Preparing for Synchronous Sessions

Working with a co-facilitator (or a facilitation team) to facilitate a synchronous session can be a really useful experience, both to handle the workload and to continue our own learning when seeing each other demonstrate great facilitation skills.

Co-facilitators can be helpful for at least the following, and probably more:

• handling technical issues
• ensuring content is available and working
• keeping note of the questions asked in the chat or watching for raised hands
• acting as a collaborator, sharing experience and ideas etc.

Having a co-facilitator is really useful particularly when we are - as we should - facilitating sessions that are participatory and active. It's a lot of work to keep our eyes going in all directions on the screen if facilitating alone! It's not impossible, of course, but a little help is always nice.

Working with co-facilitators does mean, though, that you will need to find time to plan your session together and have discussions about who is going to take on which pieces or which role. Talk about each of your strengths and preferences, and potentially your "stretch goals" - what you'd like to try to get better at when facilitating in this way. Talk about your current technical skills and help each other learn the "techy things" that will help you facilitate a great session.

You may wish to indicate how you have divided your responsibilities between facilitators in your lesson plan or in the notes section of your PowerPoint slide deck, although make sure that you are very familiar with all sections of the session just in case things get mixed up when you are actually facilitating and one facilitator takes another facilitator's slide to discuss. :-)

Keep in mind that in Zoom particularly, the role of "host" and "co-host" are not equal. For example, co-hosts can't launch breakout rooms at this time. So make sure you know your platform and what it is technically possible to do within the system's roles. The host role can be passed to someone else in Zoom, however, if necessary. Other platforms, such as Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, may handle this a bit more efficiently with all tasks being the same under a "moderator" role.