June 24, 2024 • 32 mins
Tech is Cool, but People are Cooler! It’s time to learn how to take live facilitation and infuse it with the magic of social learning. The Your ID team is joined by special guest, Kassy LaBorie, to gain insight to creating these live magical moments.
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Special Guest
Kassy LaBorie, Kassy Speaks and Kassy LaBorie Consulting, LLC
Kassy LaBorie is a keynote speaker and principal consultant at Kassy LaBorie Consulting, LLC. She is an author, facilitator, and instructional designer who specializes in human connection in a remote world. She has trained thousands of people around the world on topics such as virtual learning, remote teams, and using live online technology in engaging and creative ways. Kassy loves helping organizations, learning teams, and training professionals experience success while working in a digital world.
Connect with Kassy on LinkedIn
Check out Kassy Consulting
Your Hosts
Rocio Granela, Jr. Project Manager | LinkedIn
Katie Hynes, Instructional Designer | LinkedIn
Nicole Papaioannou Lugara, Founder & Learning Strategist | LinkedIn
Diego Diaz, Jr. Digital Designer | LinkedIn
Check us out at
https://www.yourinstructionaldesigner.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Close your eyes and imaginea successful live facilitated
session in person or virtual.
Chances are you're seeing engagedparticipants, lively conversation in
breakouts, and hands on activitiesthat support performance goals.
How to make the magic happen?
Hi lab mates, welcome to thesocial learning lab, a podcast
about social learning at work.
(00:22):
In today's episode, Nicole, Rocio,Diego, and Katie, that's me, are on a
quest to find activities that will sparkconnection in live facilitated sessions,
dazzle attendees, and most importantly,help us make learning that matters.
Luckily, today's guest, KassyLaborie, is an expert on this topic.
Let's go.
(00:42):
Hi, lab mates, we're soexcited to have you back.
Today, we're talking with Kassy LaBorie,who is a professional speaker, author,
principal consultant at Kassy LaborieConsulting LLC, and the original virtual
training hero with a passion for helpingpeople find connection, belonging,
and engagement in an online world.
So, welcome and thank you somuch for joining us today.
(01:05):
Thank you for having me.
Well, my first question is kind ofbroad, and I'm just curious, what drew
you to your mission of cultivatinghuman connection in virtual worlds?
Hmm.
That's such a good question already.
Well, I am a trainer who started mycareer as a Microsoft trainer, you know,
teaching people how to use technology,but then people would say to me, okay,
(01:27):
we get where to click, but can you helpus understand how you made us want to?
So, that has been a themethroughout my whole career.
And, frankly, what I've always been moreinterested in, because I really do believe
that tech is cool, but people are cooler.
I love that.
Love that.
(01:48):
I agree fully.
And so, interesting where thosetwo things intersect, so we'll
be talking about that today.
Curious, like what are some of thebiggest mistakes you've found facilitators
make when, you know, running activitiesduring live virtual learning sessions?
Oh gosh.
There's such a long list; and thatlist is, is, you know, evergreen,
(02:09):
you know, it's always changing.
And, but I think that probably one of thebiggest missteps, if you want to call it
mistake that we make is that we focus fartoo much on the technology and we forget
about the people and what the people arethere to do; and we forget to focus on
how people are feeling, which is goingto help them be able to think and then
(02:32):
ultimately be able to do, because we'reso focused on my slides and my activity
plan, and how do I set up this breakout?
You know, what people?
The whole reason we'rethere is the people.
And so, we just need to, toshift that and then let the other
things fall into place from there.
Yeah, and do you find any ways thatyou found helpful to, kind of, do that?
(02:56):
Because I know for me,sometimes I'm very nervous.
So, that's kind of what's making melike, you know, PowerPoint and, you
know, and, and even though I wantto really connect with my audience.
Oh, yeah, for sure.
I think one of the major waysthat, that I manage that, because
I to get quite nervous as well.
I am very prepared.
So, I've spent a whole lot of time on allthose materials, which is why I do love
(03:19):
all the instructional designers in my lifewho helped me make those things better.
Thank you all!
But, I am, I am one of thepeople that over prepares.
I'm not one of those who goes onthe stage or into the class going,
"I'm just going to wing it".
Nope, I have it very prepared and I'veread through it so many times that my cat
(03:39):
is sick of it, you know; and so, for me,what I then do is I, I, I, I'd like to get
it in my bones, if you will, so that it'sor like my, my yoga instructor used to
say, "it's so it's in your back pocket".
And that way in the moment that I'm with alive audience, it is you that I can focus
(04:00):
on, you know, and that that also includesnot only the content, but the tech, right?
So, I've got a whole lot of techpractice in my pocket as well; and
I'm doing my best, because sometimesthe management of the tech is the
part that gets really in the way.
You know cause the way that youplanned to run the poll, isn't what
the poll now looks like with livepeople in front of you , right.
(04:22):
So, you're just doing your best.
But, for me, I'm very, I'm asprepared as I can be so that I can
focus on the people in front of mein the moment that we go live, which
I think is the most important part.
Yeah, and I love that you're kickingus off here with, like, what mindset
to have, because I think, you know,we're we do think a lot about what tech
we're selecting, especially when we'rethinking, how can we engage everybody?
