// FREE COURSE · NO SIGN-UP
See their faces — video calling made simple
Grandchildren growing up fast, or friends on the other side of the world? This free course gently shows you how to see their faces on a video call — step by step, at your own pace, and with a printable certificate waiting at the end.
- ● 100% free
- ● 6 short lessons
- ● Certificate & checklist
Welcome
// WHAT’S IN THIS COURSE
6 short lessons, at your own pace
Every lesson ends with one gentle “what would you do?” question — no scores, no time limits, no pass marks. Here’s what you’ll cover:
- You already have everything you need. Here’s some good news to start with: if you own a smartphone, a tablet or a laptop made in the last ten years or so, it almost certainly has a camera and microphone built in.
- Your first WhatsApp video call. If your family already use WhatsApp for messages, video calling is the easiest possible next step — it lives inside the same app you already have.
- Zoom — joining the whole family at once. WhatsApp is lovely for one or two faces.
- Looking and sounding your best. Three little tricks make a world of difference, and none of them costs a penny.
- When it goes wrong (and it does, for everyone). First, the most reassuring fact in this whole course: when a video call misbehaves, it is almost never your fault , and you almost certainly haven’t broken anything.
- Staying safe on camera. Video calling is one of the safest, happiest things you can do online — you can see exactly who you’re talking to.
// KEEP THIS BY THE COMPUTER
Your one-page checklist
The whole course, boiled down to the reminders that matter. Print it and keep it near the computer.
- Use your home Wi-Fi for video calls - they cost nothing extra
- WhatsApp: open the chat, then tap the small video camera icon
- Answer a video call with the green button, just like any phone call
- Zoom: press the link you were sent - no account needed to join
- Nobody can hear you? Check the microphone button is not on mute
- Face the light - never sit with a bright window behind you
- Prop the device at eye height - a pile of books works well
- Frozen picture or robot voice? Leave the call and rejoin
- Decline unexpected video calls from strangers
- Never do anything private on camera - video calls can be recorded
// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
Do video calls really cost nothing?
Over your home Wi-Fi, yes — video calls cost nothing extra, wherever in the world the other person is. WhatsApp calls have no time limit at all, and while Zoom’s free version does limit group calls (around 40 minutes at the time of writing), restarting costs nothing either — you just press the link again. The one thing to watch is mobile data: away from Wi-Fi, video eats into your monthly allowance quickly, so save the long catch-ups for home.
Do I need to buy a webcam or any special equipment?
Almost certainly not. Any reasonably recent smartphone, tablet or laptop has a camera and microphone built in, and they were made for exactly this. Start with what you already own — very few people ever need anything more.
Do I need a Zoom account to join the family quiz?
No. Joining a call that someone else has organised needs no account and costs nothing — the link they send you does all the work. You’d only ever need an account if you wanted to organise calls yourself.
My family all have iPhones and use FaceTime. Does this course still help?
Yes. FaceTime is Apple’s video-calling app and works a little differently, but everything here about lighting, eye height, muting, fixing frozen calls and staying safe applies just the same. WhatsApp also works on both Android phones and iPhones, so it makes a lovely meeting point for mixed families.
Is the course really free, and do I get a certificate?
Completely free — no account, no card details, nothing to install. At the end you can print a 365 Techies certificate of completion with your name on it. It’s our way of saying well done rather than a formal qualification, but it looks rather smart on the fridge.
What if I get stuck partway through?
Then you’re exactly the person we made this for. Ring us on 01202 775566 and a friendly local person will help — or come along to our in-person lessons at the Kinson Community Centre in Bournemouth and we’ll practise a video call together.
Rather learn with a friendly human?
We run patient, plain-English computer lessons at the Kinson Community Centre — and we’re on the phone Mon–Fri, 9–5. No silly questions, ever.
01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM
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