Just when you thought the worst facilitator couldn't get any worse, they went virtual.
Okay, okay. Technically, their ability to facilitate didn’t actually decline. But, if you thought they could be excruciatingly inept in person, just watch what they can do in a virtual room.
This is the first in a series of blogs highlighting the worst in virtual facilitation. We’ll kick things off with an all-too-familiar scenario, and hope you’ll send in some inglorious examples of your own to help inspire future posts.
Here’s the opening scene…
It’s Blursday, you’re wrapping up your fourth video call, and you’re about to hit the Zoom wall.
Ugghhh… Up next is your mandatory training session on the new whatchyamacallit policy. Your inside voice is saying, “Please, please, let this be over quickly” as you reluctantly click ‘Join Meeting’.
You can see the trainer’s lips moving. It looks like they’re saying, “Can you all hear me okay?” and “Are you able to see my slides?”
You smile wryly. No point coming off mute yourself, only to tell them that they’re on mute. They’ll figure it out eventually.
For now, you take full advantage of the opportunity to zone out.
There you have it. The worst virtual facilitator is off to a stellar start.
What happens next in your version of this story? Please share your real-life contributions and we’ll add them to the Worst Facilitator Ever virtual series.
About the author…
Moe Poirier is the Founding Partner of Shift Facilitation. For over 15 years, he has honed his craft as a facilitator and a designer of training. He is on a mission to have leaders, teams, and trainers reinvent themselves as change agents and value creators for the people and organizations they serve.