(04:45):
And, you know, here we alwaystalk about social learning.
So, tech can really help with that.
But as you just pointed out,it can also be a distraction.
It can kind of get in theway, ironically, right?
So that's great.
It's just you have to have a plan,so that you can kind of memorize what
it normally does so that you're notthinking about it when you go to do that.
(05:05):
Yeah.
Because what you want to think about iswhat's happening in the moment, you know,
and so I, I always have a pretty strategicplan and it's not to say that I'm not
flexible if it doesn't work, right?
I decide to do something different,you know, but, but the plan is what
lets that freedom happen; and thenthat opportunity for truly connecting
with people to be less nerve wracking,if you will, you know, and, you know,
(05:29):
practice time and experience alsocontributes to all of those things.
Yeah, and it makes me thinktoo, so that's, sort of,
from the facilitator angle.
And I'm curious, like, for yourparticipants, our participants, like,
do you find there's ways to get themin that mindset to where they're not so
distracted by the tech, but rather areable to use it to connect with each other?
(05:49):
Oh yes.
I love this.
I love to sneak in activities,where actually what I wanting you
to do is use the tech, but the focusis on what you're using it for.
You know, so for example, one of myfavorite opening questions right now
for any class or webinar or sessionthat I'm delivering is to ask you as
soon as you join, first say, "Hello,"and, you know, make it nice, use your
(06:13):
name; and then in the chat, " what'sthe thing that you love most about
where you're joining us from today?"
And so, yeah, I'm checking,is the chat working?
Can you find it?
You know, we're going tobe using the chat a lot.
I've got all these activitieswhere I'm going to need you
to chat all sorts of stuff.
But right now, let's just focuson this happiness, and this joy.
And, you know, the funny, sometimespeople say really funny things, a lot
(06:35):
of times they say beautiful things,but no matter what it is, it's a focus
on the feeling and it's I like to usethe tech at the same time though, so
that we're also practicing with it, andyou don't really realizing that you're
using it, you know, in that moment.
You know, like I'll pull uppictures and I'll say, where do
you wish you were located today?
And, it's like pictures ofall these different locations.
And, I'm like, "don't say itout loud, just circle it using
(06:58):
the annotation tool", you know?
And it's like, oh, I just trickedyou into using the pen, you know.
That's amazing.
Yeah, that's a very thoughtful approachto, kind of, embedding that in an
organic, you're starting a conversationand you're getting everybody, kind
of, in the right vibes for connection.
Yeah.
It's like, I don't spend time going overall the tools that we might use someday.
(07:19):
I ask you questions that are helpfulin the moment to create that social
experience that we're having, becausewe're gathered together live; and those
tools are going to be sprinkled in;and we'll, we'll, you know, I'll create
moments that I know, like later on,we've got this complicated case study
we need to work through, where peopleare taking notes on it, and they have
(07:39):
to, they have to chat their ideas,and they've got to move things around.
So, all my opening activities aregoing to have you do those things.
In, in ways that aren't going to bestressful or, you know, put you on a
spot that might be uncomfortable for you.
Sure.
And like, what I'd like to get into nextis like, if you recommend a few favorite
(08:00):
activities that really encourage sociallearning in these live facilitated
sessions, especially curious about thevirtual, of course, because I think we
find the challenge like we're in person.
It's sometimes easier to facilitatethat engagement, but rather, you
know, on zoom or platforms likethat, it can be more difficult.
So, just curious if you havegood approaches for that.
(08:21):
I have so many favorites.
I think in fact, ATDwas like, write a book.
And I'm like "Okay!"
An entire book of it.
Yeah.
I put a couple of thosefavorites in there.
But, one of my really veryconsistent favorites is to put
some images up on the screen.
And, and I'd love to have it in ahandout so we've got all text in
there to make it accessible as well.
(08:42):
So, lots of different ways peoplecan quote "view the images".
But then, I have a question relatedto our topic, but the, but you're
meant to answer it via the image.
So like, which image bestdescribes you and your current
role as a project leader and why?
And then, this could be done as one group.
It could be done inbreakout rooms, you know.
(09:02):
And then, you can have anyone havelike a series of debrief questions from
there, but then the things that peopleend up saying, it's like the picture
helps them get on to the conversationand they're not so focused on, "Okay.
It's your turn, John.
Please unmute and share your idea.
Okay.
Now, you know, Diego, it's your turn.
You do it".
You know, going through the list is sooverwhelming for people, but you bring
(09:25):
up the images and let them choose.
And then, by the same token, theimages is one that's like, people have
told me they feel very free with it.
You give them the question and it's veryfree and sort of has a creative feel.
And so, the sister activityis the one with the quotes.
So, it's either the image connect orthe quote connect; and the quote one
(09:46):
is similar, but you choose quotesthat are connected to the topic
that you're discussing or teachingor, you know, facilitating that
day; and then, you ask them, whichquote are you drawn to and why?
And then, you put together a series ofquestions that would help debrief and
connect to the greater learning points,but the quote one people have told me
feels more controlled and more analyticaland thoughtful in a different way.
(10:10):
And so, then you hit both of, you know,whatever ways you're wanting people to
think and when I do the quote connect one.
Again, it's backed up in handouts.
