With so many conferences being taken online seeking to achieve different outcomes, this is a time that has been ripe with innovation in the virtual conferencing space.
People convene for so many different reasons, and seek to achieve different outcomes from those gatherings. One of the challenges when demoing a specific type of tech, or looking at someone else’s virtual event as an example, is that sometimes it can be hard to make the jump from the outcome they were achieving, and the one you are seeking to. We insist: it’s less about the technology, and more about how you use it.
Here for your reading pleasure are some examples of session and content types we’ve personally built out, and when they might be valuable to apply.
If you are looking to teach a specific process:
You may consider a webinar-style session that is a combination of video and PowerPoint. If possible, pre-recording the sessions has all sorts of benefits. This allows the ability to improve the quality of the session in post-production, removes the stress of faulty internet connections on the days of the event, and allows speakers to participate in Q&A throughout the duration of their session.
Note: in general, we are a huge fan of using chat to stoke community engagement, but chat can be distracting in times when one needs to learn the discrete steps to do something. Keep this in mind if you are using attendee chat functionality! In these moments, you may consider using chat for dedicated exercises where folks are writing in only to answer specific questions along the way!
If you are looking to stoke lively community conversation:
You may consider a speaker panel video discussion that is hosted fireside chat style, with an attendee chat running alongside, where attendees can share their own relevant insight and experiences. Pre-recording the session means that your speakers can be participating in that chat as well!
When you’re optimizing for a vibrant community discussion, the topics of the panel are key. Think about it. Would you participate in a discussion around a topic that didn’t matter to you?
We conceptualize these high chat engagement sessions as all stemming from a compelling question. This is a bit of a paradigm shift (easiest way to think about it: imagine your session title as a question rather than a statement.)
This gives your speakers a great starting point to build their session. Here are our three characteristics of a compelling question:
- Answering the question sparks an emotional reaction (people actually want to answer it!)
- The answer to the question isn’t self-evident, meaning there is no right or wrong answer.
- The attendees have relevant insight to bring into the discussion.
Where should you draw inspiration for your compelling questions?
You may look at current trends impacting your environment, or perhaps a relevant disruption that your community members are responding to (can you think of any right now?) If you have an online community, look to see which posts sparked the most vibrant discussion. You may be onto something!
If you are looking to host “roundtable” discussions:
Then you may consider doing video chat breakout rooms. This is an excellent opportunity for your members to connect with one another and start to dive into the issues at hand. We recommend a designated facilitator in each of the break out rooms to keep the conversations focused. If there is a specific challenge that you’re coming together to solve, you might also consider having each group answer a dedicated set of questions – either verbally, or working within a shared document. The benefit of documenting the content is that it can be used after the fact for all sorts of purposes.
In this article, I wrote about tips for hosting a great virtual meeting, which you can use as a resource for your facilitators.
If you are looking to offer meaningful sponsor benefits:
Ooh baby! This is its own post. There’s just too much to share.
If you are looking to understand your members:
You may consider sessions that build in polling! There is the polling you are probably used to, such as the multiple choice options that spew out a pie or bar chart, but you can go so much deeper than that.
We’ve had great success in timing pop-up questions throughout a given session to provide meaningful data to the organizers. For example, think about how powerful it is to read responses from hundreds of your members to the question: “what problem keeps you up at night?” Or “what are your learning needs in the future?” The good news: people actually like answering these questions.
If you want to take it to the next level, you can even consider crowdsourcing answers to specific questions, and using the collective knowledge captured both for future programming, or as content you publish. We have found that this post-event round-up is a powerful value add in the virtual space and gives your attendees something tangible to walk away with.
If you are looking to present awards:
This one’s tough, but here’s something to think about: what you are truly trying to preserve is the emotional experience of being recognized – both for the person receiving the award, and the community that is celebrating the moment.
Consider either pre-recording videos with the award presenter and receiver, or having them be present live (on video!) Ideally, chat is set up in such a way that those receiving the awards are able to see messages coming in from members congratulating them. It’s not an auditorium of people clapping, but it will still feel powerful.
If you don’t have the ability to open up a chat during the event, is there somewhere else this can live? For example, can you create a Twitter hashtag where members can tweet in their congratulations, or do you have an online community where the messages can be posted?
If you are looking to have a little fun with it:
Just like at in-person conferences, we’ve found that taking the time to add a little humor (and humanity!) into the event goes a long way – not just to keep your members engaged online, but to give them a great experience. Some fun things to consider:
- A blooper reel! If you are pre-recording your sessions, I promise there is plenty of fodder there for you. Just make sure you ask your speakers’ permission first!
- A meditation or yoga video during “breaks” between sessions.
- A video “collage” with photos commemorating the past year.
If you are looking to do a summit-style event:
However you design your event, I encourage you to switch things up along the way! Just like at an in-person conference, there are multiple types of sessions and ways to interact, and the virtual space gives the opportunity to do the same. Let’s look at how you might build out a “summit-style” event that is a combination of different types of sessions:
Summits are generally designed to get people interacting and sharing knowledge with each other, and sometimes are entirely about informing a specific decision or issue. This is why you might consider something that looks a little like this:
Session 1: Framing the issue
Summits tend to begin with a framing presentation. We recommend pre-recording this portion, as it will decrease the likelihood of disruptions during the event.
To breathe some life into this part, consider a video panel discussion with an attendee chat running alongside. That way attendees will already begin sharing their perspective, which will really get the juices flowing for session 2.
Session 2: Breakout discussions
Get ‘em while they’re hot! If your attendees were participating in the earlier chat conversation and engaging with the issues, then this momentum can and will be carried forth into the video chats.
Session 3: Return for recap and summary of perspectives:
Now that everyone has gone into their own separate rooms for conversation, it’s time to reconvene! If your original panelists in session 1 were participating in the break out discussions, likely they have a lot to share with the rest of the group. I’d recommend doing this part live, and as a recap of what was shared in each individual room.
There you have it! The virtual space gives an opportunity to get really creative, and even to rethink the way information is delivered. This is also a time when members will be more receptive than ever to experimentation, and appreciate the extra thought you’re putting into a completely new experience for them.
