I am so grateful for discovering this forum and to have a space to learn and share knowledge and resources around online facilitation.?
I am one of the founders of an online learning platform called?.? We are most inspired in working with people who create conversational learning experiences that generate meaningful connection and shared understanding.? We're continually researching and developing tools to help people create powerful group experiences online.? We've supported learning and community at places as diverse as Harvard and Unicef. And our vision is to grow a community of creators committed to working with people in deeply human ways.?

If this resonates at all with you please join us tomorrow, Tuesday June 23rd, at noon EST, for a free webinar we are hosting on the building blocks of a meaningful online learning experience.? We will share our approach to creating conversational learning experiences online that integrate Zoom and our Sutra platform in a powerful way. Please register here if you'd like to join us:?

And please help us bring more love into the world by sharing this with your network.

Also, on June 25 we’re launching the third cohort of our Transformational Teaching Online mentorship program.?If you have a yearning to touch people’s lives in a meaningful way, this course covers everything from bringing people together to group facilitation, content creation and online setup. Whether you want to teach mindfulness or marketing, build community or just host a conversation, you can create an engaging experience that fosters heartfelt connection and authentic communication.? Here's the link to learn more:?

With gratitude for the newly found community,?
Natasha

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Jessica -- the calendar link didn't work for me.? Please send me the link to this meeting.? Thanks!

Barb Bickford

bickfordcollaboration@...

608-630-0177

On Tue, Jun 2, 2020 at 11:22 AM <jessicakbarcelos@...> wrote:

Hi everyone,

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Coming back here a little bit later than I'd like to, but here I'm. So in our first meeting we talked a little bit about our challenges working with government through facilitation. In this email I wanna share with you the challenges we talked about and also make an invitation at the end of this email.

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The main challenges that emerged in this conversation:

• resistance to lose control, to make change;
• changing government expectations about how the process / events were in person and how it can be virtually;
• power dynamics in the public sector;
• digital government;
• greater interest in tools and not in the process.

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My next invitations for you:

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1)?Let's talk about: Power dynamics in the public sector

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When: June 19th at 09:45am until 10:45am (BR time)

Add this event in your agenda,?.

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2) Would like to organize this meeting with me?? Let me know and let's do it together!

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Keep in touch!

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Jéssica Barcelos

Meaningful conversations for?Government

Judy Rees wrote a blog on this, text below, thought it might be useful and interesting

How To Get Your Online Group Talking

11/06/2020?/?

If you want to keep people engaged in your online workshops, meetings and other events, here’s a simple solution. Get them talking!

Most people find it pretty easy to focus when it’s their turn to talk, or when a chance to talk is coming up. It’s when they’re expected to listen for long periods that their attention drifts – perhaps because we think so much faster than anyone can speak, so there’s spare cognitive capacity.

When I design online workshops and events, I design in loads of opportunities for participants to talk to each other.

One innovation participants in my online events seem to love is to use??to get people talking in small groups?before the event officially starts. It replicates what happens at a friendly in-the-room event: as people gather, they chat to whoever’s near them.

Experience suggests that using this kind of ‘soft start’ helps participants to get comfortable in the online space, which helps them to stay engaged throughout the event. Perhaps as a result, they’re more likely to talk in the plenary session.

As a bonus, it offers a chance for them to check that they can be heard and seen, and minimises dull waiting time.

Of course, there’s more to maximising engagement in online events than the ‘soft start’. But it’s a great start ?

(For more tips, check out our e-book,?.)

Soft Start: Here’s How I Do It

• I greet each arriving participant by name, and check that they can be heard and seen
• I repeat the explanation of what’s about to happen almost as many times as there are participants
• My explanation ends with an invitation, “Are you ready to join the breakout <name> and <name>?
• I put the very early birds into pairs. They’ll have heard the explanation clearly. Then, as it gets busier, I add more people to those pairs so that they are joining an established group and will hopefully follow what’s?already happening
• I keep the groups small – max four people
• With larger events (50+) I only use the soft start before the start time. Once there’s a big rush of people, so people can’t be greeted by name, I stop. So not everyone gets to join a breakout, some people do just have to wait in the main room for others to return.

Having had such a lot of value here, wanted to give? little back