Mainting Momentum (For remote engagement)

Feb '23 (edited) in General discussion & questions

98% of the workshops I facilitated last year were fully remote. Even the teams I was worked were mostly distribute, some spread across multiple continents.

The biggest challenge I see with remote workshops, compared to in-person, is keeping folks engaged. After all, you're literally asking them to stare at a screen with all those tempting little apps and tabs screaming for attention the whole time

You can't ask people to just put stuff away, so instead I rely on momentum (or to put it another way, the pace in which you move through the workshop)

Momentum encourages focus, and by keeping a brisk pace, you ensure those in the session have less time to disengage, to jump over to Slack or Email, because if they do, they’ll quickly realise that the workshop will move on without them.

You should set this expectation early, let them know that they’re going to need to focus, and that if they’re distracted they might miss important information, this will ensure they recognise the behaviour.

The real trick though is to make it feel natural, it shouldn't feel like you’re rushing through exercises, it should feel as though you have just the right amount of time for everything. It’s a delicate balance, but if you can find it you’ll have a much more engaged remote group.

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