On the 6th June, nearly 40 Members experienced attending an Assignment 1 held over the internet for the first time. Whilst we had used technology for some of our far-flung Members across the world before the world went into lockdown, under those restrictions, it is now a necessity for the ordinary business of the Guild to continue.

There had been a few trial runs without a wider audience so Members were eagerly looking forward to see how it was going to work. The conclusions – generally very well! There is a facility to ask questions during the course of the assignment through the “chat” facility (they were used by the validator to draw up the questions which he asked the candidate at the end of the presentation) and there is a “poll” button to provide audience feedback to the validators before they go offline to make their determination.

We all had a good idea of who was in the “room” from the “hellos” in the chat box, and it was easy to imagine that you were sitting in the same room with other members that you knew would be scratching their chins or expressing approving looks depending how they thought the presentation was going!

So next time an online assignment is offered, do jump aboard and not only listen in but participate with questions. You might also learn something about a battle or campaign that you didn’t know! One tip – print off the candidate’s handout or get a second screen or tablet etc to follow it, as flipping between screens distracts your attention!

Thanks to Dudley Giles for organising and hosting the Demio session and the Validation team present. Last but not least, thanks to the candidate Peter, who despite an interesting presentation, joins the Referred Club like the vast majority of us who have gone through the Accreditation Programme.