions for our chat, and it still felt very rushed. It is very important to structure your questions with a time limit in mind. Some Q’s require more time than others. You should also remind people constantly to respond with the proper Twitter chat format (A# and #TeachAgChat) in their post so that things can be easily followed and archived well.
3. Practice Makes Perfect: Practice before you host. It is very important to participate in a few Twitter Chats before your big night of hosting #TeachAgChat A great one to visit is #AgChat every Tuesday night. Also, since you know the prompts ahead of time, prepare your answers and just paste them into Twitter the night of, so you can spend more time introducing new members and helping with the flow of the chat. In the same vein, make sure to get your prompts to your experts as early as possible so they are free to gather resources.

Bonus Tip: Use the manual Dr. Foster and his students developed! It has great suggestions for a host, but also basic information that you could share with teachers who want to participate but don't know how or even what a Twitter chat is. Information for all levels of experience!

We'd love to connect with you! (@jlumpffa and @tnagteacher) Thanks to Dr. Foster for allowing the Tennessee Association of Agriculture Educators host. To all future hosts, we'll see you in the chat!

-Jessie Lumpkins and Michael Shirley