Whether it’s a teleconference, webinar, or group coaching program delivered over the phone, virtual facilitation is becoming a “must-have” skill for many coaches, trainers, and consultants.

The next time you are asked to facilitate a program over the phone, consider the following five principles:

1. Less is more. A major pitfall for trainers, coaches, and other facilitators, live or virtual, is that they try to include too much information. In a phone-based environment or without the standard visual cues and immediate feedback, it can be more difficult to deliver content with the same breadth or depth. Instead of trying to “cram it down”, consider what content your call should have. What is essential and what is nice to have? If you want to learn more, consider what you might assign as pre-reading or post-call fieldwork.

ask yourself: What content is essential in your program? What is good to have? What pre or post work could you create to enhance the learning experience?

2. Create opportunities for visual anchor points. One of the challenges of virtual facilitation is keeping people focused. Whenever possible, create opportunities for visual anchor points so people know where you are and can see where you’re going or what you’re talking about. A visual anchor point can include: a short handout sent out before the call, including the main points, with space for people to take notes. It could also involve a more detailed PowerPoint slide that people follow along, with or without the main points from the speakers’ notes.

ask yourself: What visual anchor point would my group benefit from?

3. Reduce barriers to participation. Barriers to participation exist in the virtual domain. It may be due to different technology by participants attending from different geographic locations or lack of familiarity in how to use technology. Keep it simple at first, provide opportunities for people to gradually become comfortable with technology and all it offers. Be sure to provide clear instructions on how to access the call and what to do if problems are found.

ask yourself: What barriers may exist with this group? What do I need to implement to maximize participation? What additional supports, such as FAQs, will support participation? What problems can the participants encounter and what are the solutions?

4. Creating a supportive learning environment. Part of the primary role of a virtual facilitator is to create security and connectivity within a group that cannot see each other. Creating ground rules, providing a clear agenda, and talking about roles and expectations will be important from the start of your program. Consider how you can create a sense of security and connectedness. As a starting point, it’s important that people know what is expected of them, where the call is headed, and how they can ask questions.

ask yourself: What should I be aware of and do to create a safe learning environment? What strategies and approaches can I use to boost connectivity within the group?

5. Involve people throughout the call. Adult education practices point out the importance of engaging your audience every 8-10 minutes. On virtual domains, this amount of time can be reduced to 5 minutes. Ways to engage a group might involve pausing and asking the group a question, encouraging participants to write their own response for follow-up, or if you have time, briefly sharing their response. You can also create a quiz that people can participate in using a flyer if it’s a phone-based program or a survey if you’re using a webinar platform.

ask yourself: What strategies can I use to engage people during the call? What activities do I need to incorporate?

The next time you are faced with a virtual facilitation opportunity, consider these five points to make your presentation have more impact and increase participation with your group.