Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Designing and Facilitating Effective Hybrid Meetings

• Traditional Classroom: ½-day
• Virtual Instructor-led: One 3-hour session; One 4-hour session; Two 2-hour sessions

Keeping remote participants actively engaged when meeting virtually doesn’t happen by chance. It takes time, thought, skill, and practice to design virtual meetings that are relevant, interesting, productive, and engaging. In this interactive workshop series we explore factors that contribute to the design and facilitation of great virtual meetings, including setting clear expectations, ensuring adequate preparation and prework, embedding ample opportunities for continuous interaction, and asking great questions at the right time. We use a combination of case studies, individual idea generation, group sharing, and role-plays.

Despite thoughtful planning and design, managing the dynamics of a virtual meeting can be challenging in the moment. Participants will learn how to manage distractions, disruptions, difficult behaviors (e.g., dominant and passive participants), and unhelpful digressions. We’ll also share tips for managing time, keeping conversations focused, and wrapping up to ensure follow-through.

Target Audience

Individuals who will benefit from this course include anyone who plans and leads virtual meetings, especially those who struggle with lackluster participation. This interactive workshop series is designed for a maximum of 15 participants, using a combination of audio conference and online meeting area.

Learning Objectives

• Use objective criteria to decide whether or not a meeting is necessary.
• Define key responsibilities of a facilitator.
• Describe the different configurations of hybrid meetings and how they impact facilitation.
• Identify the four stages of virtual and hybrid meeting facilitation.
• Describe concrete steps to take to mitigate common facilitation challenges for each of the four stages.
• Explain the importance of ground rules or social agreements in a meeting.
• List various tools and techniques to enhance engagement and meeting efficacy.

Key Takeaways

• Guidelines for designing virtual meetings with engagement in mind.
• Tips for making prework more compelling.
• Hybrid meetings: Steps to creating a level playing field.
• Choosing the best combination of technology to heighten engagement.
• Approaches for managing difficult dynamics, including prolonged silence.
• Tips for keeping people engaged and interested in productive conversations.

Course Outline

Opening Activities

• Session Goal and Objectives
• Class Activity: Reading the Signs Icebreaker

The Role of the Facilitator

• What Is Facilitation?
• Facilitator Responsibilities
• Class Activity: What Kinds of Sessions Do You Facilitate?

Meeting Facilitation

• Meetings by the Numbers
• Class Activity: What Do You Dislike About Meetings?
• Decision Tree: Do I Need a Meeting?
• Configurations of Hybrid Meetings
• Class Discussion: Facilitation Challenges

The Four Stages of Virtual / Hybrid Meeting Facilitation

• Mitigating Challenges by Stage
  • Stage 1: Preparing
    • Designing for Inclusion
    • Time-Boxed Agenda
  • Stage 2: Initiating
    • Social Agreements / Ground Rules
    • Meeting Roles
  • Stage 3: Facilitating
  • Stage 4: Closing
• Activity: Additional Challenges

Best Practices, Tools, and Techniques

• Stage 1: Preparing
  • Engagement Tools and Apps
  • Workshop or Meeting Templates
• Stage 2: Initiating
  • Round Robin Questions
  • The GIF Challenge
  • Creative Meeting Starters
• Stage 3: Facilitating
  • Build in Variation
  • Flex to Accommodate Different Learning and Processing Styles
• Stage 4: Closing
  • One-breath Takeaway
  • Shout Outs
  • “Gots” and “Wants”
• Session Summary and Key Takeaways

MDV4008a Course Code