If you’re hosting a webinar…the number one question on your mind is how to keep participant engagement high. At the moment, I’m writing this post while also participating in a webinar! I know…it’s terrible.

But, it’s also case in point.

On a good day, it’s challenging to keep people engaged in a virtual meeting because there’s an INFINITE number of things inside participant’s devices competing for their attention. During COVID-19, where many people are on videoconference calls all day, there’s the added challenge of “Zoom fatigue” to overcome.

Because communication and group dynamics by videoconference are somewhat “flattened,” if your webinar does not engage people in participatory and creative ways, you WILL lose them.

Judy Rees, a facilitator in the UK, who is dedicated to transforming distributed communication, implores you to get beyond the usual “talk over slides” webinar. Instead her free guide “Web Events That Connect” provides a basic “recipe” for balancing your content sharing with participant interaction to leverage social learning and network connections, both of which support ACTION after your webinar is over.

We say “YES!” to generating participant exchanges and we say, go one step further. Make those discussions VISUAL.

Through the magic of technology, a visual recorder can be in your webinar capturing key ideas from presenters and participants in real-time. Visual recording boosts engagement in digital meetings because:

• Participants experience a creative element in the meeting that helps foster a sense of shared culture and personal connection which is otherwise more challenging to do in a virtual environment.
• It gives people have something dynamic and sensory to focus on that keeps them away from distractions in their surroundings.
• The visual record literally demonstrates that contributions are valued and there is equal space to share thoughts and ideas.
• The visual recording can be shared in real-time or at strategic reflection points. It can be distributed to participants after the meeting as an artifact that helps people retain and act on what was discussed.
• The facilitator is free to focus on group dynamics, knowing they have a professional visual recorder capturing the information that matters most.

During COVID, the world catapulted into working from home and left organizations, managers and their teams with a set of unprecedented challenges. Einblau & Associates took the lead and created a webinar series that was both participatory and visual.  Leaders came together to learn from experts and pool their own knowledge about what was working and not working as organizations quickly reacted to ensure the safety of employees and then began responding thoughtfully to the new realities.

If you’re designing a webinar for high engagement, then talk to us about making it visual. If you’re grappling to manage COVID related challenges in your workplace, then download the Illustrated Guide to Leading and Managing During COVID-19.

The post How to Raise Engagement in Webinars appeared first on Get The Picture.

Asking yourself these questions will help you hone in on and select the most appropriate ground rules for your group:

• Who will be in the meeting? What is the group profile?
• How do you imagine people feel about coming to this meeting?
• What tendencies are known or anticipated for a group like this during discussions?
• What about their discussion style might you want to promote or curb?
• What group dynamics, issues or tensions are there? What is your intention – to get ahead of those or contain them? To draw those out? To simply bring awareness and normalize them?
• What’s critical for the group to keep in mind in order to be successful at the activities planned in this meeting?

Here are some commonly used ground rules (collected from colleagues and meetings we’ve been a part of). Land on between 3-5 ground rules and after introducing and explaining what each one means to the group, consider asking the group for additions.

• Show up and CHOOSE to be present (treat this as the most important conversation you can be in and silence or put away technology)
• Participate 100%
• Everyone participate, no one dominate
• Share the airtime
• One speaker at a time
• Be brief and meaningful when voicing your opinion
• State your “headline” first, then the supporting information as necessary
• Success depends on participation (share ideas, ask questions, draw others out)
• Share your unique perspective
• Share your experience (not others’)
• Allow every voice to be heard
• Be generative and use “Yes…and” thinking (not, “Yes…but”)
• Listen to understand
• Listen with care instead of “building your story”
• Meaning is in the listener
• Listen from the “We” but speak from the “I”
• Respect each others’ thinking and value their contributions
• Listen for understanding – inquire (ask) before you advocate (persuade)
• Be aware of meaningless abstraction
• Treat everything you hear as an opportunity to learn and grow
• Articulate hidden assumptions
• Challenge cherished beliefs
• Seek common ground and understanding (not problems and conflict)
• Disagree without being disagreeable
• Remember responsibility and non-defensiveness
• Speak honestly
• Use I statements
• Seek unity (not separation)
• Be positive, non-judgmental and open to new ideas
• Speak your truth, without blame or judgment
• Be intrigued by the difference you hear
• Expect to be surprised
• All ideas are valid
• Critique ideas, not people
• Stay open to new ways of doing things
• Ask “what’s possible?” not “what’s wrong”? Keep asking
• Listen for the future to emerge
• Stay at the strategic level (out of the operational)
• With transformation, expect anxiety
• Let go of the outcome
• Manage group work
• Staying on schedule is everyone’s responsibility; honor time limits
• Stay out of the weeds and the swamps
• Confidentiality (whatever is said/written in the room stays in the room)
• Bring your humor and have fun!

Once you set your meeting guidelines, be sure that all of your participants are aware of your expectations. A great way to keep them reminded, without saying a word, is to use a visual agenda. That way you have a graphic reference of the ground rules in plain view where they can help the group regulate themselves. (Check out our post to learn other benefits of a visual agenda, “5 Ways to Manage Your Meetings”)

What are the ground rules for your meetings? Have you ever seen a meeting derail because the facilitator failed to provide guidelines? Tell us about it below.

The post A List of Ground Rules for Effective Meetings appeared first on Get The Picture.