The Challenge
The Nova Scotia Teachers Pension held a virtual questions panel in 2021. With over ten unique meetings across three days, this event allowed Nova Scotia teachers to ask questions about their pension plans. What made this event challenging, was how intricate it had to be. Four individual groups ran at different times across the three days, with each group demanding the same level of fluidity. Given the seriousness of the event, it was imperative for the Q&A to run as smoothly and as efficiently as possible.
The Solution
Before the event, our team created a landing page that allowed teachers to select their respective groups. This ensured a high degree of structure and organization throughout the event. To support a seamless Q&A session in each group, duplicate and anonymous questions were carefully managed and prevented, the audio of non-speakers was appropriately muted, and the chat function was disabled.
What this did was foster a sense of order and professionalism that allowed questions to flow appropriately. When it was time for a question to be asked, our facilitator unmuted the participant to speak, or promoted them to a panelist, to speak and be seen. What also contributed to a successful event was the fact that we hosted a practise session for the panelists, giving them a chance to understand how the event would run and to fine-tune anything that would potentially disrupt the flow.
The Results
It’s safe to say our work before, during and after the event contributed to its overall success. Our landing page offered organization with the attendees, while our practise session offered organization with the panelists. During the event, it was the meticulous management of the Q&A session that helped it run smoothly. It was everything from the moderation of questions, the troubleshooting of technical issues, and the management of Zoom functions that helped us achieve positive results. After the event, our team created a shared folder where all the recordings were stored for easy access to view and download.
About Nova Scotia Teachers' Pension Plan Panel
In October 2020, the Province of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union agreed to jointly appoint a committee to review the ongoing challenges facing the Teachers’ Pension Plan.
The agreement was reached outside the teachers’ collective agreement and includes an independent committee of three pension specialists. The Panel’s mandate is to review the TPP, educate and consult with stakeholders, and make non-binding recommendations to fully fund the TPP within a reasonable period of time.