Tips for running online meetings

There was a time, not so long ago, when holding significant events, meetings and workshops online was not possible, let alone a serious consideration. In the days before pandemic lockdowns hosting events online was often seen as a poor choice. Then Covid19 hit us and everything went online. From work meetings, family gatherings, book groups, neighbourhood trivia, Friday drinks and education and even dates, we adapted to connecting in an online world from our kitchen tables and spare rooms.

In those early days we were all learning together about how to make the platforms work. Once we had that worked out, our thinking turned to engagement and we hunted for tools that might replicate activities from the face-to-face environment. Five years on, we still hear cries of “You’re on mute!” but our knowledge of online tools and platforms has expanded.

Fundamental principles for online meetings

When you’re planning for an online workshop or meeting, fundamental facilitation principles and skills still matter.

1. Equalising power is the building block of any group session

   The making of group agreements is still relevant in the online space and there will be extra considerations. For example, are cameras on? When can they be off? Do we use the hands up function? How is the chat function to be used? What needs to be in place to ensure all voices are heard?

2. Get all the voices in the room early

   When we meet in person, people chat to each other as they arrive before the session starts. The value of this is the connection has already started. In the online space, everyone is confined to their square on the screen and will mostly have their microphones muted. There can be a lot of dead, quiet air as people arrive and, well, stare at each other. Music can be played, just as in the face-to-face space and can set the tone for the opening of the session. Consider asking everyone to unmute their microphones and just say hello into the space. It’s a cacophony – joyous and full of voices already.

3. Consider the participant experience

   It’s easy to focus on our own experience and perspective as facilitators, but what is the online experience going to be like for the participants? How many people can be in the group before it becomes impossible to see everyone in the group?

4. Make sure the names that people want to be called are displayed

   It’s a small thing but it’s helpful to everyone. No one is really called “Mum’s iPad” or “HR#274”... are they? Don’t assume everyone knows how to use the tech; show people how to change their name on the platform.

5. Cameras on

   This can be covered in the group agreement making and it’s important that people can see each other. We would not consider holding an in-person session where people are disguised, or sit in a circle with their backs to each other! In any session, connection is important, otherwise we could just send an email. It’s hard to connect with a black square. As mentioned, situations where cameras might be off can be covered when group agreements are made (eg breaks, reflection time, unstable internet connections etc).

6. Promoting presence and attention is a key aspect of group engagement

   There are extra challenges encouraging participants to be present in online spaces. If someone pulls out their phone in a face-to-face session, it’s easy to see this but online it can be hard to tell. Again, making group agreements is an opportunity to cover this. Be clear about the break times too so people know when they can attend to things outside the workshop.

7. Fatigue is real!

   Sitting and looking at a screen for an extended period is tiring. Build in breaks. Even a break from the screen where participants might turn cameras off for a period and write on a piece of paper away from the screen can make a difference. Invite people to turn off self view. Many platforms offer this option and it means that we aren’t compulsively studying ourselves. This can add to fatigue for participants and facilitators.

8. Group agreements are as important in the online world as they are in person

   Be aware of specific aspects of the online environment that participants may not think of.

9. Familiarising people with the technology can make a big difference to participation

   It’s easy to assume that “everyone knows” because we ourselves are comfortable in an online space. Just as we would orient people to any physical space, we need to do the same in the online space. If you’re using particular tools for activities, think about how you can do something fun or low stakes to help people get familiar before they do the serious thinking.

The online space requires skilled facilitators as much as the in-person space, with added knowledge about the technology and platforms being used. We need expertise in both to support groups in this space.

And what if we are asked to work in a “hybrid” space where some people are online and some are in person and it’s all happening simultaneously? We’ll explore this in a future article as there is much to consider.

Register for our next Facilitation Skills Training via this link.