It's shared on screens, you know,whatever, whatever tools you're
using based on the, the onlineplatform that you're using that day.
And frankly, the in person one too,you know, whichever way, just as long
(10:31):
as people have access to viewing andreading those things, so they can
then speak with one another in smallergroups or all together in a large group.
There's so many different waysthat you can alter it and use it.
So, that's why those twotend to be real solid for me.
I use them over and over again.
Yeah.
I like how you're tying itto the content that you'll be
engaging with later as well.
(10:52):
So, it's serving multiple purposes.
It's priming them.
It's serving as a great anchor forthem to meet one another in chat.
Yeah, so many things that's doing.
And I'm always tied to the content,because I never want to have attendees
or, or importantly, leadershipsay, well, that was fun, but...
and what I'll do as a facilitator iscreate fun moments that are connected
(11:15):
to the, what we're doing to the but.
And then, in the, if it, if it's feelinglike we're having a lot of fun and
we're laughing, which of course I'malways very happy about, but if it does
happen, I will always dial it back andbe like, "alright, that was really fun.
How does that apply to what we'retrying to accomplish today?"
You know, I'm always going todo that, because I've, you know,
I've had those surveys in my past.
(11:36):
That's a wonderful idea.
Yeah.
Nicole.
Oh, I was say, does your catever make it into those images?
I have to.
Nothing is fun for the cat.
Ah,
She says no to everything.
She is in those images because my, Ihave two cats, my white one, her main
attribute, her main skill even is beauty.
(11:57):
Oh.
She's all white and ifit's not white, it's pink.
It's really cute.
Rocio, I didn't know ifyou wanted to add anything.
No.
Okay.
I'm over here laughing with my micoff and it's just like, you know,
there's a lot of funny moments.
I want to like unmute whenI'm laughing, I guess.
Perfect.
It's funny that you asked about thecat, because you know what, recently
(12:18):
I did the image connect as a communityconversation at a conference where
we were having like a controlled orcontrolled networking, if you will.
And, the question I, I did a superherotheme around the whole thing, cause I, I
have some fun with the superhero theme.
And, I wrote, I put pictures ofsuperheroes on the screen, a whole
(12:38):
bunch of different ones, and Isaid, which image, which superhero
image are you drawn to and why?
And, introduce yourselves to people.
And, it was really fun for them.
But originally, when I put that together,I had one superhero that was a dog.
He had a cape on and amask, and overwhelmingly
the audience picked the dog.
And so, I was like, ah,and so I added a cat.
(13:00):
It was like, we need to have more thanone animal in here because that one
was obviously the most popular one.
It was cute.
So, the cat gets picked as much as thedog now, too, because it's only fair.
And, there's whole conversation aboutwho's a cat person and who's a dog
person that comes right out of that.
I know.
I know.
And, of course, of course,stereotypically, the dog superhero
(13:22):
seems sweet and happy and the catsuperhero seems powerful and angry.
I'd like to stay with this questionjust a little longer and see.
Yeah.
So, those are some great ideas.
Do you have any other topones that are go to for you?
Another one is kind ofmore of a technique.
I'm really interested in using like,the Mentimeter or Aha Slides or Slido,
(13:45):
whatever tool you have, with the keypoint being that the participant scans
the QR code with their phone, thatthey're already on and you know it,
so why not harness the power of it?
And, I put the instructions to whatthey're doing in their breakout on that.
And of course, it's like, if they'velost, you know, if you're like me,
you know, you get in the breakout andyou're like, "Oh, what would she say?
(14:07):
She wanted us to do".
Oh, look phone.
It's right
there.
That's brilliant.
cool
Yeah.
The cool thing about using thattoo, is like, not only can I have
the instructions, but recently,I use aha slides primarily right
now; and they've got this onewhere you can vote on a scale.
And so, it moves up and down.
And, I've been asking peoplevarious questions, like a,
would-you-rather activity.
(14:27):
For example, send them into a breakoutroom in small groups, like two or three.
And, it's like, would you rather attendthe keynote session or the workshop?
And, it's on their phone and they'rein the breakout room talking about it.
And, I want to manage when they moveto the next would you rather question?
And, I just move it; and it moves forthem in the breakout rooms, you know,
(14:49):
and it's it's like, it's just so nice.
And then, they can come back when I bringthem back; and I've got all their results,
which we can go back over and thenconduct debriefs from there if needed.
I feel like all of a sudden our phoneshave connected us when they've gone off
to the breakout rooms, you know, whichcan feel like, "Oh, I lost them" or
they vice versa might feel like they'velost connection to what I'm doing.
(15:13):
Yeah.
I think that's it.
It doesn't make sense to me asto why you can't broadcast slides
to all of the breakout groups aslike, I don't really, there's no.
You can.
You can, depending on the toolyou're using like zoom right now.
I can not only broadcast a message,
That's right.
but I can also broadcast my voice.
But the thing is, is thatnot everybody hears it.
Right.
It pops up and goes away.
(15:34):
And so, the phone is just so powerful.
We know you're on it.
So, hey, I want to use it.
But I, and frankly, to Nicole, toyour point, I'm actually using both.
Yeah.
I love that broadcastvoice feature in zoom.
Do you all use that?
Have you heard of this?
