I participated in a virtual event that was the most well-run session I have had on Zoom. Courtney Lynch, one of the co-authors of the new Bet on You book, facilitated an “Author’s Circle” that came as close as it could to replicating an in-person book club discussion. Here’s how:
- When we signed up, we were told that this would be a “cameras on, engaging event”
- She asked for several replies in the chat, then actually called on people to unmute and expound on their answers
- They utilized Otter.ai and provided a link to live transcription so if you missed something you could easily check the transcript and catch up
- There were several occasions when she said: “I’ll go quiet” and allowed the participants time to either reflect, read a screen, or write in the chat
- She utilized the Padlet tool instead of chat to allow people to see all the responses to a more in-depth prompt
- The first half of the hour was predominantly participants sharing their reflections to prompts — only at the end did she highlight what the authors felt were the core themes of the book. It was definitely a conversation, not a one-way presentation
- She began by sharing “roles she’s had” vs. positions she’s held — allowing her introduction to make connections with many more participants
- She used the warm-up question to start the conversation among the participants — asking for follow-up vs. having it be a frivolous question with no content value (The question: “If the pandemic happened to teach you an important lesson, what do you believe that lesson is?”)
Think about your next virtual event or meeting and see if you can incorporate some of the techniques from the “Author’s Circle.” It wasn’t the same as being there, but it certainly added more value than the typical webinar that is mostly just on in the background.
Bet on You: How to Win with Risk by Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch, 2022
P. S. I have an extra invitation to another Author’s Circle (which includes a free book) — if you’re interested, let me know.
