{"id":6817,"date":"2020-05-14T13:43:33","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T17:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.itadsummit.com\/?page_id=6817"},"modified":"2020-05-14T13:43:33","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T17:43:33","slug":"itad-blog-remote-workshop-facilitation-lessons-from-lockdown","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.itadsummit.com\/index.php\/itad-blog-remote-workshop-facilitation-lessons-from-lockdown\/","title":{"rendered":"ITAD Blog:  Remote Workshop Facilitation: Lessons from Lockdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>\n\t\tITAD Blog\n\t<\/h1>\n<h6>\n\t\tRemote Workshop Facilitation: Lessons from Lockdown\n\t<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.itadsummit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/bb-plugin\/cache\/lockdown-circle.jpg\" alt=\"lockdown\" itemprop=\"image\"  \/>\n\t<h1>ITAD Blog<\/h1>\n<h3>Remote Workshop 5 Facilitation: Lessons from Lockdown<\/h3>\n\t<section>\n<p>A central part of our work here at Itad is facilitating workshops and creative thinking of all kinds. From putting together theories of change to data analysis and synthesis to co-creating recommendations, a lot of our work takes place with whiteboards, flipcharts, and sticky notes, with groups of people working together in close contact to problem solve and share learning. With countries in lockdown to help control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, this area of our work\u00a0has come\u00a0under increased pressure.<\/p>\n<p>While we started from a relatively good position, having already invested in some of the tech and processes to cut back on our carbon footprint, we\u2019ve been on a steep curve. We have reflected on what we\u2019ve learned and\u00a0compiled\u00a0our top tips for remote facilitation\u00a0based on\u00a0our experience of running some\u00a0full-day workshops with external partners,\u00a0as well as an\u00a0internal learning and development module.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Experiment with Tech<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>There are many apps and platforms that support virtual workshopping. Finding\u00a0the right one(s)\u00a0should be guided by the\u00a0workshop objectives\u00a0and structure, but we have found\u00a0a few that work for us and enable the level of collaboration and control we need.<\/p>\n<p><em>Finding the space\u00a0\u2013<\/em>\u00a0Microsoft Teams\u00a0has lots of helpful features that has made it our \u2018go-to\u2019 workshop space. Simultaneous \u2018rooms\u2019 for\u00a0main and\u00a0breakout spaces,\u00a0the\u00a0option to record,\u00a0an intuitive\u00a0chat function,\u00a0and\u00a0the ability to\u00a0share screens have all helped us bring people together. Importantly, Teams also adjust audio and\u00a0visual\u00a0quality according to each user\u2019s bandwidth \u2013 crucial for global workshops and varying internet infrastructures \u2013 but be aware it will prioritize audio over visual if necessary.<\/p>\n<p><em>Enabling virtual collaboration \u2013<\/em>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/torchbox.com\/blog\/miro-vs-mural-which-best-collaborative-whiteboard\/\">Mural\u00a0versus\u00a0Miro\u00a0debate<\/a>\u00a0has rippled through\u00a0Itad, and we\u2019ve been using both successfully. Both are virtual whiteboards, complete with sticky notes, markers and other features that no online workshop should be<\/p>\n<p><em>Practice\u00a0makes (almost) perfect\u00a0\u2013<\/em>\u00a0as with most new tech, these apps can seem intimidating at first. For\u00a0all of\u00a0our workshops so far, the facilitators and a couple of volunteers practiced\u00a0beforehand\u00a0to make sure everything ran smoothly.\u00a0No amount of practice can prevent internet dropouts and screen freezes \u2013 often the tech resolves itself, but always helpful to have a back-up plan just in case!<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong> Prep, Prep, Prep\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Once we had all our tech-enabled, we found that substantial time was required upfront to get everything in order for the participants to really make the most of the time and space.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prep the team\u00a0\u2013<\/em> the facilitators need to know who is doing what and when. Spending time working out who is leading what sessions, and who is monitoring, keeping time, and lining up resources will save confusion and build confidence.<\/p>\n<p><em>Participant prep is needed too\u00a0\u2013<\/em>\u00a0everyone was\u00a0asked\u00a0to download\u00a0apps\u00a0and sign up\u00a0for accounts if necessary and try to familiarise themselves as much as possible with the new platforms.\u00a0Handouts were sent in advance too, to help enable richer discussions when everyone came together.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><strong> Adapt and Engage\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>One of the biggest challenges for remote facilitation is keeping everyone engaged \u2013 the temptation to check emails is hard to resist when everyone is together in a room, let alone meeting remotely!\u00a0Using new tech, days\u00a0spent\u00a0staring at a screen, and contributing to discussions can be long and draining \u2013 acknowledging this\u00a0and adapting to it are crucial for remote success.<\/p>\n<p><em>Start off on the right foot\u00a0\u2013<\/em> familiarizing everyone with the tech first thing helps to build confidence and minimize confusion; walk everyone through the features of Teams, demonstrate\u00a0the whiteboard, trouble-shoot,\u00a0and give everyone some time to practice with the tools upfront.<\/p>\n<p><em>Build atmosphere\u00a0\u2013<\/em>\u00a0workshops generally rely on teamwork to really get the most out of them. Building camaraderie remotely can be difficult but we\u2019ve found that online\u00a0ice-breakers\u00a0and active exercises help to build a sense of togetherness\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0absence of face to face contact.<\/p>\n<p><em>Break up the time\u00a0\u2013<\/em>\u00a0both\u00a0in terms of\u00a0workshop\u00a0logistics\u00a0and\u00a0during the sessions\u00a0themselves. Workshops taking place across multiple time zones might mean some participants join in the morning and others in the<\/p>\n<p><em>Interact as much as possible\u00a0\u2013<\/em>\u00a0encouraging participants to leave their cameras on brings a bit of personality to the workshop (and helps prevent distraction!), as does having the chat box open so people can ask questions or comment when they need to. We\u2019ve also found that playing music in the background of group sessions helps\u00a0maintain momentum\u00a0(and fun!)\u00a0and reminds everyone there\u2019s still something going on. The sudden absence of music at the end of breaks can also prompt participants back into the room, and of their emails.<\/p>\n<p>Author: itad.com<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"post-excerpt\" class=\"post-excerpt\">ITAD Blog Remote Workshop Facilitation: Lessons from Lockdown ITAD Blog Remote Workshop&hellip;<\/p>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.itadsummit.com\/index.php\/itad-blog-remote-workshop-facilitation-lessons-from-lockdown\/\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;ITAD Blog:  Remote Workshop Facilitation: Lessons from Lockdown&#8221;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.itadsummit.com\/index.php\/itad-blog-remote-workshop-facilitation-lessons-from-lockdown\/\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \"ITAD Blog:  Remote Workshop Facilitation: Lessons from Lockdown\"<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6817","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - 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