Facilitating online and hybrid groups can be challenging, especially when you have to deal with different levels of engagement, technical issues, and distractions. How can you keep your participants on track and achieve your goals? Here are some tips to help you plan, prepare, and deliver effective online and hybrid group sessions.
Before you start your session, make sure you have a clear purpose and desired outcomes for your group. What are you trying to achieve? What do you want your participants to learn, do, or decide? How will you measure success? Communicate your purpose and outcomes to your group in advance, and remind them at the beginning and end of the session. This will help you focus your agenda, activities, and discussions, and keep your group aligned and motivated.
Como especialista en HSEQ, para mantener el buen camino de grupos online e híbridos, es fundamental establecer una comunicación clara y efectiva, fomentar la participación activa de todos los miembros y establecer normas de conducta y objetivos claros. Además, es crucial ofrecer capacitación regular sobre seguridad cibernética y garantizar que se utilicen herramientas tecnológicas seguras. Promover un ambiente inclusivo y de respeto mutuo, así como mantener una supervisión constante de la salud mental y el bienestar de los participantes, también son aspectos clave para mantener la cohesión y el rendimiento del grupo.
It depends on what’s meant by on track. If it means focused and task-oriented, whether you’re training, teaching, etc., you need a curriculum that’s engaging and provides multiple opportunities for interaction in small group break-out rooms as I use in both online and hybrid graduate level teaching. I’ve also found it useful to do a weekly video on my YouTube channel to answer questions useful to everyone, reiterate key points, discuss grad school life pitfalls and pratfalls (especially for doctoral students), and talk about things I’ve seen in assignments, both good and not so much. Last, a learning management system like Canvas can help with pacing if used judiciously to keep course materials locked until the next week actually starts.
Depending on your purpose and outcomes, you may need to use different tools and platforms to facilitate your online and hybrid group. For example, you may need to use video conferencing, chat, polling, breakout rooms, whiteboards, or collaborative documents. Choose the tools and platforms that best suit your needs, and test them beforehand to ensure they work properly. Also, provide clear instructions and guidelines on how to use them, and offer technical support if needed.
One of the biggest challenges of online and hybrid group facilitation is keeping your participants engaged and attentive. To achieve this, you need to design and deliver your session in a way that stimulates their interaction, feedback, and learning. Consider using icebreakers, warm-ups, and energizers to break the ice and build rapport. Visual aids, stories, examples, and humor can make your content more appealing and memorable. Questions, polls, quizzes, and surveys can check their understanding and spark discussions. Breakout rooms, whiteboards, and collaborative documents can facilitate small group work. Chat, emojis, and reactions can encourage their comments and questions. Finally, gamification, rewards, and recognition can motivate them and celebrate their achievements.
Managing your time and pace effectively is an important challenge when facilitating online and hybrid groups. You should create a realistic and flexible agenda that outlines the main topics, activities, and timings of your session, then share it with your group in advance. During the session, it's important to monitor your time and progress regularly, using timers, alarms, or cues to remind you of the milestones and deadlines. In addition, you should be prepared to adapt your agenda, content, or activities if you encounter technical issues, delays, or unexpected situations. Finally, take breaks every 45-60 minutes to give your group time to refresh, recharge, and refocus.
As a facilitator, it is your responsibility to guide, support, and enable your group to achieve their purpose and outcomes. To do this effectively, you must utilize a variety of skills and techniques to create a safe, inclusive, and productive environment. These include setting and enforcing ground rules and expectations for participation, communication, and collaboration. Additionally, using active listening, paraphrasing, open-ended questions, affirming statements, constructive feedback, and facilitation methods like brainstorming, voting, consensus-building, action planning, and evaluation will help your group generate meaningful ideas and solutions.
To ensure your online and hybrid group stays on track, follow up and follow through after your session. Send a thank-you note, a summary, and a feedback form within 24 hours of your session. Share the main points, decisions, actions, and responsibilities that emerged from your session. If needed, provide additional resources, support, or guidance to your group. Monitor and track the progress and performance of your group, and offer recognition or intervention if needed. Finally, schedule a follow-up session or check-in to review the results, outcomes, and impacts of your session; celebrate successes or address any issues or challenges.