Trainer-Led Materials That Help Facilitate Discussion

Hi Elaine,

Great question, and it's a common problem. Here are some things that I have found helpful:

• Use your virtual platform's interactive features to get people participating right away. Have them unmute or use the chat to introduce themselves. Create a poll (or include a poll-type question that people can respond to via chat), show an image and ask for reactions (likes, hearts, etc.), ask a simple yes/no question and have people raise their hands to respond, etc. This acclimates both the attendees and the instructor with the idea that the session will be participatory and lets them "push the buttons" in a low-stakes way. If the instructor knows that they will get responses from the audience, they're less likely to treat it as a lecture.
• If you have a producer or a "friendly" in the class, prepare them in advance to jump in early and use the chat to respond to some early questions. This shows people that it's OK to actively participate when no one wants to go first.
• Put your questions on-screen (not just in the facilitator notes) with a built-in pause (like a click-to-reveal). This forces the instructor to stop, and they are more likely to allow time for responses.
• If you need to take a firmer hand, update your questions to include the way participants should respond. If you're asking: "What is a SMART goal?" add on "Unmute or type your answer in the chat." Put that on the screen, too (at least for the first few questions). That sets the expectation for everyone about how the class will proceed, and makes it awkward to skip straight to the answer.
• If you have the chance to prep your instructor, walk them through the interactivity in the class ahead of time. Sometimes I create an interactivity guide instead of a facilitator guide so the instructor knows what they really need to pay attention to, and why the class is set up that way ("this way you don't have to talk the whole time" is usually pretty well-received). Covering the 8-second rule (and how hard it can be!) never hurts either.

I hope this helps, and best of luck!