Virtual headspin
As much as I love doing ochos* in a milonga, you can get dizzy.
There are times when you wish your partner would stop leading you into them and just walk.
Walk so you can connect with your axis. Walk so you can re-connect in the embrace.
Moving my facilitation practice completely online in the past few weeks has felt a little like a whole dance of ochos. No time to pause and just walk.
But in tango, if you can’t walk, you can’t do ochos. Fundamentals come first or you lose your balance.
The sudden switch to digital has left me as dizzy as a dance full of ochos.
I love new toys but it’s been a bit overwhelming.
🎤 “What mic are your using?”
📹 “How many cameras have you got?”
🎤 “How many mics have you got?”
💡 “Where can I get some lights – fast?”
📺 “How many screens should I have?”
😰 “Where can I buy a webcam?”
And that’s just some of the hardware.
It might just be me, but it feels like we need to get back to the basics.
The tools don’t matter as much as the content. Tango shoes look fabulous, but they don’t make the dancer.
And online tools don’t make for effective facilitation.
Whether it’s face-to-face or virtual, the bulk of a facilitator’s work is before anyone steps into the room – real or virtual.
The more effort put into design, the more effortless the engagement. Heavy lifting up front results in effortless engagement and easy evaluation.
The room does look different – no question. But there’s no difference between facilitation fundamentals.
You’ve got to invest in the design – face-to-face or online.
Chapters and books are devoted to photographic gear too. But you don’t need expensive cameras to take photos, or get better at noticing. As Julian Mather, world class videographer turned smartphone video evangelist says, ‘…everything you need is in the palm of your hand’.
Have a go at one of the basic of facilitation and photography with this week’s #Facilitography exercise: framing.
Here are your instructions:
📷 Choose something, or someone, to photograph out on the street, in your garden, or in the view from your window.
📷 Take a vertical photo.
📷 Then take a horizontal photo.
Compare them. What’s different? What’s the same? What is emphasised? What is missing? Which one ‘suits’ the subject better? Which one do you like more?
David Gibson says that ‘…taking vertical images will improve your framing instincts.' What do you think?
*Ocho is a tango step where the feet move backwards or forward in a figure of 8. They are faster in the milonga style of dance, as compared to a slower tango or valse.
Curious about how street photography can help you to get better at reading the room, and the zoom? Join me at my Virtual #Facilitography Walkshop on the last Tuesday of every month, 11am – 12.30pm in my Zoom meeting room.
Book here
See what people say about my #Facilitography Walkshops. Watch here.