We don't use it too much, becausewe're usually the people telling
other people how to do it, but we,we can prompt it more now, I think.
(15:58):
I, I actually will alwayspick, I pick up my mic.
I have this cute little mic and I, youpress the button, and I'm like, ding,
ding, ding, please switch partners.
I love that!.
fantastic.
And then, I always very quietly pause.
And then, I give the instruction "oneminute remaining", you know, and they
(16:21):
come back and they're like, whichrecording are you using for that?
And I'm like, "Hmm, that was live".
It's
just, just me, my fabulous voiceover.
That's awesome, Kassy.
Best feedback.
Yeah.
I like that.
So, I'm using both, you know,it's like "ding, ding, ding,
please check your phones forthe next instruction," you know.
(16:44):
Katie and I just went to aescape room together and it
reminds me of the game master or
whatever they are called,
yes.
prompting us with clues; andwhen we wouldn't look up enough,
she would like push a button toyell at, kind of not yell at us,
Yeah, it
made a big noise so that itwould get our attention like a,
Love that.
like a,
your voice sounds more calming, but yeah.
Yes.
Yeah, that's the escape game idea too.
(17:05):
I do escape games in my virtualtraining to show people how to
do that and put that together formore complex training sessions.
Like, I just think it's hilarious, theconcept of putting people into a breakout
room from which they must escape.
Yeah.
Could you actually tell me aboutmaybe like a case study example
of the time you created this, likeyour thought process around it
(17:26):
and how it helped connect people?
Yeah, sure.
So, first off, let me just a nod toRachel Arpin who taught this to me.
She's the game masterof all the game masters.
L&D&D.
Ubber-gamemaster, the main one.
So for me to also set context,my perspective and the work I
(17:49):
live in L&D is going to be aroundthe facilitation of such things.
So, that when you, as soon as yousaid game master, I was like, "Ooh,
I love helping people learn tobecome game masters, the performance
of that, and like the role of thecoach throughout that process".
And so, the escape game examplethat I have is a very short one that
Rachel helped me put together withthis idea of giving people who are
(18:12):
instructional designers, the inspirationto create something like this.
And then, there's also the element oflet's break down how it was facilitated.
But essentially, the short version ofmy escape game is, and as Rachel taught
me, you know, you pick a theme, youhave a story, you have an overarching
reason for why you're there, which iswhy when you're going to these escape
(18:33):
games, like, was there the vampirehunter one recently in New Orleans?
Yeah.
So, you must take care of the vampires.
So likewise, I put together a story thatwas like, "hey, we're a team and we've
just got zoom; and I'd really like foryou to feel more comfortable exploring
the features of zoom", because we'regood at starting our meeting, getting
(18:53):
on camera and showing our screens.
And guess what?
There's a whole bunch ofother stuff that can do.
And so, let's empower you toclick around on everything and
discover what else it can do.
So, my, my escape game that Rachel helpedme write was, is called "Break Into Zoom".
And, they are put into breakout rooms,and they have challenges that are
(19:14):
requiring them to click through thefeatures and discover things that give
them codes; and the codes move them onto the next parts; and they have to do
certain things; and then, when they doall these certain things, they leave
their breakout room on their own, whichthat is a learning in and of itself.
Most people are like,I could leave myself.
It's so great.
And, I'm like, yes, yes,you may, if I allow it.
(19:37):
And so, then they come back andthey're like, we've escaped.
And, I'm like, but have you, you have afinal challenge that proves your escape.
And then, you know, there'sthe whole thing and all this
stuff came up, comes up.
Actually, I just ran it this weekand I ran it to some people who
teach at the University of Florida.
And, the professor came back and she's,she didn't do it, you know, she's
like, she didn't get the last part;and I'm like, you got your last part.
(19:58):
And, she's like, itdoesn't say to do that.
And, I'm like, you know what, let'slook again, cause of course the
instructions are on the phone, right?
Cause I sent a QR code and I'mlike, look at the instruction
again, let's read it together.
And, she goes, Kassy, I didn't read it,nor did I, I didn't listen to you; and
you've just reminded me that my studentsdon't ever listen either; and like we
went to this whole big thing; and itdid what I wanted it to do, you know?
(20:18):
Work together, have to pay attention toinstructions, you know, manage through
stresses, you know, all the things.
So that's, that's one example of howI've used that and just how, gosh,
how beneficial it is to, you know, Ihave a mantra, if you will, and that
mantra, the way that I facilitateis, What did I just say or do that
I could have let you say or do?
(20:41):
Oh, that's a great oneto keep top of mind.
I'm going to write that down, because,actually, that leads me into my next
question, which is, could you sharesome of your big picture thoughts?
Like how you approach, I know this is abroad question, but like, when you are
approaching designing a virtual session,like, what are, how do you do that?
Like, what are the firstthings you think about?
Could you just walk us through, youknow, how do you ensure it's successful?
(21:04):
Well, again, thank you InstructionalDesigners for making it very clear to me
that goals and objectives matter and thatspecific types of objectives work best.
Those that can be measured.
So, I start where I have been taught tostart, to start from the IDs in my life.
And, I have like a little three stepprocess that I use, or a recipe, which
actually threads through my whole book.
