Positive Online Engagement
Creating a positive online space does not have to involve technical wizardry. The following can help any online engagement run smoother and may help with face-to-face meetings too.
Managing expectations
Preparation, preparation, preparation… a lot of what creates positive online engagement stems from people knowing what to expect. Giving people information about what is going to happen, and when, means they can make a more informed choice about whether they want to attend. This avoids disappointment, stress, and confusion.
When people can digest information before an online activity, they can come prepared, leading to better conversations and making the job of the facilitator much easier. Try the following:
- Send an ‘agenda’ ahead of time (this should ideally be more than a day in advance). The agenda should include a breakdown of the main parts of the meeting or workshop, and at what times these occur. You may want to lay out some objectives if relevant, detailing what people might get out of the session and who it is for.
- Manage expectations of involvement – if you are hoping for a highly interactive workshop, then say this in advance. If it may be more ‘webinar’ style, then let people know there will be minimal opportunities for engagement.
- Tell people the questions or topics you are hoping to explore in advance – some people are comfortable with thinking on their feet, others like time to process information.If there will be background or context that people need to understand, then send this beforehand. This reduces the likelihood of people feeling out of their depth.
Structuring your engagement
Try to include variety in your online activities (explored more later). This could include the use of tools, such as polls, quizzes etc.
If you are hoping to use tools when engaging people online, let people know to expect this. You might want to send round information about these before a meeting so people can familiarise themselves.
You could ask your community what activities they would like to see online, or topics they want to cover. This may even allow you to step back as facilitator / leader for some sessions, and let others run these instead. This can be empowering and create a sense of community ownership.
Multiple facilitators and channels of communication
If you have capacity, try having more than one facilitator supporting your online activity. Usually there are multiple ways of participating in online platforms, and that means it can be harder to keep up with what is going on. You could have a volunteer attend whose role is to monitor a chat function on Zoom, or to make sure people with raised hands are not ignored. You could also let people know that they can message that person privately if they are struggling during the session.
Creating a safe space
We can never guarantee that everyone attending will be respectful, but we can take steps to make this more likely, and to handle problems at the time.
Write up a code of conduct
A code of conduct is a shared agreement of respect between everyone in a meeting. Check out the Equality Network’s code of conduct as an example.
Send round the code of conduct beforehand
Send out a link to your code of conduct, as well as a brief explanation of this prior to the online activity. Make sure people agree to abide by it.
Repeat your code of conduct in brief at the start of the meeting
As part of your welcome, re- state that everyone in the room needs to respect one another, and that any form of discrimination will not be tolerated.
Do not be afraid to remove people where needed
If someone breaks the code of conduct, or makes the online space unsafe, then you as the host can remove this person.
Managing digital fatigue
Depending on the length and intensity of your online activity, you may need to provide one or more comfort breaks. Schedule these at regular intervals, e.g., if your meeting is an hour long, you may want to place a 10-minute break in the middle. Online engagement can be more tiring than in-person, and breaks help people refocus and revitalise.
Feedback and continuous improvement
What works for one group may not work for another. The only way of really knowing what your community wants is to ask them. You can do this by offering short feedback forms before and after some online activities. Put this feedback into action, doing more of what works, and improving what does not.
