Generations Podcast -episode 1-Ming Yang from Orchard Info
Mar 23, 2021, 11:22 PM
Since the pandemic outbreak, we have seen a spike in the number of people working from home with over 42% of Americans now working remotely full-time. In addition, many seniors no longer have the same type of in-person family member to turn to for help with their technology with cities being shut down, safety protocols many seniors abide by safe during the pandemic, and distance.
With many of these individuals having to quickly adapt to a full-time remote work environment, one of the primary challenges older Americans face is learning how to use Zoom. While it may seem easy to you and me, it can be quite challenging for first-time use, and adjusting to being on camera during calls would be a very new experience for many.
Twenty-five-year-old Founder of Orchard Info Ming Yang wants to help! Her organization, Orchard, holds a primary purpose to help older adults be able to adapt to new technology by providing phone and internet support to walk your loved ones step-by-step through these new technology processes, from creating a Zoom account to helping with their social media accounts. Ming has put together her top 5 tips for teaching your parents and grandparents how to use Zoom:
- Don’t start with a phone call, just start with a phone video call.
Teach them to flip the camera!
- Point them to the right button faster by using position-specific language:
“At the bottom, starting from the most left side, find the second icon, do you see a camera?” Same for the microphone.
Navigate their eyes with your instructions.
Don’t: “Do you see it? It’s right there. It’s to the right.”
Do: “You see that big blah button? Okay. Look a bit to the left, and a little bit more.”
- Specify which mouse click to use.
If your parents aren't ... Left-click, right-click, single-click.
- “Don’t click on anything until I specify for you to do so.”
Prevent them from accidentally closing something before you give the instructions.
- Pretend you’re helping your boss’s mom.
You will be guaranteed to be Zen and patient.