Management and Leadership

Designing and Facilitating Effective Hybrid Meetings

• Traditional Classroom: ½-day
• Virtual Instructor-led: One 3-hour session; One 4-hour session; Two 2-hour sessions

Keeping participants actively engaged in a hybrid (or virtual) meeting doesn’t happen by chance. It takes preparation, skill, and practice to design meetings that are focused, productive, and efficient. In this interactive workshop we will explore factors that contribute to the design and facilitation of great hybrid and virtual meetings.

With thoughtful planning and design in place, managing the dynamics of a hybrid meeting offers up its own set of challenges. We will investigate techniques for managing disruptions, digressions, and difficult behaviors (e.g., dominant and passive participants). We’ll also cover best practices for managing time, keeping conversations focused, and wrapping up to ensure follow-through.

Target Audience

Individuals who will benefit from this course include anyone who plans and leads virtual or hybrid meetings, especially those who struggle with lackluster participation.

Learning Objectives

• Define key responsibilities of a facilitator.
• Describe the different configurations of hybrid meetings and how they impact facilitation.
• Identify the four stages of virtual and hybrid meeting facilitation.
• Describe concrete steps to take to mitigate common facilitation challenges for each of the four stages.
• Explain the importance of ground rules or social agreements in a meeting.
• List various tools and techniques to enhance engagement and meeting efficacy.

Pre-Course Work

• Two weeks prior to the training, participants will receive reflection questions.

Course Outline

Opening Activities

• Class Activity: Reading the Signs Icebreaker
• What Is Facilitation?
• The Role of the Facilitator

Meetings by the Numbers

• Why Do We Have Meetings?
• Are Meetings Effective?
• Class Activity: What Do You Dislike About Meetings?
• Do We Need a Meeting?

The Four Stages of Meeting Facilitation

• Preparing
• Initiating
• Facilitating
• Closing

Virtual/Hybrid Meeting Facilitation Best Practices

• Hybrid Meeting Configurations
• Facilitation Challenges and Ways to Mitigate for Each of the Four Stages
• Best Practices — Preparing
  • Designing Experiences for Inclusion
  • Meeting Agenda
• Best Practices — Initiating
  • Social Agreements
  • Meeting Roles
• Best Practices — Facilitating
• Best Practices — Closing
  • Summarizing Agreements
  • Action Items

Tools and Techniques to Facilitate Engagement

• Preparing
  • Interactivity and Engagement Tools
• Initiating
  • Meeting Starters
• Facilitating
  • Building in Interactivity with Meeting Application Tools
  • Flexing to Accommodate Different Learning Styles
• Closing
  • Takeaways, Shout-Outs, and “Gots and Wants ” Activity

Summary, Action Plan, and Key Takeaways

Post-Course Work

• Two weeks after the training: Participants meet to discuss what they have implemented from their action items.
• Four weeks after the training: Participants meet to discuss what they have learned and implemented from attending group meetings.

MDV4008a-3a Course Code