The Virtual Facilitation Workshop is being redesigned!

While we update the Virtual Facilitation Workshop, please check out the Virtual Modalitory, a facilitation workshop that’s all about online methods and modalities. You’ll learn and practice virtual modalities to connect and energize participants, bring out and capture ideas, decide from among those ideas, plan the way ahead, and reflect on how to apply and customize what you’ve learned to your own work. 

We’ll practice:

  • Icebreakers and energizers 

  • Open Space

  • World Café 

  • Pecha kucha

  • Adaptive case studies

  • Asset mapping / brainwriting 

...and more! We will maximize what you can do with Zoom, PowerPoint, MURAL and other easy-to-use tools to build engagement and boost participation. We’ll also:

  • share techniques to moderate panels and multiple speakers online, 

  • effectively manage audience question and answer sessions, 

  • facilitate roundtable meetings that culminate in decisions, 

  • set goals and plan actions, and 

  • facilitate learning and listening sessions that allow participants to hear from diverse stakeholders. 

This is NOT about frameworks, mindsets, theories, and philosophies! This is for the working facilitator who wants to learn methods applicable to the next session. This is one modality after another. This is all about you adding ready-to-use tools and techniques to your toolbox of online facilitation methods. 

Together, we will: 

  • Learn new facilitation modalities to advance the work of groups, build meaningful relationships, and spark courageous conversations

  • Create a laboratory for designing new, custom-made exercises to meet the needs of diverse clients

  • Build a community of thought partners for generating ideas about future facilitation opportunities

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Since 2016, we've taught hundreds of facilitators how to be at their best online. We just updated The Virtual Facilitation Workshop in August 2020 to apply the realities of living in an online world. In this 3-hour interactive, online workshop, we’ll cover best practices and activities for facilitating groups online. We'll discuss:

Part 1: Design, Mindset, and Energy Online

  • Welcoming and orienting attendees

  • Designing for participation

  • Managing participants' energy and engagement

Part 2: Facilitation using Zoom - Creating Trust and Connection

  • Developing your appearance online

  • Easing participants into new technology

  • Energizers and connection activities

Part 3: Facilitation using MURAL - Participatory Decision Making

  • Collaborative brainstorming, clustering, and deciding

  • Managing breakouts

  • Participatory group work

In addition to the 3-hour workshop, we hold Office Hours after the workshop to answer your questions in more depth... so be sure to hold time on your calendar after the workshop to participate!

Screenshot from the Virtual Facilitation Workshop

Feedback on the Virtual Facilitation Workshop

"I really appreciated Brian's ability to pivot in a lightning-fast way to structure the workshop so it benefited our particular team. Every team or organization will have different needs and questions for virtual facilitation, and it felt very 'bespoke' - it's especially impressive because I'm aware he made that happen in real time."

"Overall I thought the workshop was very informative and helpful, and left me with a great deal of things to think about and try in my own virtual facilitation tasks ahead."

"It was quite engaging, timely and enlightening on best practices for being a good virtual facilitator. I particularly liked the use of MURAL, the mood check-ins, polls and activities."

"It was so different than any other workshops I have been in before and I learns so much! A lot of the backstage of facilitation I had no idea about. It was delightful to learn how to use MURAL just a few days after I learned about it!"

"Home run. This is serving the world beautifully in a time of great need."

Screenshot of the Virtual Facilitation Workshop

About Lizard Brain:

Lizard Brain is a facilitation company specializing in online and visual facilitation. Since 2016, we've taught hundreds of facilitators how to be at their best online. This workshop was completely redesigned in August 2020 to apply the realities of living in an online world.

About the instructor:

Brian Tarallo is the managing director of Lizard Brain. He is a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) and Certified Virtual Facilitator (CVF.) He has been a professional facilitator for 15 years. He is the author of the upcoming book Surviving the Horror of Online Meetings.

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How to prepare:

Once you’ve registered and In advance of the workshop, please finish the following prework:

1. Click this link to check your internet speed: http://www.fast.com

You should have at least 10 Mbps, and ideally above 20 Mbps.

Please participate using a laptop or desktop computer using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Do not use an iPad or smartphone. Do not use the following browsers: Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Safari, or Opera.

If you have them, a good headset and an external mouse will enhance your experience but are not required.

2. ZOOM:

Zoom is the webmeeting platform we'll use for our audio and text-based communication. This should take about 15 minutes to complete.

3. MURAL:

MURAL is an online, collaborative sticky wall that we'll use to work visually.

This step is HIGHLY recommended... you'll get a LOT more out of the workshop if you're already familiar with MURAL. This should take about 15 minutes to complete.

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