Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Online Facilitation Uniquely Challenging

Today's workplace includes new technology and methods that are not yet mastered, such as online meetings. If you have attended an online meeting, you know they are uniquely challenging. Online facilitators always struggle to keep people engaged and often wonder if participants off doing e-mail or surfing the web.

I recently finished managing a successful global project with participants in Canada, Mexico, the US, and China. Here are a few thoughts on what worked, and what didn't:

What worked:
  • I adjusted meeting times for the Chinese so they could be at work while we in North America called from home. We have the infrastructure to do this, they typically do not.

  • I recorded every teleconference. I made the recordings available to every participant and generally available to interested parties within the client company. I used the recording to document meeting minutes, including follow up actions. When memory lapses occurred, and they always do, this became valuable.

  • I posted all documents, schedules, project requirements, photographs, and meeting minutes on a shared folder where everyone could review them at their leisure.

  • We met on a regular schedule, every two weeks. This allowed for progress between meetings. Weekly meetings sometimes are overly burdensome.

What didn't work (watch out)

  • Language barriers existed so it was imperative to follow up every conference call with a written confirmation and to specifically ask for acknowledgement. Key points are dates and specifications. Without concrete agreement, there was ambiguity, and error. Thread specifications seem to be the commonly missed item in China. The take away: demand positive confirmation on every date and every requirement.

  • Even with seemingly overdone written and verbal communication, preconceived notions caused fumbles and stumbles. An example: sample making. If samples are required, get more than the minimum you think you need... try doubling that figure. We made more than we thought we would need and we actually ran out... so err on the side of caution.

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