What's your process for facilitating virtual sessions on various platforms?

1 Choose your platform

The first step in facilitating virtual sessions is to choose the platform that best suits your needs and objectives. There are many options available, such as Zoom, Teams, Webex, Miro, Mural, and more. Each platform has its own advantages and disadvantages, such as ease of use, functionality, interactivity, security, and cost. You should consider factors such as the size and diversity of your audience, the type and duration of your session, the level of collaboration and participation you want to foster, and the technical requirements and support you have access to.

2 Design your session

Once you have chosen your platform, you need to design your session with the platform in mind. You should think about how you will structure your session, what content and activities you will include, how you will use the platform's features and tools, and how you will manage the time and energy of your participants. You should also consider how you will balance the synchronous and asynchronous elements of your session, and how you will integrate other platforms or resources if needed. You should create a clear agenda and outline for your session, and share it with your participants in advance.

3 Prepare your materials

The next step in facilitating virtual sessions is to prepare your materials and resources. You should make sure that you have everything you need to run your session smoothly and effectively, such as slides, videos, documents, polls, quizzes, whiteboards, breakout rooms, chat, and feedback forms. You should also test your materials and resources on the platform before your session, and check for any technical issues or glitches. You should also prepare a backup plan in case of any unexpected problems or disruptions.

4 Engage your participants

One of the most important aspects of facilitating virtual sessions is to engage your participants and keep them interested and motivated. You should use a variety of techniques and strategies to create a positive and interactive learning environment, such as icebreakers, warm-ups, check-ins, questions, polls, games, stories, examples, and humor. You should also encourage your participants to interact with each other and with you, by using the platform's features and tools, such as chat, audio, video, reactions, annotations, whiteboards, and breakout rooms. You should also monitor your participants' engagement and feedback, and adjust your session accordingly.

5 Facilitate your session

The final step in facilitating virtual sessions is to facilitate your session with confidence and professionalism. You should follow your agenda and outline, but also be flexible and responsive to the needs and dynamics of your participants. You should use your facilitation skills and techniques, such as setting ground rules, clarifying expectations, managing time, summarizing key points, asking open-ended questions, listening actively, giving constructive feedback, resolving conflicts, and dealing with challenges. You should also use your platform skills and techniques, such as using the mute and unmute functions, switching between views and screens, sharing your screen and materials, using the recording and transcription features, and troubleshooting any technical issues.

6 Evaluate your session

After facilitating your session, you should evaluate your session and reflect on your performance and outcomes. You should collect and analyze data and feedback from your participants, such as surveys, polls, quizzes, comments, ratings, and testimonials. You should also review your session recording and transcript, and identify your strengths and weaknesses, as well as areas for improvement. You should also celebrate your achievements and share your learnings and insights with others.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?