(21:26):
When you see examples, you'll see itgoes back to the recipe every time.
The recipe is, well, what'sthe goal and objectives?
And I, I always love looking at thatfrom the perspective of the goal is what
the, let's say, organization cares aboutthe objectives or what the attendees
care about, though they have no ideathat they care about them, but it's
what they're doing to meet that goal.
(21:47):
So like, and then to put that intoeven more context, like I've been
invited to help you become a betterand more engaging presenter today.
That is a goal.
Maybe not a great one, but it'swhy people hire me in terms
of the way it was written.
It is a great goal, but.
Yeah, for sure.
The objectives though, likewhat are the objectives?
That's what you're going to do that'sgoing to make you engaging and better
(22:10):
and great at what you're doing.
So for example, take a look, thisis what we're doing in our class.
You're going to learn toask thoughtful questions.
You're going to learn to listen andrespond, you know, to those thoughtful
questions, you know, there's allsorts of things to break that down.
It's the things you're doing.
So first, I get really clear on thatbig picture with any program and also
(22:31):
very small with any activity, because Iwant to make sure that that activity is
aligned to the greater purpose as well.
So, every activity has ameasurable objective too.
And, the second part of my recipe.
So, first part is goal objective.
Second part is look at the objective thatneeds other people for it to be, you know,
learned in a better way, if you will.
(22:51):
I didn't say that very good English, butwe'll have a better learning experience
because we are here live together.
And, this is where you can start topull out things like, like for me,
when I'm teaching people how to be anengaging presenter, it is important that
you know how to manage the technology.
I have also learned that you learningthe actual click of the technology is
(23:13):
a better objective alone than with me.
And so, you clicking on whereto locate the poll and to build
the poll is great by yourself.
When you're with me, welearn to set the poll up.
We learn to give time topeople to respond to it.
We learn to read the responses.
(23:33):
We learn to make comments aroundthose responses and then debrief and
connect that to the larger purpose.
But, I'm not going to show you whereto go click on, create poll, type
your question, type your answers.
That's best on your own, with guidance.
There's videos, there's handouts,but I don't need to walk through
how to click on that poll.
(23:54):
That's what I've decidedfor my programming.
So, that's what I mean by social.
The social part, I needthe people to respond.
I need you to see the difficulty they havewith finding where the poll popped up.
You know, that's the thing that's whatI'm there to teach and more interesting.
And so, I'm going to focus there.
So, the social, the sociallearning objectives are what I'm
(24:14):
going to bring into my virtualinstructor led training program.
The third part of the recipeis what features should I use?
Should it be chat,whiteboard, poll, breakout?
Whatever it may be, features come last.
Yeah, and that's really helping meimagine too, like saying, okay, this
is the designated, this is when we'regoing to really carve out time for
the social learning, because it makessense in terms of the purpose and
(24:36):
what we're doing here versus and then,you know, either do this on your own.
Is it, do you think of it like beforeor maybe time during the presentation
where it's more like one on oneor they're like, how do you, yeah.
Is that like a hallmarkahead of time or after?
It depends.
Like in the case of they need tolearn the tech, I have found that
everyone thinks that they know itenough in my case, most people.
(25:00):
And so, what I'm like,great, you probably do.
And so, then I bring everyone togetherlive first and I use every single thing.
And ideally, I'm using something that Ihope they've never seen before, because
what I'm trying to do is address themotivation and the inspiration part of it.
Because the homework assignment is, I betyou saw me do some stuff today, go find
out how I did it, you know, and I givethem checklists and things, but they've
(25:24):
got the moment of the experience live.
Like, she sent her voiceinto the breakout room.
I didn't know I could do that.
Go find out where.
I actually documented it.
You practice it.
Oh, nice.
You know, and I'm like, the way youpractice is you pull up a computer, you
start a session, and then you actuallyjoin your second computer as an attendee.
So, you can see your attendees, the way itlooks for them when you do certain things.
(25:46):
Oh, nice.
And, do all of that homework assignment.
And then, when we get back intosession number two, in this case,
which is a couple days later,then I'm like, how did it go?
What'd you find out?
And then, I find out right awaywho didn't, you know, so there's a
constant thread of motivation andinspiration throughout all of it.
So, back to your original question,though, Katie, it depends on
(26:08):
where we are in the programand what we're doing with it.
Makes sense.
Yeah.
Do you have any favorite tools forleading virtual activities or anything
you're experimenting with currently?
You know what?
I kind of like them all, honestly.
Like, you know, if you'd askedme this, like, you know, 10 years
ago, I'd be like, polling's boring.
But then, recently,polling's now super fun.
And I, it turns outI'm really competitive.
(26:30):
I went to a session where somebodywas polling us after every key
concept and I was like, I want to win.
I want to know, you know, soI actually just like them all
used in ways with purpose.
I'm excited that in our world today,we keep getting new ones, and new ways
to use things, you know, new layouts.
(26:51):
And really interested in the stuffwe can do using the cameras, like
having images pop around us and float.
And, I recently discovered, Ihaven't, it's been around a while,
but I only just started using it.
It's called "Mm Hmm".
And, I like that on "Mm Hmm," Ican fade myself out of my camera.
And, I'm just like, I have allsorts of ideas, like, you know,
(27:15):
going on here with superpowers.
