Pick up on details Group dynamics has a lot to do with picking up on the group atmosphere. How are my participants responding to an activity? How well does a particular task suit their needs? What are they interested in right now and how well can I get them to focus on that? In digital exchanges participants should mute their microphone while they are listening to instructions or when only one person is speaking. Otherwise, there is too high a risk of them be- ing distracted by background noise. In a digital setting you won’t pick up on those things you normally would in a seminar room. Reactions, comments, follow-up ques- tions are more difficult online. Instead, you should fo- cus on people’s facial expressions, give clear and simple instructions, be prepared for non-verbal responses and address participants directly. A few pointers on how to better identify group dynamic processes are provided in the following. Identifying and handling group dynamic processes in online settings Group dynamic phases in online exchanges The various group dynamic phases are typically not as clear-cut in online exchanges as they are in in-person ex- changes. They also need significantly more support, es- pecially at the start. Besides, there is no informal time as described in the above, or it becomes part of the online programme, meaning there is less group time. Still, us- ing the right methods and planning a varied programme can lead to a surprising amount of interaction in a short space of time. Compared to spending several days trav- elling to an offline meeting, the threshold to taking part in an online exchange is much lower, which makes it easier for participants to drop in. There are also tools that can be used in online exchanges to get the group working creatively and not just listening passively. Here are a few: Breakout rooms Dividing up the group into small rooms with two or more people or even small groups of three to five people cre- ates an opportunity for a lot of interaction in a short space of time. It is one of the most effective tools for creating virtual contact between participants and should form part of each whole-group unit. Participants can be assigned to the breakout rooms at random or by the team leader, or else they can themselves choose which breakout room to join. After the end of the allotted time, everyone returns to the main room. This is an ideal situ- ation for team leaders because groups can be divided up quickly and brought back quickly with a specific amount of interaction on a specific topic in the interim. After this the level of interaction within the group is greatly im- proved. The inherent nature of breakout rooms creates an atmosphere of trust without the team leader being present and “controlling” the situation. Participants are
more ready to talk about personal things that they may not wish to reveal to the whole group. Schedule opportunities for feedback
Anyone who runs online exchanges will quickly notice that it makes sense to regularly get some feedback on the mood in the group or tasks assigned, because you tend to be talking to yourself a lot of the time while the others are on mute. And so you need to actively ask for feedback, for instance by planning time for everyone to comment. In smaller groups of up to 25 feedback can be done verbally. Here’s an idea: let the last person to speak nominate the next person to give feedback. This cuts the gap between two people speaking, creates a vir- tual circle and generates more interaction. Other mod- eration tools make more sense in bigger groups, such as an online pinboard, whiteboard, Padlet, Mentimeter, etc. The group then produces something everyone can see and further comment on. Incorporate variety As quickly as you can tune in to an online session you can tune out again. That’s the very definition of “low-thresh- old”. In every online unit there are most likely going to be some who are a little reticent to join in at the start, are slow to switch on their camera, have technical issues or are passive in some other way. Team leaders should focus on those who are actively participating and help those who need support. It is best to divide up roles in the team. You need to provide a varied programme to stop participants dropping out. Those who keep their microphone on mute all the time after joining an online meeting are likely to be tempted to quickly finish read- ing an email or look something up online. You therefore need to keep participants’ attention after giving them a brief introduction by explaining the programme to them and giving them the opportunity to get involved. A vari- ety of units that elicit a response or comments from the group are a good way of doing that. An energiser activi- ty also works wonders. Team leaders may want to think about how to incorporate a longer online creative work phase – and doing what – so that they can give the group an interesting task during the creative phase. There are lots of options that can be used in an online format, for example taking photos or making videos and anima- tions. Participants will come up with their own good ide- as, too. A small group can also complete a task in person and then present it later online. Discover new scenarios In the spring of 2020 most of us had not yet taken part in many video conferences. Since then we have all ex- perimented with various things, taken part in various online meetings and possibly even organised some our-
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