Uncertainty is the name of the game when it comes to face to face facilitation in Australia and abroad
We are returning face-to-face facilitation. Or are we? In these uncertain times how do we decide and plan in what continues to be surprising and changing circumstances?
To be uncertain is to be uncomfortable, but to be certain is to be ridiculous.
Chinese Proverb
Here at MosaicLab we have been prioritising a combination of agility and safety so we can continue to help our clients engage their communities as effectively as possible.
To engage effectively we want participants to feel well connected and we’ve been getting surprising results online. We have had innumerable people tell us they have enjoyed MosaicLab Zoom sessions more than conventionally facilitated face to face sessions they have attended in the past!
What a pleasant surprise for us. Why is this happening? Why are we getting better results for particular events? Well, that is a newsletter topic for another day. An even more pressing topic for now is how we are pivoting to face to face. By sharing our experience, we want to help you consider what steps are important to have in mind when considering those shifts.
Let’s start with the key element, uncertainty… By returning to face-to-face, we all need to have at the front of our minds that any ‘face-to-face’ opportunity can be taken away at a moment’s notice by an outbreak. Once you have reconciled that reality, you’re ready to start planning for face-to-face.
So here are some of the surprises we’ve had:
People did not maintain social distance!
Even though we had all of our signage up, our reminders before and during the session and, of course, the Government regulations, it appears people ignore or forget the 1.5m physical distance requirement. Have you seen this happening too? No surprise if you have, we are social creatures and physical closeness not only helps us connect but to hear each other more effectively. It is as if, when placed in a room together, people are like physical magnets drawn closer the more time they spend with each other.
Handling this takes some forethought and energy. If we accept that people don’t distance themselves then put everything else in place to ensure safety. This includes cleaning down shared spaces, ensuring catering is managed well, asking people to wear masks when possible, limiting personal contact such as hand shaking, shared materials etc.
Careful catering is required.
Individually packed snack packs and meals work well and caterers have been exceptionally helpful with these requests, as it is now the norm. Also, expect that if you return to face-to-face, you will be dealing with the varying venue requirements and practices. Find out well in advance how they plan to approach serving tea and coffee for example – many of them will not allow delegates to serve their own which necessitates longer tea breaks than usual.
Microphone use is tricky.
There are occasional sessions where microphone use is required as it is a large group or acoustics are not ideal. But we all know that microphones can pick up and carry droplets – so what do we do? We have tried having a team member be responsible for holding out the mic to participants so no one else has to touch it. Beware they will get a sore arm with this method! Additionally, finding ways to sanitise the microphone itself or using microphone socks may be the answer (watch this space!).
Mask wearing lapses.
At the time of writing, masks are once again compulsory inside. Let us share with you that, in our experience, the vast majority of people take their masks off at morning tea, if not before, and never put them back on! Strategies need to be put in place to help people get their masks back on if feasible after breaks.
Longer breaks & air flow are required.
Creating time for longer breaks in the session has worked well in our experience, as it also allows people to get fresh air outside and to stagger visits to the bathroom. We open up the spaces we use as much as possible, windows, doors everything open which has been a really welcome breath of fresh air!
BYOD is the new approach.
Capitalising on the templates and activities we have been using over 2020 we are now bringing these processes into our face-to-face sessions. This means Bringing Your Own Device (BYOD) is now part of the ‘new way’. If this isn’t possible for some people, we organise spares to be available and will only require a ‘designated scribe’ to use the device (not everyone). Not only has this reduced our reliance on paper templates, but we have also heard from participants that they love the computer work.
Amazingly, the reporting from these approaches is so much more efficient that we have been able to reduce our report writing time. Of course, using any ‘shared’ equipment still requires regular cleaning and/or assigning one person to use it.
Online or a blend could be better.
Overall, we have found meeting online is as effective and more efficient. We do not need to factor in travel, printing templates, extra reporting considerations and additional set up/pack down time. It also means reduced costs for venue hire and catering for the organisations running the events that you can use elsewhere in the project.
We hope clients who have limited resources are now able to achieve more in terms of their deliberation as a result! So, keep in mind those extra costs if you do want to shift to a face-to-face event and consider when/where in your process you might be able to either shift to online or find a comfortable blend.
Space is needed for creativity and safety.
Our events are regularly recognised for the creative and dynamic ways that they help people collaborate. In a physical setting this means having enough space so we can move people around whilst enabling them to maintain the required physical distance. Allow yourselves plenty of space when you book a venue, ensure it has opening windows and be ready to pivot online if needed.