Like, did you wish you had thesuperpower of invisibility?
Guess what?
I just got it.
I love that.
I'm going to have to try that one.
Now, I'm like, "Ooh, Ibetter test it and show you.
It, my sort of second to last questionis, do you have any memorable maybe
stories or moments or little anecdotes,where you really saw social learning
(27:38):
like happening in a session thatjust stuck with you and felt magical?
Oh, so many little things that areso magical and also just funny.
I really like it when we get to aplace where people are just talking
and chatting; and they're justdoing it without being prompted.
And then, I really think it's supermagical when in a class, you're having
(28:01):
them chat answers, but then theystart to chat to each other on things.
And, it just, it's such a simple moment,but it's so powerful that that happens,
you know, and it's just so neat.
And, I'd like to encourage that kindof natural use of the tools, which is
why you'll find me always having somesort of feature, like it's a rare thing.
(28:25):
Let me back it up and say it differently.
It's a rare thing in my sessionsto just sit on camera and talk.
I'm usually like, and let's drawand let's circle and let's chat,
you know, and, you know, I'malways having them use a feature.
So, that they're just getting used tocommunicating with using the features.
And, I think the more that we addthese things and the more people
(28:46):
get comfortable, it just becomesmore magical as you put it.
Yeah.
Because it feels like technology is magic.
Yeah.
You
know, like today's magic is tech, right.
And so, tech is cool,but what, you know what,
people
are cooler.
Totally, and I love hearing how youthink and talk about blending the, you
know, how the hub link and work together,so for, so we can achieve our goals.
(29:09):
Yeah.
Is there anything I didn't askthat you think is important for
people to know on this topic?
I think he did such a greatjob with wonderful questions.
I think just a bit of advice isto just give yourself a break,
you know, because it is veryfrightening and you can feel alone.
And so, If you have any kind of fearof failure, then just like making
sure you're really preparing yourselfand learning that tech and practicing
(29:33):
as you can by yourself, and withthe second computer, it will help.
It'll change everything.
And then, just also giving yourselfa break, like you're doing your best.
And, you know, there's times thatI've had things go wrong and I'm like,
" okay, the whole thing went wrong.
You guys, let's, what do we do?"
And just like, let it be, you know, andthen let's work through it together,
because the, the act of allowingyourself to be vulnerable in those
(29:55):
moments is helping to build thoseconnections and that community and
people coming together and helpingone another gives people a really
wonderful feeling of inclusion, you know.
It's like we recently heard a keynotespeaker at the recent conference, the
first one say that, it was MatthewMcConaughey, he said, "it's not, it's,
we're not as interested in your success.
(30:17):
We're far more interested in howyou, how hard it was for you and
maybe how you didn't make it work,"because that's, those are the places
where we can relate to one another.
And so, I guess the advice isjust give yourself a break.
It's okay.
Plus, even if it's perfect today, they'reprobably going to give us a new feature.
And then, I'm going to mess that oneup the first few times I use it anyway,
and we'll get through it together.
(30:38):
Nice note to end on with thecall for self compassion.
Definitely.
So, if people would like to learn moreabout your work, where can they find you?
I am on Kassy Consulting.
I'm also at Kassy Speaks.
Both those websites are connected.
And, I'm very active on LinkedIn and Ilove connecting with people there too.
Amazing.
(30:58):
Well, thank you so, so much for your time.
I really enjoyed learning from you.
And yeah, that's all for today.
Thanks everybody.
Thanks, Kassy.
Abracadabra!
Here are our top takeaways forbringing the magic of social learning
to live facilitated sessions.
Remember what Kassy said, Techis cool, but people are cooler".
(31:18):
Don't overfocus on tech andforget about the people.
Decide what social learning objectivesyou'd like to focus on in the session
and what participants can learnindividually on their own time.
Incorporate activities toencourage social connection.
In this episode, Kassy shared manycreative ways to accomplish this.
Connect fun moments back to the session'sgoals; help participants understand
(31:42):
the why behind each activity; giveyourself a break, you're doing your best.
We can't wait to hear how yournext live session turns out.
We're confident that by applyingKassy's insights, it will be a hit.
Since we're on the topic,now it's your turn.
For your experiment, you'll brainstormactivities that will encourage social
learning in a live facilitated session.
(32:02):
You can find the full experimentbrief in the show notes or the social
learning lab community on LinkedIn.
In the community, you can also shareyour stories, get feedback and insights
from peers and comment on others ideas.
If you enjoyed this episode, pleaselike, subscribe, or share so we can
continue to build a supportive groupof social learning enthusiasts.
(32:23):
Until next time, keep makinglearning that matters.
Close your eyes and imaginea successful live facilitated
session in person or virtual.
Chances are you're seeing engagedparticipants, lively conversation in
breakouts, and hands on activitiesthat support performance goals.
How to make the magic happen?
Hi lab mates, welcome to thesocial learning lab, a podcast
about social learning at work.
(00:22):
In today's episode, Nicole, Rocio,Diego, and Katie, that's me, are on a
quest to find activities that will sparkconnection in live facilitated sessions,
dazzle attendees, and most importantly,help us make learning that matters.
Luckily, today's guest, KassyLaborie, is an expert on this topic.
