Facilitating Meetings

The Virtual Facilitator Micro-Workshop Series

90 Minutes
(4)

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Virtual meetings and training workshops are an absolute necessity for geographically dispersed teams who need to collaborate to drive projects, solve problems and/or exchange critical information. Ineffectively led sessions, however, can be complete time wasters, undermining the group’s productivity and buy-in.

The reality is that virtual meetings require even more rigor and understanding of facilitative techniques than in-person meetings. Facilitation First has designed a series of highly interactive micro-workshops that will be delivered via Zoom or your organization’s preferred video conferencing platform.

How It Works …

Select one module or build a customized series to meet your specific learning outcomes. Each stand-alone 90-minute workshop includes:

  1. A 15-minute Tech Check: Each workshop will open early to ensure everyone’s audio and video is working and they know how to participate
  2. Interactive Exercises: Each 90-minute interactive workshop includes many opportunities to engage and practice with the content plus a Q & A to address application questions
  3. Optional 45 Minute Application Round: Increase transfer of knowledge by immediately applying new techniques to an upcoming meeting in breakout practice rounds with feedback

Manage & Engage - October 15, 2020 - C

Excellent Workshop! - Managing and Engaging Participants In Virtual Meetings Micro-Workshop Series

Participant,Mohawk College, October 2020

Manage & Engage - October 15, 2020 - B

This was one of the best PD sessions I have ever done! - Managing and Engaging Participants In Virtual Meetings Micro-Workshop Series

Participant,Mohawk College, October 2020

Manage & Engage - October 15, 2020 - A

Very applicable to today's needs - Managing and Engaging Participants In Virtual Meetings Micro-Workshop Series

Participant,Mohawk College, October 2020

Brainstorming - October 15, 2020 - A

Had a very good overall experience - Virtual Brainstorming Techniques Micro-Workshop Series

Participant,Mohawk College, October 2020

WORKSHOP DELIVERY OPTIONS

Learn how to effectively prepare for and structure any virtual meeting. A great micro-workshop to pair with any other. Learning Outcomes include:

  • Tips and techniques for how to “show up” professionally on camera
  • List of preparatory steps/questions to consider when designing a virtual meeting
  • Practice designing a typical virtual meeting

Learn effective virtual meeting start techniques – if you start well and build buy-in, your meeting quality improves dramatically! Learning Outcomes include:

  • Critical steps to include when setting context for simple and complex meetings, including Parking Lot and Action Plan
  • Practice gaining buy-in on your meeting’s Purpose, Outcome and Process
  • Suggested norms for virtual meetings and when and how to collaborate with participants to agree on meeting guidelines/norms

Learn how to engage and inspire meeting participants using strategies to deal with typical virtual meeting engagement issues such as low participation and multi-tasking. Learning Outcomes include:

  • Clarity as to why engagement is even more critical in virtual meetings
  • An understanding of critical virtual engagement principles
  • Best engagement practices for prepping, starting and managing great virtual meetings
  • Application of learning to mitigate some common virtual engagement dilemmas

How you ‘show up’ as a meeting leader can greatly influence how the group collaborates to achieve meeting outcomes.  Learn the core facilitation behaviours that encourage participants to become active participants in your virtual or in person meetings. Learning Outcomes include:

  • Clarity around the different meeting/training roles of content and process leader
  • Learn the five core facilitative training practices
  • Practice applying new strategies to maintain neutrality and facilitative listening

Everyone has a role in ensuring virtual meetings are as productive and collaborative as possible. Learn how to “show up” well in your virtual meetings. Learning Outcomes include:

  • Clarity as to the elements of a strong meeting start
  • Understanding of virtual engagement best practices
  • Strategies for supporting more productive virtual meetings (exploring common meeting dilemmas)
  • Clarity around virtual meeting participation best practices

Learn and experience fun and engaging group virtual brainstorming techniques that promote great generative ideas! Learning Outcomes include:

  • Clarity on the norms that encourage safety in idea generation
  • Understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities of virtual brainstorming
  • Methods for “priming” the pump ahead of the meeting
  • An array of easy to use virtual brainstorming techniques, including anonymous brainstorming

Learn simple, yet powerful processes for helping a group/team come to consensus, overcome polarization and gain buy-in. Learning Outcomes include:

  • Clarity on what consensus is, what it “looks like” and when it is worth taking the time to use this decision-making method
  • Understanding of the most effective processes to bring a group to consensus, including synthesis, impact/effort, multi-voting and criteria-based processes including how to leverage virtual features such as polls, chat and breakouts

Get armed with practical processes that help groups/teams solve problems. Learning Outcomes include:

  • Clarity around the pitfalls of problem solving in virtual meetings
  • Understanding and practice virtually facilitating a quick and effective structured problem-solving methodology

Learn when and how to intervene when conflict or challenging participant behaviours risk taking you and the group off track. Learning Outcomes include:

  • Practical ideas for proactively managing conflict
  • A simple reactive technique for reactively managing conflict
  • Some processes for creating buy-in when conflict is anticipated or suddenly occurs

Learn various tools and resources for helping you to facilitate through resistance. Learning Outcomes include:

  • Better clarity as to why people resist
  • The common forms or signs of resistance and what they look like in a virtual meeting
  • A 3-step model for facilitating through resistance
  • Practice naming the resistance which can often be the only step necessary

Team, Project and Program Leaders will learn effective tips and techniques for forming (or re-forming) their teams to accelerate performance. Learning Outcomes include:

  • Clarity as to why teams need to form, or re-form, in the remote environment
  • Transforming work into measurable and trackable output
  • Sharing understanding and agreeing to uses for available collaborative tools
  • How to facilitate a team discussion to align and buy into team meeting norms (aka ground rules)
  • Defining a team communication strategy

Team, Project and Program Leaders will be equipped with tools for managing challenging behaviours, resentments and conflict within teams. Learning Outcomes include:

  • Clarity as to what storming looks like in a virtual workplace
  • A chance to review and redefine operating guidelines
  • How to manage through resistant behaviour
  • How to foster collaboration with constructive debate
  • A choice of two tools to enhance trust and productivity

Excellent Workshop! - Managing and Engaging Participants In Virtual Meetings Micro-Workshop Series

Participant,Mohawk College, October 2020

This was one of the best PD sessions I have ever done! - Managing and Engaging Participants In Virtual Meetings Micro-Workshop Series

Participant,Mohawk College, October 2020

Very applicable to today's needs - Managing and Engaging Participants In Virtual Meetings Micro-Workshop Series

Participant,Mohawk College, October 2020

Had a very good overall experience - Virtual Brainstorming Techniques Micro-Workshop Series

Participant,Mohawk College, October 2020

In-House Training
Our training is offered in-house, both virtually and in your premises.
License this Workshop
If you have large populations of staff who could benefit from this training, Facilitation First certifies in-house trainers to teach our content.
The Virtual Facilitator Micro-Workshop Series
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