Blog
Who decides what’s the New Normal?
What will our new normal look like? As we adjust to a world containing Covid19, there are many ideas about what’s going to be different and what will stay the same. Pre-Covid, life, more or less, went on. Then suddenly with the pandemic a significant number of interactions stopped or changed…
Apology not accepted – Virtual Facilitation #7
How many times are you hearing apologies for poor use of technology during online calls?
The good news is that there is lots that can be done so that in the long-term, you will gain confidence from your successes and your participants will gain confidence in you.
Encouraging constructive conversations online – Virtual Facilitation #6
If you put your participants into breakout rooms, you can’t expect great conversations online to break out automatically. This is where you need to take even more care in an online world than when facilitating at a f-2-f conference or workshop..
What this disruption means for the future – two confident predictions
Many of us are discovering new possibilities in lockdown and also wondering what the future might look like. We’re questioning the ways that we have been used to working all these years. Whether work simply stopped or was conducted exclusively from home, there was a sudden and unavoidable disruption.
How to create engagement in virtual meetings – Virtual Facilitation #5
How do we create (more) engagement in virtual meetings with a group that’s still pretty unfamiliar with good Zoom meetings? And that likely means most of your participants.
If you can do that, you’ll immediately stand out from the cavalcade of everyone and their uncle who are now offering online sessions..
Defusing dangerous dogma in improvisation
This week a group of us re-watched, via Facebook, one of the most impactful talks ever given at an Applied Improvisation Network Conference. Pablo Suarez spoke about adapting what we know (i.e. improvisation) to the field of disaster preparedness.
What dogmas do you think can be let go from classic improv-theatre?
How to warm up a virtual meeting – Virtual Facilitation #4
One great question to warm up a virtual meeting is, ‘What are you enjoying about the lockdown?’.
While that may seem paradoxical, there will be some things that people are benefiting from by staying at home, whether they have thought about them yet or not..
Online meeting etiquette – Virtual Facilitation #3
Online meeting etiquette actually isn’t as different from face-to-face meeting etiquette as you’d think.
Have you been on those Zoom calls where the first 30 minutes (of 60) is taken up with elaborate introductions and by the time everyone has described their new routine you’ve no energy for the topic of the meeting?
How to start your virtual meeting – Virtual Facilitation #2
Most virtual meeting systems offer a waiting room, where you can hold your participants until you are ready to begin.
It can put a lot of pressure on you to have to get started precisely at the advertised time. So thoughtful use of a virtual waiting room can provide a gentler start..
Good enough tech skills – Virtual Facilitation #1
You don’t have to be a tech wizard to be a great online facilitator but you do need to have good tech skills.
You need to know just enough to ensure you don’t let technical shortcomings hamper your skills as an excellent facilitator. It’s not just about what you know, but how you bring the group along with you..
Virtual Facilitation: What works well online?
What works well online is not simply a matter of taking what works well offline and hoping for the best.
It’s not a bad idea for starters, as many principles are directly transferable. But you also need to be aware of what is possible and what’s not in each medium. As the context changes, so do the interactions..
How to build the skills and confidence of your learners
Whether you are teaching online or off, there’s a crucial difference between building skills and pointing out people’s deficiencies..
Paul Jackson Associates Limited. A registered company in England and Wales. Company Number 09564618. VAT Number GB 213 379812. Registered Address 10 Greville House, Lower Road, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex, HA2 0HB. Postal Address 34a Clarence Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 4NG Telephone 01727 843 820 Mobile 07973 953 586
© 2009-2018 Paul Jackson Associates / The Improvisation Academy - All Rights Reserved