Let's go.
(00:42):
Hi, lab mates, we're soexcited to have you back.
Today, we're talking with Kassy LaBorie,who is a professional speaker, author,
principal consultant at Kassy LaborieConsulting LLC, and the original virtual
training hero with a passion for helpingpeople find connection, belonging,
and engagement in an online world.
So, welcome and thank you somuch for joining us today.
(01:05):
Thank you for having me.
Well, my first question is kind ofbroad, and I'm just curious, what drew
you to your mission of cultivatinghuman connection in virtual worlds?
Hmm.
That's such a good question already.
Well, I am a trainer who started mycareer as a Microsoft trainer, you know,
teaching people how to use technology,but then people would say to me, okay,
(01:27):
we get where to click, but can you helpus understand how you made us want to?
So, that has been a themethroughout my whole career.
And, frankly, what I've always been moreinterested in, because I really do believe
that tech is cool, but people are cooler.
I love that.
Love that.
(01:48):
I agree fully.
And so, interesting where thosetwo things intersect, so we'll
be talking about that today.
Curious, like what are some of thebiggest mistakes you've found facilitators
make when, you know, running activitiesduring live virtual learning sessions?
Oh gosh.
There's such a long list; and thatlist is, is, you know, evergreen,
(02:09):
you know, it's always changing.
And, but I think that probably one of thebiggest missteps, if you want to call it
mistake that we make is that we focus fartoo much on the technology and we forget
about the people and what the people arethere to do; and we forget to focus on
how people are feeling, which is goingto help them be able to think and then
(02:32):
ultimately be able to do, because we'reso focused on my slides and my activity
plan, and how do I set up this breakout?
You know, what people?
The whole reason we'rethere is the people.
And so, we just need to, toshift that and then let the other
things fall into place from there.
Yeah, and do you find any ways thatyou found helpful to, kind of, do that?
(02:56):
Because I know for me,sometimes I'm very nervous.
So, that's kind of what's making melike, you know, PowerPoint and, you
know, and, and even though I wantto really connect with my audience.
Oh, yeah, for sure.
I think one of the major waysthat, that I manage that, because
I to get quite nervous as well.
I am very prepared.
So, I've spent a whole lot of time on allthose materials, which is why I do love
(03:19):
all the instructional designers in my lifewho helped me make those things better.
Thank you all!
But, I am, I am one of thepeople that over prepares.
I'm not one of those who goes onthe stage or into the class going,
"I'm just going to wing it".
Nope, I have it very prepared and I'veread through it so many times that my cat
(03:39):
is sick of it, you know; and so, for me,what I then do is I, I, I, I'd like to get
it in my bones, if you will, so that it'sor like my, my yoga instructor used to
say, "it's so it's in your back pocket".
And that way in the moment that I'm with alive audience, it is you that I can focus
(04:00):
on, you know, and that that also includesnot only the content, but the tech, right?
So, I've got a whole lot of techpractice in my pocket as well; and
I'm doing my best, because sometimesthe management of the tech is the
part that gets really in the way.
You know cause the way that youplanned to run the poll, isn't what
the poll now looks like with livepeople in front of you , right.
(04:22):
So, you're just doing your best.
But, for me, I'm very, I'm asprepared as I can be so that I can
focus on the people in front of mein the moment that we go live, which
I think is the most important part.
Yeah, and I love that you're kickingus off here with, like, what mindset
to have, because I think, you know,we're we do think a lot about what tech
we're selecting, especially when we'rethinking, how can we engage everybody?
(04:45):
And, you know, here we alwaystalk about social learning.
So, tech can really help with that.
But as you just pointed out,it can also be a distraction.
It can kind of get in theway, ironically, right?
So that's great.
It's just you have to have a plan,so that you can kind of memorize what
it normally does so that you're notthinking about it when you go to do that.
(05:05):
Yeah.
Because what you want to think about iswhat's happening in the moment, you know,
and so I, I always have a pretty strategicplan and it's not to say that I'm not
flexible if it doesn't work, right?
I decide to do something different,you know, but, but the plan is what
lets that freedom happen; and thenthat opportunity for truly connecting
with people to be less nerve wracking,if you will, you know, and, you know,
(05:29):
practice time and experience alsocontributes to all of those things.
Yeah, and it makes me thinktoo, so that's, sort of,
from the facilitator angle.
And I'm curious, like, for yourparticipants, our participants, like,
do you find there's ways to get themin that mindset to where they're not so
distracted by the tech, but rather areable to use it to connect with each other?
(05:49):
Oh yes.
I love this.
I love to sneak in activities,where actually what I wanting you
to do is use the tech, but the focusis on what you're using it for.
You know, so for example, one of myfavorite opening questions right now
for any class or webinar or sessionthat I'm delivering is to ask you as
soon as you join, first say, "Hello,"and, you know, make it nice, use your
(06:13):
name; and then in the chat, " what'sthe thing that you love most about
where you're joining us from today?"
And so, yeah, I'm checking,is the chat working?
Can you find it?
You know, we're going tobe using the chat a lot.
I've got all these activitieswhere I'm going to need you
to chat all sorts of stuff.
But right now, let's just focuson this happiness, and this joy.
