Have Webinar, Will Travel

In this age of limited resources, companies are scaling back on travel. But they’re achieving “virtual travel” by providing web conferencing and webinars!

Have you participated in any webinars or web meetings recently? If so, you’ve probably noticed that the field is advancing before our very eyes. In my attempt to keep up, I started participating in webinars sponsored by various companies, such as publishers and professional associations. It’s great because you get to see how these things are run. I’m always interested in knowing: How interactive are they? Can the participants speak to the presenter or host? How do you ask questions? This exposure is helping me get over the “virtual hump”, and now colleagues are asking me what functionality is out there!

The Art of Intervening in Meetings

We’ve all been there: someone’s dominating the discussion in a meeting, or the discussion is getting off-track. What to do? Does the facilitator stop the dominating voices, or refocus the group? If not, do you sit there and put up with it? Chances are you’ve experienced both scenarios. As a facilitator, I see it these as two of my primary tasks: to rein in the dominators, to make sure that everyone has a chance to speak, and to keep the meeting on track towards its desired outcome. But ask yourself – is it only up to the facilitator to intervene? What power, if any, do the participants have?

I’m in favor of shared leadership and shared facilitation; I think that anyone in the group can comment, and even recommend a shift, in process. Sometimes the best interventions come from participants. My students asked me recently for language that we can all use, as participants, to shift the conversation. Interventions are most likely to be effective when they exhibit the following characteristics:

• They exhibit concern for the benefit of the whole group.
• They don’t come across as scolding or blaming.
• They come from a place of curiosity, and checking if others in the group share our perception of what’s happening.
• They come across as suggestions rather than dictating answers.

Asking for Feedback (it’s a gift!)

As group facilitators, we’re trained to examine our impact on the group. Skilled facilitators have developed radar that clues them in to how the group is reacting, and they can fix their delivery mid-stream. We look for these clues in-the-moment, and also verbally check in with the group periodically. We also ask for feedback at the end of a meeting, realizing that that’s the best way to improve our skills. This is also important to us in our role as change agents or consultants; working with colleagues provides us a wonderful opportunity to get feedback during a client engagement – it’s a way for us to correct course, and to improve our effectiveness.

What about getting feedback as participants, about our impact on the group? I’m thinking of workshops or professional development groups, particularly for facilitators and OD consultants. Can we include the opportunity to get feedback for participants in a group? I think this is more readily done in a multi-day workshop, or in an intact group. If we’re going to include this, we need to establish an atmosphere of trust and set the context for asking and giving feedback. We have to set parameters and have people contract with one another. One rule might be: ask for permission before you give feedback. Contracting questions include: Are you/ Am I, open to receiving feedback? From anyone? Or from a specified person or support group? Should we set aside a certain time for that? If we are careful about the contracting, I think this can be done successfully.