The Chat box is highly underrated. All meeting spaces have this feature, but it is not often used. And even more rarely, explored. Here are some great reasons to use the Chat box: to invite in all voices Rarely does everyone have a voice in a session (in-person or...
Silence to Think and Re-energize
Many people are afraid of sitting in silence with a group in a Zoom room. Don't be afraid. Silence can be extremely helpful and needed if timed well. Here are reasons to design for silence: to give people time to think to make space for off-screen work before coming...
Quizzes and Polls to Engage
The number one desire in online learning is to engage each individual present. Quizzes and polls are two quick and easy features that can help boost the energy, add some fun, and help learners connect to the content and each other. When to Use As a warm-up to learn...
Miro as a Digital Whiteboard
One of my teams started using Miro as a digital whiteboard, and I was really excited to be able to use the "sticky notes" (term used by Miro) function to brainstorm and sort ideas like we’ve done with Post-it notes in-person. Once we tried it out, it became clear...
Start with the Heart: A Warm-Up to Consider
I could never have imagined I would start a meeting with personal images of joy…But I did!
Showing up with Openness and Authenticity
For a variety of reasons, social contact with friends and extended family, neighbors and co-workers has been limited because of the global pandemic. Many folks have wisely heeded all the public health recommendations by wearing masks, practicing physical distancing,...
How to Use the Chat Box, Respectfully
Over the past months of virtual meetings – and there have been plenty of them – there has been much testing and experimentation with technology. One such technique has been the Chat feature; all virtual platforms have it and most of us use it. For me, the Chat feature...
Jamming with Jamboard, a Virtual Whiteboard
If you have ever attended an International Budget Partnership (IBP) in-person training, chances are you scribbled some thoughts on tiny sticky notes and stuck them on flip charts around the room. We at IBP love our flip charts, color markers and sticky notes. We haul...
True for You: A Technique to Consider
Using the right technique at the right time with the right people can touch me at my core. When a technique helps to bring the best outcome for a working or learning session I feel grateful.
Harnessing the Unexpected through Silence
Since working from home for more than a year, I’ve been listening to lots of music as I work, typically radio stations generated by some anonymous algorithm. After a few months, however, I was recognizing every song on my playlists of choice – it felt stale and...
Anybody Out There: What’s the Deal with Webcams, Anyway?
Have you ever set up a breakout room and only half the people went there? They didn’t ‘move’ because they were no longer at their desk. But how could you know: their webcam was OFF! Have you ever found yourself begging, even pleading, for individuals in a Zoom meeting...
A Chance to Be Your Truest Self
I have learned a lot about connection recently. Previous to the last couple of months, I was afraid of it. In a way, I’d imagine we all were. As a shared humanity, it seems as though in the last year we’ve never been farther apart. Amidst wars and division in many...