Today we’re going to start with tips on managing logistics for virtual workshops. These points have really helped us achieve a predictable interactive experience when conducting a virtual workshop for groups of 15 to 20 participants.
A great place to start is just thinking through the typical logistics for a half-day virtual workshop with your project team such as a PDRI session or Construction Readiness Assessment.
One of the most important logistics considerations is how many attendees will you have and where are they located?
Much like an in-person meeting, if you want an “interactive virtual” meeting, it works best with under 20 people. Above that number and your meeting dynamics change rapidly, and engagement is much more difficult to achieve.
The second big thing to think through is where everyone is located. Are they in highly connected locations with great bandwidth, or do you anticipate variability in internet speeds?
If you plan for the latter and select an integrated audio approach for your virtual workshop, we’ve found this to be most effective approach. What does an integrated audio approach mean?
- Those that have great bandwidth can use computer audio – it’s free, its simple and the sound quality is great.
- Those that have limited bandwidth call in using a traditional conference call number. Yes, the sound quality isn’t as good, but it is highly reliable in almost any country.
Most of today’s web conferencing solutions will support this approach.
If you haven’t organized or facilitated a virtual meeting before, start with your IT department to know what web conferencing solutions are already available to you.
If you still need some suggestions, just reach out to us via email: .
A final note there are few essential pieces of equipment everyone will need: a webcam and great microphone or better yet, a headset. In the video above, you’ll see one of my new favorites – a bluetooth headset with 11-hours of talk time!
Be sure to check back regularly for more tips on leading and participating effectively in virtual workshops!
Video Series: Facilitating Engaging Virtual Workshops
- Lesson 1: Managing Logistics for Virtual Workshops
- Lesson 2: Leading Virtual Meetings
- Lesson 3: Participating in Virtual Meetings
- Lesson 4: Monitoring the Chat Window in Virtual Meetings
- Lesson 5: Virtual-Friendly Meeting Agendas
Sandra is the Managing Director for Valency Inc., an implementer of best practices from the Construction Industry Institute (CII) that dramatically improve capital project performance. She is a Certified PDRI Facilitator, Registered Education Provider (REP) with the Construction Industry Institute (CII), a Project Management Professional (PMP), and a PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP) with over 15 years of project management experience. Sandra is a past research team member with the Construction Industry Institute on front end planning, risk management and portfolio management. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo and a Master in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.