How to run small group discussions virtually
Tips for architects, designers, tutors, scholars and mentors.
Small Group Discussions might prove to be a life saver in the times of Covid-19 isolation.
How do you run them effectively to get the most value out of them?
· One-on-One or Small-Group meetings: virtual one-on-one or small-group meetings can be held using Zoom almost the same way as in-person.
It is important to maintain the same norms around minimizing distractions as in your work environment or physical classroom; your level of engagement will determine your participants level of attention. If you are interested in how to get your design team to actively participate in virtual meetings, read this article
Easily share documents or anything else on your computer via screen sharing. The Waiting Room allows you to provide a single Zoom session ID and the ability to invite only selected individuals into the discussion.
· Code review: you can use Screen Sharing to meet with an individual, with your work team or group of students to review code. Authorizing Remote Screen Control enables one to take control of the other’s shared application and allows for navigation, text entry, etc. on the remote computer. When you cannot meet synchronously with a student to provide feedback, consider resources such as Pastebin and JSFiddle, where your team or students can upload their code and you can create revisions to it with comments.
· Collaborative problem solving and brainstorming: digitally annotate using the Google docs. Open a new document. Allow others in the session to annotate on the same document to share ideas and problem-solving methods. A tablet is useful for handwriting.
· Ask questions: have your team members or students use the Raise Hand feature in Zoom to answer questions. Call on a participant by name and “Allow to talk” (unmute).
· Cold call: you can “cold call” a participant just as you would in the traditional meeting or a classroom, instead of waiting for them to raise their hand.
· Keep your team members or students in front of you: Zoom’s gallery view lets you see thumbnails of usually 25 students at a time (depending on your screen).
This article covers the topic with the use of Zoom. If you are still unsure if Zoom is the right software for you, please read: Free remote working tools to help designers and architects stay connected with their team, for more information on virtual platforms for meetings. Don’t forget to join my Facebook group for more tips and tricks.