On 18 February 2021, a bunch of facilitators and coaches got together from around the world to share stories from some of their favourite remote sessions. It ended up being pretty inspiring and fun, so we’ve compiled a list with some of the activities shared, with links and ideas for how to run these activities yourself.
We all created this blog 100% asynchronously which was kind of fun too!
If you would like to practice and grow your remote facilitation skills with other experienced remote facilitators, join our community here!
(from the Remote Coaches)
Mark Kilby’s Comments
I could be accused of being obsessed with remote facilitation. I deeply enjoy anyone who develops this craft because it causes you to rethink the principles behind the facilitation and collaboration. I was deeply grateful to be invited by Kirsten & Jay Allen (The Remote Coaches) to participate in this asynchronous collaborative blog post that not only share some great techniques but some new voices. Hope you find these useful!
Playing towards flow in pomodoros – Danie Roux
During the hardest parts of lockdown I would carom wildly from boredom, to anxiety, to worry. An unproductive and sadness inducing cycle.
Remote Affinity Estimation – Bee Sharwood
Affinity Estimation (a specific use of Affinity Mapping) is a great way to quickly size a large number of backlog stories. A team can quickly estimate stories that are well-understood and agreed upon, and highlight stories that need a bit more detail and discussion.
WhatsApp Creative Read more… for Resource Constrained Environments – Cara Turner
codeX serves candidates living in resource-constrained communities, who are particularly hard-hit during hard lockdown. Without social connectivity we quickly lose perspective on our journey & progress in relation to each other.
Refocusing on Individual Needs – Kirsten Clacey
We spend a lot of time talking about how to improve the team and the system. Once in a while, I find it useful to open up discussion about what we each need as individuals, and to discuss our preferences in how we work.
Space Fillers – The Remote Coaches
The first 5 minutes of a big workshop or event are usually spent waiting for people to settle (maybe they got logged out of zoom or their last meeting ran a minute late). It’s difficult to use those first few minutes for anything meaningful because it’s likely you’ll have to re-explain everything so people don’t get lost.
A Way Forward: Conflict Retrospective – Jay-Allen Morris
This retrospective was not designed to resolve conflict but rather as a debrief for the team to be more aware of conflict situations and what might be happening for them if it arises. I created this retrospective for a team that was relatively new and had only worked together for 2 months.
A Compass Activity to Map Your Team’s Preferences – Mark Kilby
Sometimes I’ve struggled over the years to get some remote teams to truly invest in understanding each other to find better ways to work together. You might know the type: just want to get stuff done and they don’t like “touchy feely” exercises.
(Note: This post was published previously at https://theremotecoaches.com/blog-1/remote-facilitation-show-and-tell)
