It’s about the people, not the tech
Last week I got up before 5am, not for a special yoga class but to do an experiment.
I joined a crowd of facilitators from the northern hemisphere curious to find out about the new feature in Zoom break out rooms.
Relax. This is a not a technical article. This week, I park the platforms and talk a bit about some facilitation fundamentals.
But back to the experiment. It was fun and everyone could see the potential.
👍🏼 More choice. #Freedom. No more work arounds to give people the power to move.
😀 Conferences! Open space! Team work! Parties!
🤔 #Wonder how this will work with large groups grappling with controversial topics?
🤨 Just as I got to a room, everyone decided to leave!
😕 Doesn’t work on phones or tablets. How do you know what version you have? Downloading an update – fast - is not easy.
Depending on the topic and participants, I'd probably plan for a facilitator in each room.
I’d also offer participants 'teaching' sessions well beforehand. At different times, over the week before a workshop. Thirty minutes before won't work.
Some of us were uncomfortable. Some had to exit and come back. Others forgot their headphones. Without exception, we all played from the perspective of our participants.
It warmed my heart. Facilitators are there to serve the group.
I promised I’d park the platforms. That’s what Rebecca Sutherns and I do in riff #5 in our conversation series on facilitation. We talk about how good facilitation allows us to:
✔ Connect so we can collaborate.
✔ Participate in purposeful activities that get productive outcomes.
✔ Sustain our energy.
✔ Create a safe space for robust conversations.
We talk about what can go wrong when the focus is on the tech, rather than facilitating for purpose.
Rebecca ends with a really good challenge for us all - what she calls using the Minimum Viable Platform.
There’s one problem with this riff. There is SO much gold in it that we couldn’t edit it. So, we split it in two. You can watch part 1 here.
I’ll share part 2 next week.
Enjoy! And please drop me a line to share your thoughts. I’d love to build on the conversation.
Work with me to get the best of both worlds for your next workshop.
I can help in three ways:
Teach you how to design a workshop that delivers. Tip: no icebreakers 😉!
Guide you as you design your own workshops. Sense check your workshop plan, brainstorm ideas for activities, de-brief after or in the middle if things are going pear-shaped.
Facilitate for you: I work with you to design, deliver and evaluate an engaging and creative session that delivers the outcomes you need.
Book a 15-minute meeting with me to get the ball rolling.