online facilitation

Online Facilitator Fitness

February 24, 2012

I’m training for the Knoxville Marathon which means working out has become part of my weekly routine.  It sounds strange, but as I’ve been training for the marathon, I’ve noticed some similarities with preparing for online facilitation and it got me thinking about a regimen for online facilitator fitness.  Be 100% prepared for the day [...]

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To Record or Not to Record in the Virtual Classroom

August 31, 2011

Has this ever happened to you:  you announce a training session that will be delivered in a live virtual classroom and someone who would like to attend but cannot asks if he or she can get access to the recording.  Recording virtual classroom training is usually just a matter of learning how to set up [...]

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Ten Ideas for Exercises in the Virtual Classroom

July 27, 2011

If you have either attended or facilitated training in a virtual classroom you know that maintaining a high level of interactivity is key to keeping participants engaged.  Here are ten ideas for exercises to try in your next virtual classroom session: 1. Discuss a picture Display a picture that illustrates a concept you are teaching.  Ask [...]

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What Online Facilitators Can Learn From Rock Stars

June 10, 2011

Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with a friend whose kids are Canadian rock stars in the band, The Trews, currently on tour with Kid Rock.  He mentioned that their performances have improved remarkably while touring.  When I asked what they attribute their improvement to he mentioned that Kid Rock, a music perfectionist, suggested that [...]

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Recipe for Success in a Web Conference

November 1, 2010

What does it take to put together a successful web conference where participants and facilitators exchange valuable knowledge, are energized and hungry for more? Whether you are using web conferencing to deliver training, hold a meeting, host a knowledge sharing session or other event, there are three ingredients to consider for a successful event: One [...]

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Using Your “Peripherals” When You Facilitate a Web Conference

February 19, 2010

In one scene in the movie The 40-Year Old Virgin, Jay (Romany Malco) gives advice to Andy (Steve Carell) about spotting women in a bar.He starts by explaining that you have to “use your peripherals” by looking straight ahead, yet observing what is going on all around.He describes this subtle, yet important technique that allows [...]

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How to Gather Participant Feedback in a Web Conference

February 10, 2010

Gathering evaluation feedback from participants in a web conference can be easily done through an online evaluation conducted at the conclusion of your training. The importance of soliciting feedback and making adjustments cannot be understated: since we cannot see our participants, their evaluation of the training is critical. Just as in a physical classroom, it’s [...]

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How to Keep Your Cool Online

December 13, 2009

Picture this: A project manager with a geographically dispersed team, who was somewhat new to conducting meetings via web conference, decided to facilitate a project kick-off meeting using a web conference. Her goal was to get the team on the same page and make a good first impression. As the meeting started, she lost her [...]

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Chatting It Up

August 24, 2009

I remember the first time I taught a course via web conference many years ago. My co-worker and I were both new to the technology, and it was the blind leading the blind. We noticed the chat feature and promptly turned it off as we decided that we didn’t want people chatting while we were [...]

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Overt Operations in the Virtual Classroom

July 31, 2009

My last post focused on using your mouse deliberately for any movement on the screen. What else needs to be executed in a deliberate and overt manner in the virtual classroom? Nanette Miner shares excellent tips on deliberate language in her article, The Non-Drowsy Virtual Classroom in T&D Magazine this month. Miner suggests, “… language [...]

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