Facilitation Skills: Running Effective Virtual Meetings

• This online version fits more easily into your work schedule.
•  Immediately apply your new skills and knowledge to your work; then talk to your facilitator about it during the next live session.
•  Build a set of Best Practices that will work for you.
•  Practice the online skills required to get the most out of your virtual meetings during one of the five online sessions and get expert feedback as you progress.
•  Receive a comprehensive manual packed with job aids, checklists and reference materials.

• Establish and identify a clear framework of best practices for managing a virtual meeting.
• Describe the key elements for planning a virtual meeting.
• Explain how to get a virtual meeting off to a good start.
• Identify the key actions required to keep the virtual meeting participants involved, interested, and directed toward accomplishing the desired results.
• Use questioning and facilitation skills to accomplish the type of participation desired.
• Apply effective remote listening skills.
• Identify the platform capabilities to use to ensure purpose and desired outcome is achieved.
• Verbalize transitions between platform capabilities in the virtual environment.
• Use language to connect with the remote audience.
• Determine appropriate follow-through plans and conclude the virtual meeting.
• Describe the key actions for curbing unproductive behavior and keep virtual meetings on target.
• Practice facilitating your own virtual meeting.

Foundations of Virtual Meetings

• Introduction, Objectives, Expectations and Overview
• Importance of Rules of Engagement
• Platform Capabilities
• Face to Face versus Virtual Meetings: What is the Same/What is Different
• Underlying Philosophies of Effective Meeting Facilitation
• Actions to help groups become more effective
• Human Element: Voice and Speech Characteristics
• Creating Rapport in the Virtual Environment
• Organizational Skills Overview:
  • Getting Started
• Types of Participation
• Creating an Agenda; Ground Rules; Role Assignment and Use of Technology
• Practice Opening a Virtual Meeting; Feedback and Debrief

Assignments

• Review Effective Groups vs Ineffective Groups
• Review Getting Started
• Review Types of Participation
• Prepare for the Virtual Meeting:
  • Create an Agenda
  • Create Ground Rules using Guidelines
  • Identify Role Assignments, Technology Issues and Phone Etiquette
  • Identify Important Phrases, Ideas and Actions
• Practice Your Meeting Introduction

Getting Started and Keeping Moving

• Common Pitfalls and Traps of Getting Started
• Keeping Moving
• Challenges of Virtual Meeting: Content Versus Process
• Effective Remote Listening Skills
• Ways to Refocus
• Using Language to Connect
• Verbalizing Transitions in a Virtual Meeting Environment
• Strategies for Maintain a Balanced Place in a Virtual Meeting in a Face-to-Face Meeting
• Researching Conclusions as You Go
• Practice Keeping Moving; Feedback and Debrief
• Common Pitfalls and Traps of Keeping Moving

Assignments

• Review Keeping Moving
• Review Using Language
• Review Verbalizing Transitions
• Review Generating Action and Concluding

Generating Action and Encouraging Participation

• Best Practices for Generating Action and Concluding
• Common Pitfalls for Generating Action and Concluding
• Monitoring Virtual and Face to Face Participation
• Group Leadership Skills
  • Encouraging Constructive Participation
    • Type of Participation Desires
    • Creating a Participative Climate
    • Drawing Out Contributions: Sample Questions
    • Acknowledging and Reinforcing Construction Participation
• Common Pitfalls and Traps for Encouraging Constructive Participation

Assignments

• Constructive Participation
• Review Effective Remote Listening
• Review Asking Questions and Logistics
• Review Facilitation Language
• Incorporate Questions (in Your Practice)
• Read Establishing a Positive Climate
• Review Sample Questions and How to Incorporate
• Preparations for Individual Practice Facilitating a Virtual Meeting

Practice

• Individual Practice Facilitating a 10-12 Minute Virtual Meeting (recorded for personal viewing)

Handling Disruptive Behaviour and Action Planning

• Handling Disruptive Behaviour
• Best Practices in the Virtual and Face-to-Face Environment
• Action Plan
• Wrap-Up
  • Expectations Revisited
  • What’s Next?

FKA can further customize your on-site program with additional topics like:

• Managing diverse points of view
• Best practices for presenting your ideas effectively

• The program will have 5-two hour sessions including a recorded 10-12 minute online practice by the participants with constructive feedback from your FKA facilitator.
• Call for program price – plus applicable taxes