This post was written by Susan Silver Levy, Executive Consultant.
Online participants can be notorious multi-taskers. However, good virtual facilitators can create a learning atmosphere—one so engaging—that participants will forget about Outlook, client memos, and LinkedIn.
The Challenge
Web-based seminars have many executives patting themselves on the back. Executives save travel dollars and reach broader audiences by using them. Unfortunately, they are also scratching their heads, as they see declining participant engagement in the virtual classroom. The reason: while the delivery technology has changed, many facilitators have not yet adapted to the new environment.
Typically, as facilitators transition from the brick-and-mortar classroom to the online classroom they focus on mastering the new tools and technology. Yes, it is critical to know how to use the interactive features, such as using the whiteboard and chat features; sharing the microphone; and planning for and mitigating the inevitable technical challenges. What many online presenters forget is that the greatest key to successful online learning still depends upon how they interact with the participants.
The word “facilitate” technically means “to make easy.” The facilitator’s primary goal is to make it easy for participants to gather new knowledge and skills.
Let’s look at a few of the techniques used by the best live classroom facilitators to engage participants and see how these same practices translate to the virtual classroom.
Good Facilitators Establish a Presence through Their Image
When we are facilitating in a live classroom, we do more than just stand at the podium to establish ourselves as the leader. We use a variety of visual, vocal, and verbal cues. We dress professionally; use appropriate gestures, facial expressions, and posture; and try to exude an approachable demeanor and tone with our voice, eye contact, and words. In a virtual classroom voice becomes critical, since it is the only element of our persona we can convey. Our voice is our sole representative and sets expectations for participants.
Here are some tips to maximize your vocal skills:
- Vary your pitch to avoid a monotone
Use a downward pitch to indicate authority rather than an upward pitch, which signifies a question or sends a message of uncertainty or insecurity. Change the rate to keep things interesting and slow down to make key points.
- Avoid filler words
Many speakers use umms and uhhs, but overuse of these is a huge distraction. Most filler words are used by speakers trying to make everything they say one long sentence. Sound familiar? Next time, concentrate on putting a period at the end of one sentence. And take a breath before the next.
- Avoid long pauses
Long pauses between sentences lead to dead air and invite participants to check out. Plan your presentation with smooth transitions between topics.
- Pretend you have an audience of one
Speak in a conversational volume and use one-on-one language. Ensure that you can be heard, but visualize yourself speaking to one person, not a crowd. Use words like I, you, or first names; avoideveryone or anyone. - Avoid repetitive language
Mix up your phrases when providing feedback. Use “great”, “good point”, and “that makes sense.” Avoid using the same catch phrase (e.g., “let’s move on”) for every transition. - Keep the focus on content—not the medium
Use your voice for transitions, but not narrations. Use words to prepare participants for the next activity or explain the value of the past activity. However, don’t narrate what you are doing unless it adds value. For example, “Let’s use the whiteboard to capture some of your ideas” adds more value than “now I’m going to show you a slide.” A good facilitator wants participants to focus on the content of the slide rather than the slide itself. A better alternative would be, “Let’s look at some key reasons for the new change in procedures.” Draw attention to the content, not the medium. - Have fun with your voice
There are many ways to inject humor into even the driest content. Just have fun with your voice. Changes in pitch and rate can make you a more engaging speaker.
Don’t be afraid to be creative — one facilitator I know imitates an auctioneer as he waits for survey results to come in: “I’ve got two . . . Can I get three? Okay, three! . . . Waiting for four.”
Other successful facilitators work with a co-facilitator to create an atmosphere similar to a call-in radio talk show. As long as light humor doesn’t detract from the focus on the content, it can be a valuable technique for engaging your participants.
Good Facilitators Ask Lots of Questions
Good facilitators, in both live and online classrooms, use questioning techniques (i.e., the Socratic Method) throughout their programs to engage and interact with participants, ensure understanding, and help adult learners share their knowledge and learn from the experiences of their peers.
In a live classroom, facilitators ask a question, study the room, and make eye contact with specific participants to encourage them to answer. The facilitator can also move closer or offer an open palm hand gesture to encourage participation.
Here are some tips for using questions effectively and engaging your participants:
ASK QUESTIONS IN A WAY THAT INVOLVES ALL PARTICIPANTS
Always follow a sequence to maximize the participation:
- Start with a survey question in order to get a response from everyone.
- Ask a follow-up question directed toward individuals who answered a certain way on the survey; participants can indicate their answers through the check mark tool.
- Based on those responses, call on an individual, then build on his or her response by calling on others.
— USE A GOOD MIX OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF QUESTIONS
These include:
- Overhead questions directed toward the entire group.
- Direct questions geared toward a subset of the group or a specific individual.
- Open-ended questions that require an elaborate answer.
- Close-ended questions to summarize or obtain agreement.
- Probing questions to move a conversation forward.
- Hypothetical questions to encourage participants to think about how they would handle a particular situation.
- Reverse questions to refer a participant’s question back to the group for an answer.
AVOID DEAD-END QUESTIONS
Dead-end questions occur when a facilitator speaks without thinking. An example is, “Who has a question before we take a break?” Obviously, no one wants to be the wet blanket who delays the break. A better alternative would be, “I expect you have some questions at this point. Let’s hear some of them. Accounting people: What questions do you have?”
WORK WITH YOUR CO-FACILITATOR TO BALANCE PARTICIPATION
If you are co-facilitating, your co-facilitator can help you keep track of who may not have participated. By sending you a private message, you can be sure to engage that participant by asking a direct question. Alternatively, your co-facilitator can send a message to the participant to ensure there are no technical difficulties and to encourage the participant to answer a question.
In the reverse situation, a simple message from a co-facilitator that reads, “Jim, you’ve obviously had a great deal of experience with this. Let’s hear from some other people,” will go a long way toward acknowledging and corralling an overly eager participant.
Good Facilitators Seek, Receive, and Act on Developmental Feedback
As a facilitator, you want to be able to capture feedback — not just about the course content, but also about your effectiveness.
In a live classroom, participants provide this feedback using their words and body language. Nothing sends a more positive message to a facilitator than a room full of people sitting on the edge of their seats, leaning forward, making eye contact, and nodding subtly in tune with the facilitator’s key points. Similarly, a room full of people who are stifling yawns, crossing their arms, and gazing longingly toward their Blackberries sends a pretty strong message, too.
In a virtual classroom, we are blind to the non-verbal cues. We need to tune in to more subtle forms of feedback, such as the level of participation and the enthusiasm we hear in our participants’ voices.
Now and then, you should just do a simple process check with your participants: “How is this going for you? Are you getting the information that you need?” At the end of the workshop, a simple whiteboard exercise (e.g., “stop, start, change”) can give participants a chance to provide you with some additional feedback.
Always debrief with your co-facilitator for an opportunity to learn and grow. Be sure to ask for ways you can improve. Finally, it may be helpful to seek a mentor within your organization or obtain outside resources to help you as you implement this feedback during your transition from the live classroom to virtual facilitation.
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The benefits of virtual learning are clear: lower travel costs and a broader audience mean more training dollars for everyone. There will always be some limitations to a virtual classroom, but an excellent facilitator can create an environment that is engaging and energetic, regardless of the medium.
Originally published by BossaNova Consulting Group, Inc.
Andrea Howe
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