Getting the Audience to Relax

• Most facilitators consider it best practice when they can get the audience to relax and establish a collaborative meeting.
• A relaxed audience is in a better position to brainstorm in any setting, whether virtually or in person.
• There have been concerns that engaging a virtual audience is more complicated than in-person. However, facilitators who plan can have a successful virtual meeting just as in-person. In this case, facilitators should ensure that all material and discussions or questions are well organized before the session begins.
• Facilitators should apply the same methods they apply in person when conducting virtual meetings.

Traditional Check-ins

• Just like in-person meetings, the participants in virtual meetings also need to feel seen, safe and secure so they can engage in dialogue. Thus, it is best-practice to first check-in with the audience.
• Some facilitators may pose short open-ended questions before they start, to get a personal perspective.
•  Warming people up can yield impressive results both in-person and online.
• A best-practice would be to have consistent rules for everyone whether in-person or virtually.
• For instance, a facilitator may instruct participants to turn their cameras on or off when it is their turn to pitch, contribute or ask a question.