155 - Facilitating and Moderating Audio-only Rooms with Leanne Hughes

We communicate with our words, our bodies, our facial expressions, our posture, our movements, and much more.

So, what happens if a workshop is reduced to voices and nothing else?

Are disagreements more likely? Does the structure change? How can we facilitate collaboration when most of our communicative senses are dulled?

If there's anyone to answer these complex questions, it's Leanne Hughes! As the host of the First Time Facilitator podcast, a coach and guide to many facilitators, and a serial experimenter; Leanne knows a lot about exploring new ways to connect and facilitate.

Enjoy this episode as we discuss everything from the technical logistics of audio-only facilitation to the deeper challenges of how we communicate.

Find out about:

• What changes and what stays the same when we facilitate audio-only conversations
• Why there are more 'hidden cultures' to watch out for in audio-only spaces
• How to double down on the principles of good facilitation and succeed without visual cues
• How the structure of the room changes - and how you need to respond
• What it might mean if participants choose to keep their camera off
• Why avoiding the 'expertise bubble' will help you appreciate your skills and progress

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Questions and Answers

Part one

[01:39] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator - and do you still?

[06:50] What’s your line between scripting and preparing for a workshop?

[12:03] What comes after being a facilitator?

[14:03] What is it about the word 'facilitator' that turns CEOs off working together?

[18:04] Discussing 'filter bubbles' and overexposure to subject expertise.

[20:19] How do we cope when body language is taken away?

[24:20] Discussing Coffee Chat and how we use it in NDB.

[26:27] What makes a successful audio-only space?

[28:36] How can we set boundaries around interruptions and taking up space when participants join at all times?

[30:09] What clues do we follow to understand the tone and expectations?

Links

Leanne’s website

Connect to Leanne:

On LinkedIn

On Twitter

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

Support the show

👉 What happens when being “professional” gets in the way of being human? My new podcast Unprofessionalism explores the rules we’re taught to follow at work, and what happens when we break them. Listen here: https://unprofessionalism.buzzsprout.com/  👈