Learn how to lead your group from isolation to collaboration when in-person meetings aren’t an option.

Covid-19 has changed the way people get together. At a time when we can no longer gather in one big room with our whole community, groups are finding new ways of making collaborative decisions. In this insightful and interactive workshop, we will explore several of these options, focusing on a solution many groups favor: online meetings. We will look at how facilitating online differs from in-person, consider some of its special challenges and how to overcome them, and experiment with ways to make screen-time meetings more fun and connecting.

Join this interactive workshop to learn:

• Low tech and high tech options that will transform your meeting prep
• Why you now need a co-facilitator (or three), when you never did before
• Ways to support the tech-phobic to be involved
• Ideas for facilitating smooth online check-ins
• How to keep people on topic and visibly track progress
• Pro tips for creating and managing break-out rooms on Zoom
• When to use the chat, and when to ignore it
• Guidance for facilitating emotionally intense moments online
• Fun activities to remind us of our humanity
• Wrapping up online meetings with a sense of accomplishment and connection

Alyson works with individuals and groups to design systems and practices that facilitate learning, connection, creative conflict engagement, and collaborative decision making.  She is the facilitator for the social dimension of the online Design for Sustainability course hosted by Gaia Education. She has received training and experience in English teaching, Permaculture, Alternatives to Violence, Nonviolent Communication, Consensus Facilitation, and Restorative Circles. She has also served as a board member for Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, Scotland County Farmers’ Market, and FIC. She is an avid student of governance, conflict, and justice.

After receiving her BA in English from Bates College, Alyson lived and worked overseas for nine years. During that time, she taught English; coordinated exchange programs; led workshops on consensus, nonviolence, and facilitlation; and founded and taught a leadership and skill-building program. In 2005, she co-founded Red Earth Farms, a community in northeast Missouri, U.S., where she continues to practice permaculture and social transformation.

Event Registration

Select a donation level below to register. Then you’ll receive an email about how to join on Zoom. Everyone who registers will receive the event recording, so don’t worry about missing a thing!