Session Feedback

If you are new to remote facilitation, you should improve your practice with every session. Design an easy mechanism for participants to share oral and/or written feedback (give them choices that fit different personalities and abilities). And ask them for consistent feedback; thumbs up are great, but you can learn more from a paragraph.

 

Incubation Time

Because the sessions are getting shorter, the time spent in between is getting longer. And that's a good thing because it provides more time for the incubation stage. Tell the participants about the importance of this stage in creative thinking processes — let them know [how] they can get back to the virtual whiteboard in their free time, and encourage them to add all ideas that spur offline.

 

Offline Action

The engagement and momentum you build online are at risk of dissipating once the session is over — this is why every session should end with a very clear next step (whether it's homework or group activities). Tell the participants what they should do next, and put it in writing as well. Schedule one on one discussions for further clarification, if necessary.

 

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