Group dynamics and familiarisation in hybrid settings
Because the participants in Greece were all sitting in the same room and logged in to the video conference togeth- er, it was difficult for those in Germany to get to know individual participants. It was often difficult to recognise individual people because only the whole group and not individual participants could be seen on Zoom. In such a hybrid setting when only one room microphone is in use, it is more difficult to see which member of a group is speaking and to make out facial expressions and ges- tures. Another difficulty in this setting was that the Greek participants often spoke Greek and the team leader had to translate what they said into English for the German participants. That proved an obstacle to direct communi- cation between the participants and thus made it difficult for them to get to know each other. Hybrid settings have their advantages and disadvantages, and both need to be taken into account for a project to succeed. If a hy- brid setting is chosen, you should use methods that are particularly well suited to supporting both the getting-to- know-you phase and group dynamics, and find suitable ways to overcome the language barrier. A good way to boost group dynamics can be to get participants to work in German–Greek pairs. Participants can then talk to each other using a phone app (WhatsApp or Telegram), for example. To get a better view of individual partici- pants sitting in a room together, it is recommended that a second device is set up for the video conference (either a smartphone or laptop) that individual participants can use when they want to say something. The second de- vice can be used as a mobile device to present individ- ual participants or the surroundings – the room or the view out of the window. Also, a fixed “speaker’s seat” can be set up that participants sit in when they want to say something, meaning they are easier to see by the other young people taking part digitally. 15
Time difference and cultural habits When organising digital projects, you should bear in mind that even an hour’s time difference can lead to misunderstandings and create challenges. It is frustrat- ing to log in to a session and find that you’re the only one there. That’s why it is important to always communi- cate times transparently for everyone, for instance 2 pm Greek time or 1 pm German time. Cultural differences can make it difficult to agree on the “right” time of day for a meeting. In Greece, for exam- ple, people generally eat lunch and evening meals later than people in Germany. Greek participants may have little trouble staying in a video conference until 10 pm, while German participants and experts may feel that is already too late in the day. Unlike on-site meetings in which you are immersed in the partner country’s cultur- al habits, those taking part in digital meetings may still be wrapped up in their everyday life at home and fac- tors such as school and training courses, siestas, evening meals with the family, etc. can then have a bearing when it comes to reaching consensus on timings. That is why it is important to discuss cultural habits before the pro- ject starts in order to find a format that suits everyone. Participants can also make these arrangements, or rath- er do this intercultural exchange, together as part of a game at the start of the exchange. You could, for in- stance, get them to do partner interviews and then share what they have learned about the partner country with the rest of the group.
15 For more information on designing hybrid settings and interpreting in hybrid settings, see also the DIY² Lab summary report “How to hybrid” (in German), available at https://ijab.de/bestellservice/how-to-hybrid.
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