DIY² Lab – Group dynamics online
07 July 2022
One participant remarked that private things become more visible. In international work, this can bring the reality of the partners' lives closer. However, it can also be problematic if participants do not want to share their private environment. Virtual backgrounds can be used here, for example. • Changing methods should always be part of the process. • It does not work to transfer education times one-to-one. It is about finding good time slots and a good rhythm for oneself and for the target group. This also means thinking and trying out completely new things, even if this is sometimes made difficult by the funding requirements. • Online time doesn't have to mean sitting at a screen all the time. "Outdoor tasks" can be set that are worked on outside the room. In the case of teamwork, contact can be established via mobile phones. • Informal getting to know each other must be planned in the digital space. This can be cooking together, informal conversations, playing games together. In any case, it must be planned separately in terms of time.
Discussion
• What works easier online? > You can get together quickly from many different places without complicated logistics, even for short periods of time. > More communication channels open up, also among the participants. However, the mixing of private and public is striking and should be reflected upon. > Information and facts can be shared more quickly. Pictures, documents or objects can be shown immediately. • What is a good framework for online encounters? (Time, rhythm...) > It depends on how varied the implementation is. For example, you can lead the participants through a building and show them different rooms. You can set tasks that are not done on the computer. After a maximum of 2 hours there should be a break. > A unit should not last longer than 1.5 hours, monologues no longer than 15 minutes. Afterwards, breakout sessions are recommended, in which questions are formulated that are then taken up in the plenary (1 question per room). If less time is allocated in the plenary, the number of breakout rooms can be kept small so that there are also fewer questions. > In our own event, simultaneous interpretation was used in some cases and consecutive interpretation in others. In these cases, 1.5 resp 3 times the time must be taken into account. > If there is a large time difference, the possible time windows can be relatively small and not very flexible. > Digitally, there is the contradiction that on the one hand group dynamics need time, but on the other hand online events should be shorter, 1.5 to max. 2 hours. This can be countered with a series of short events in which the past content is always taken up again. > Since in the digital space there are often other appointments immediately afterwards, it is more important to finish on time. Even then, however, it remains a cognitive challenge for all of us to keep thinking our way into completely different content. > Groups of two are very comfortable and offer a certain amount of freedom. • Is there any literature on group dynamics in the digital space? > No one is aware of anything specific in this field. > However, one participant pointed to the site www.leadinggroupsonline.org > Here you can read the documentation of the DIY² Lab on Online Group Dynamics using the 5 Rhythms
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