Reference 4 (Added April 17) is a 30 page ACM guide written in the early COVID era.
Consider stretching the workshop. For example, do we want a full day or to try a few hours per day over a few days? (“By spacing out the learning over a longer period, there is a much greater chance that your attendees will have the opportunity to digest, review, reflect, and apply what they learn” see point 9)
Messaging that covers
- Have to address the social strangeness
- Video online is hard to stay focused
- We’re going to stretch it out
- Tradeoff: more dropoff within the week, but keeps ideas in mind
- Video
- Do we record? Are the recordings available to all? Do they inhibit discussion?)
- Discussion
- Train: This is how to present & lead a discussion effectively via video
- Test: Ensure that everyone has tested their setup before the day of
- Don’t be on slack while you present - moderators will select and pull stuff for you
- Clarify time per session (minutes per X on agenda)
- Set norms (including that everyone’s on video for the full event? Many comment that this helps focus).
- Prepare: Software installed and working in the setup you’ll be using.
- Do you have bandwidth for everyone working from home?
- Do you have water or coffee handy?
- Side channel expectations - use discussion platform extensively?
- Be explicit that this a new experience for most of us
- Regularly repeat and reinforce norms
- Conference Call bingo cards
- Icebreakers? (See point 4)
- Be explicit about length of breaks - "we'll reconvene at the top of the hour", not "we'll take a few minute break."
- Where do participants go for help with tech failures?
- Who ensures that everyone but the speaker is muted?
- https://digitalfacilitation.net/?p=404
- Make time for this
- Emphasize that people can up use of the discussion platform
- Ask that people spend time in the virtual hallway, assume goodwill and try to make it work
- https://www.learningrevolution.net/host-a-virtual-conference-tips-for-success/
- https://trust.guidestar.org/running-effective-virtual-meetings-tools-and-technique-for-engagement
- https://medium.com/ashleycrutcher/tips-for-running-a-virtual-workshop-11bd7a42e70d
- https://people.clarkson.edu/~jmatthew/acm/VirtualConferences_GuideToBestPractices_CURRENT.pdf
- https://www.asymmetricleadership.com/2020/05/04/towards-a-design-for-a-virtual-open-source-event/
- https://itrevolution.com/love-letter-to-conferences/ (Gene Kim, May 2020)