Updating “Facilitips”

I received a request to grant usage rights to a VERY old piece I wrote years ago – a general set of heuristics for online facilitation called “Facilitips,” first published in 1999. Way back in the old days!

It was basically my distillation of everything I learned from people like Howard Rheingold, Sue Boettcher, and many others (see the bottom of this post). I realized it was full of typos and could use a brush up, so here it is.

Note: these are not unique to online but have been found IMPORTANT in online facilitation!

General Tips

• Assume good intent. Approach every contribution with curiosity, expecting surprise and wonder. Remind others of this simple trick.
• Role model the behavior you wish others to use.
• Practice and encourage active listening/reading.
• Be as explicit as possible in your communication.
• Remember not everyone thinks or perceives the way you do. Seek to understand participants’ styles and needs.
• Don’t automatically assume understanding — ask for clarification as needed.
• Trust is slow to be granted, easily taken away. Encourage an environment that values trust.
• Build trust by doing what you say you will do. Encourage others to do the same.
• Use irony and humor with care as it does not always come across online as you might have intended. This is particularly relevant in intercultural contexts. You can always use emoticons to clarify! 😉
• Think before you hit the button and a post goes up.

Process Facilitation Tips

• Make the bare minimum of rules, expectations or norms consistent, explicit and clear. No one remembers long lists of rules!
• Provide orientation materials and paths for new members.
• Respond to all first-time participants. Welcome people by name.
• Use recognizable names or pseudonyms.
• Use small group activities to build relationships and “get acquainted.”
• Encourage the use of personal profiles to build relationships.
• Consider cultural differences of participants.
• Help members take ownership of the interaction space.
• Nurture others to help host and facilitate the group.
• Encourage people to mentor and assist each other. Recognize mentors.
• Acknowledge and reciprocate participation.
• Reply to messages that get no other recognition. Even if it is a “treading water reply.”
• Use (open-ended) questions to encourage participation. (move beyond yes/no)
• Stimulate input with positive private emails to individuals.
• Notice if someone is “missing” for long periods of time. Email them and invite them back.
• Let others know when you will be offline for extended periods of time.
• Draw out the quiet members.
• Help focus the chatters.
• Don’t fan the flames (or the flamers!) (see difficult situations below).
• Ask members for feedback. What is working for them? What is not? What is missing?
• Monitor member activity with available tools to gauge participation and alter your facilitation strategy accordingly.
• Look for participation patterns and changes in conversations.
• Consider participation from different time zones. The more your time zones are spread, the more time needed for a group to be in sync.
• Consider time-delimited events or topics to foster activity.

Facilitation Tips for Task-Oriented Groups

• Make purpose and task VERY clear/visible/explicit.
• Post timelines and reminders.
• Agree on process issues up front. Address as needed on an on-going basis.
• Make roles and responsibilities clear and visible.
• Use email as appropriate for notification.
• When activity levels drop, evaluate to ensure you have compelling reasons for participation: real work, learning, shared tasks, personal or professional development.
• Let divergent processes flow free. Channel convergent processes.

Tips for Dealing with Difficult Situations

• Don’t be intimidated by challenges. They are learning opportunities for everyone when handled with grace.
• Help bring learning out of friction or “creative abrasion.”
• Help people understand how they come across if others are having difficulty with them. Consider doing this offline or privately.
• Avoid “one-upmanship” and point-by-point defenses which usually only escalate problems.
• Use back channel (private) email to resolve problems unless the issue involves a larger group.
• Use your administration tools (i.e., deleting posts) lightly and carefully.
• Don’t assume a lack of response means dissent or assent. Seek explicit responses.

Structural & Content Tips

• Frame topic openers clearly and demonstrate the goal or purpose of the topic or thread.
• Label topic/threads and conference items clearly.
• Provide ongoing (and often repeated) guidance on “what goes where” in any interaction space.
• Don’t pile too much into one post. Break it up into small paragraphs or multiple posts, especially if you are dealing with more than one point or topic.
• Keep “conversations” in their most logical place — social chat in social spaces, content or action specific interaction in their own spaces or topics.
• Open new topics to support new discussions emerge as needed.
• Observe the rhythm of topics and close old topics as they grow dormant.
• Summarize and/or index conversations of value to make them accessible to the group.
• Provide great links, resources and relevant, stimulating content to foster interaction.
• Tag materials if your platform allows.
• Explore the use of color and images as communication and facilitation tools.
• Respect copyright and confidentiality. Do not repost other’s postings, photos, references or emails without explicit permission.
• Keep the online space free from “garbage” such as duplicate posts, or disallowed content (i.e.. pornography, advertising or whatever your group norms dictate.)
• Don’t obsess about typos. Life is too short.

One for the Road…

• Facilitation is the combination of knowledge and practice. So practice, practice, practice.
• Read between the lines.
• Seek to be fair.
• Have fun.
• Use common sense.
• When all else fails, ask and listen. Again. Again.

Sources:

Notes from Uri Merry, Mihaela Moussou, Peter and Trudy Johnson-Lenz, Margaret McIntyre, Denham Grey, TJ Elliott and others from the Knowledge Ecology Work Group at http://www.co-i-l.com

Online Facilitation Classes from Wise Circle Training, including Kimberly A. Adler of the National Mentoring Partnership

http://www.fullcirc.com (Full Circle Associates)

http://www.rheingold.com (Howard Rheingold)

http://www.wwcoco.com (Sue Boettcher)

http://www.bigbangworkshops.com (Heather Duggan)

The members of the GroupFacilitation, OnlineFacilitation, and ComPrac listservs