Last week I facilitated a workshop in the Metaverse. And in person. At the same time. Here's how!
Last week I facilitated a workshop with 25 people. 12 were in-person, 9 were remote, and 4 were in the Metaverse.
Here’s how it went.
I was delighted when two of our fantastic clients invited me to Southern California to facilitate an interactive workshop. In-person? Yes please!
However, Eric, the client, told me not everybody will be in person. No problem – I’m a trained facilitator! I’ve done this before, having conducted workshops when people have been in person and remote. But things are different now. The last time I facilitated a hybrid group was two years ago when being remote meant…being remote.
One more thing, Eric added. Some people will be in the Metaverse. I paused. I asked (excitedly), can we all be in the Metaverse? Sadly, no, that wasn’t going to work.
The topic of the workshop was ironically (or maybe not so ironically) Facilitating Engaging and Inclusive Meetings. It’s on everyone’s minds right now. How are we going to do a good job at running a meeting when we’ve got half of the people in-person, half of them remote, and perhaps a few in the Metaverse?
Short of reconstructing conference rooms with the one long table and one screen for remote participants, here are three key tips for facilitating engaging and inclusive meetings, no matter if you are in-person, remote, or hybrid:
1) Be deliberate
Facilitators just don’t show up at a meeting, say, “I want this to be interactive,” and hope for the best. They plan. You want to have a discussion during the meeting? Plan how – who will contribute? About what? Do you need to let people know beforehand? What about people who are remote? Will everyone be on their laptops?
There are many questions for facilitators to answer about HOW people will participate before they step into the room, turn on their cameras, or enter the Metaverse.
Tip: Picture the meeting and envision people participating. HOW did you make that happen? Are you inviting people into the conversation? Calling on them? Breaking them into smaller groups? Posing questions?
2) Use technology
Breakout rooms are a great way to encourage “side conversations” during a meeting. Great ideas spring from those discussions. What about the chat feature – are you maximizing it? It’s a great way to have participants interact during a meeting, even when they aren’t speaking…and you can use the chat when you are in-person too.
Tip: Pop into breakout rooms to listen, synthesize, and highlight important ideas. Have a colleague monitor the chat while you facilitate the meeting.
3) Be ready to pivot
Even the most planned facilitator will run into roadblocks. During my meeting last week, one person couldn’t unmute in the Metaverse. The 9 people who were remote couldn’t partner-up into breakout spaces. The camera in the room was oddly positioned; I didn’t want my back to the folks who were virtual, but when I faced the camera, I had my back to the folks in the room. I ended up canvassing many miles as I worked the “stage.” I had to scrap one of my favorite exercises because I couldn’t organize people the way I wanted to. And still, the workshop was a success. We achieved the workshop outcomes without everything going perfectly; as a facilitator, I’m constantly making decisions that will invite voices into the conversation and broaden perspectives while keeping the session outcomes in mind.
Tip: Be transparent. As a facilitator, if you change something mid-stream, call out what and why. People will appreciate the insight you provide and how deftly you think on your feet and keep the meeting moving forward.