Successful hybrid workshops
As facilitators we are specialists in getting people to work together more effectively. We have studied, researched and practiced the skills and micro-skills of facilitation and facilitation design in order to help our clients collaborate.
If we, as facilitators, are consciously developing our skills, we’ve also kept up on the latest insights on how to address current and contextual challenges. For example, Covid forced many of us to incorporate new skills into our repertoire - with the need to facilitate, and then design facilitations for fully online workshops. At first many simply ran their same face-to-face programs but via a video meeting on Teams… and if this sounds painfully familiar, you’ll know that we soon realised that this was not going to work!
However, we facilitators are nothing if not adaptable and resilient, and we soon built our skills and designs to enable engaging facilitation, regardless if it was face-to-face or online. New technologies also arose to assist in this - and many of these tools (Menti-meter, Mural, and Miro, etc.) can be VERY useful.
The industry now seems as though it is moving on from facilitations where 100% of participants are online - (although instructional and informative webinars are still quite popular). In today’s workplace, we are trying, where cost and time allow, to get as many people back into a face-to-face environment for the benefit that this brings. Yet there are still many who work from home, or are remote and must ‘dial in’ to the workshops we deliver.
This post is designed to help you deliver successful hybrid facilitations through a ‘back to basics’ encouraging tale that links effective hybrid facilitation to the foundational facilitation and facilitation-design skills that created success prior to Covid. What I mean by this is
“... to build an inclusive and engaging facilitation - you have to first think of what makes you inclusive and engaging as a facilitator. ”
I can guarantee that what makes you engaging as a facilitator is not the toys, tools, or technology that you employ. They are but useful aids in bringing your engaging and inclusive nature forward, but they do not carry the load for this. You do.
“The inclusivity demonstrated was excellent, particularly for a hybrid workshop situation. Meaningful participation was strongly encouraged and supported. I have experienced leadership training, facilitation, professional development coaching, and workshop facilitation training in the past (as well as having a Grad Dip Psych) and was impressed by James’ depth of knowledge and capability with facilitating our group through workplace-specific culture and concepts.”
As a facilitator, have you found that ‘sweet spot’ where your role-modelling of behaviour becomes contagious?
If you’ve not played with this yet, it is a skill that can be employed intentionally. Whether it is in relation to eliciting curiosity when disagreement and challenge arise, or in just having fun with overcoming constraints (such as working with lap-top versions of REAL Participants who are online!).
Skill #1 for facilitating successful hybrid workshops… role modelling inclusivity when it comes to interacting with all participants, regardless of their ability to see (from back of room, or from the camera), or their ability to hear (repeating quiet questions for those who struggle to hear regardless if they are in the room or on the screen), and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate in discussions and contribute.
'table discussions'
Hybrid day-long Insightful Path designed/facilitated development day
“Thanks James, Foremost we wanted a day that engaged everyone, gave opportunities to connect, share and learn. You met these and successfully kept our 2 staff who attended virtually engaged and part of the group to the very end! ”
Skill #2 for facilitating successful hybrid workshops… creating opportunities for connection An important metric of success for hybrid facilitated workshops is how connected the participants (hybrid and face-to-face) felt with each other after the event. While Skill #1 (role modelling inclusivity) definitely helps, the workshop can also be strategically designed to aid in connectedness and acceptance of one another’s contributions.
And aside from outlining how the face-to-face participants are to interact with their online colleagues, and planning for charging up laptops during breaks, your work is almost exactly the same as if it were a completely face-to-face facilitation. I do recommend brining a pair of headphones (not ear buds - but over ear headphones) per online participant if the venue is noisy, but aside from that, it is easy enough to even have paired conversations, or trio-d conversations!
Paired 'world cafe' activity within an Insightful Path hybrid workshop
Trio brainstorming within an Insightful Path hybrid workshop
“James was an excellent facilitator. I was impressed especially on how he got everyone to participate & include [our online attendees]. ”
Successful hybrid facilitations need not rely heavily on technology to be successful. What they do require is an engaging and inclusive facilitator and an engaging and inclusive workshop design. The same skills you’ve used for countless face-to-face facilitations are required:
concise and understandable communication and instruction
participative design
activities that clearly progress the objectives (the What’s In It For Me or WIIFM)
role modelling curiosity, fun, and inclusion.
Table discussion within an Insightful Path hybrid workshop
Designing and facilitating Hybrid workshops need not be difficult, nor do they need to rely heavily on technology (outside of the laptop) to be successful. I like to think of it as human connection first, always.
The last photo on a successful Insightful Path hybrid workshop
If you are looking at a face-to-face workshop, but have a number of participants who need to dial in - either working from home, or can not make it for other reasons, don’t get disparaged. Connect with the human connection that all facilitators have, and leverage this, and the rules above, to facilitate successfully and ensure that all participants can contribute.
For more information on how to procure Insightful Path for your hybrid facilitation - reach out today! Your participants will thank you.