And, you know, the funny, sometimespeople say really funny things, a lot
(06:35):
of times they say beautiful things,but no matter what it is, it's a focus
on the feeling and it's I like to usethe tech at the same time though, so
that we're also practicing with it, andyou don't really realizing that you're
using it, you know, in that moment.
You know, like I'll pull uppictures and I'll say, where do
you wish you were located today?
And, it's like pictures ofall these different locations.
And, I'm like, "don't say itout loud, just circle it using
(06:58):
the annotation tool", you know?
And it's like, oh, I just trickedyou into using the pen, you know.
That's amazing.
Yeah, that's a very thoughtful approachto, kind of, embedding that in an
organic, you're starting a conversationand you're getting everybody, kind
of, in the right vibes for connection.
Yeah.
It's like, I don't spend time going overall the tools that we might use someday.
(07:19):
I ask you questions that are helpfulin the moment to create that social
experience that we're having, becausewe're gathered together live; and those
tools are going to be sprinkled in;and we'll, we'll, you know, I'll create
moments that I know, like later on,we've got this complicated case study
we need to work through, where peopleare taking notes on it, and they have
(07:39):
to, they have to chat their ideas,and they've got to move things around.
So, all my opening activities aregoing to have you do those things.
In, in ways that aren't going to bestressful or, you know, put you on a
spot that might be uncomfortable for you.
Sure.
And like, what I'd like to get into nextis like, if you recommend a few favorite
(08:00):
activities that really encourage sociallearning in these live facilitated
sessions, especially curious about thevirtual, of course, because I think we
find the challenge like we're in person.
It's sometimes easier to facilitatethat engagement, but rather, you
know, on zoom or platforms likethat, it can be more difficult.
So, just curious if you havegood approaches for that.
(08:21):
I have so many favorites.
I think in fact, ATDwas like, write a book.
And I'm like "Okay!"
An entire book of it.
Yeah.
I put a couple of thosefavorites in there.
But, one of my really veryconsistent favorites is to put
some images up on the screen.
And, and I'd love to have it in ahandout so we've got all text in
there to make it accessible as well.
(08:42):
So, lots of different ways peoplecan quote "view the images".
But then, I have a question relatedto our topic, but the, but you're
meant to answer it via the image.
So like, which image bestdescribes you and your current
role as a project leader and why?
And then, this could be done as one group.
It could be done inbreakout rooms, you know.
(09:02):
And then, you can have anyone havelike a series of debrief questions from
there, but then the things that peopleend up saying, it's like the picture
helps them get on to the conversationand they're not so focused on, "Okay.
It's your turn, John.
Please unmute and share your idea.
Okay.
Now, you know, Diego, it's your turn.
You do it".
You know, going through the list is sooverwhelming for people, but you bring
(09:25):
up the images and let them choose.
And then, by the same token, theimages is one that's like, people have
told me they feel very free with it.
You give them the question and it's veryfree and sort of has a creative feel.
And so, the sister activityis the one with the quotes.
So, it's either the image connect orthe quote connect; and the quote one
(09:46):
is similar, but you choose quotesthat are connected to the topic
that you're discussing or teachingor, you know, facilitating that
day; and then, you ask them, whichquote are you drawn to and why?
And then, you put together a series ofquestions that would help debrief and
connect to the greater learning points,but the quote one people have told me
feels more controlled and more analyticaland thoughtful in a different way.
(10:10):
And so, then you hit both of, you know,whatever ways you're wanting people to
think and when I do the quote connect one.
Again, it's backed up in handouts.
It's shared on screens, you know,whatever, whatever tools you're
using based on the, the onlineplatform that you're using that day.
And frankly, the in person one too,you know, whichever way, just as long
(10:31):
as people have access to viewing andreading those things, so they can
then speak with one another in smallergroups or all together in a large group.
There's so many different waysthat you can alter it and use it.
So, that's why those twotend to be real solid for me.
I use them over and over again.
Yeah.
I like how you're tying itto the content that you'll be
engaging with later as well.
(10:52):
So, it's serving multiple purposes.
It's priming them.
It's serving as a great anchor forthem to meet one another in chat.
Yeah, so many things that's doing.
And I'm always tied to the content,because I never want to have attendees
or, or importantly, leadershipsay, well, that was fun, but...
and what I'll do as a facilitator iscreate fun moments that are connected
(11:15):
to the, what we're doing to the but.
And then, in the, if it, if it's feelinglike we're having a lot of fun and
we're laughing, which of course I'malways very happy about, but if it does
happen, I will always dial it back andbe like, "alright, that was really fun.
How does that apply to what we'retrying to accomplish today?"
You know, I'm always going todo that, because I've, you know,
I've had those surveys in my past.
(11:36):
That's a wonderful idea.
Yeah.
Nicole.
Oh, I was say, does your catever make it into those images?
I have to.
Nothing is fun for the cat.
Ah,
She says no to everything.
She is in those images because my, Ihave two cats, my white one, her main
attribute, her main skill even is beauty.
(11:57):
Oh.
She's all white and ifit's not white, it's pink.
It's really cute.
Rocio, I didn't know ifyou wanted to add anything.
No.
Okay.
I'm over here laughing with my micoff and it's just like, you know,
there's a lot of funny moments.
I want to like unmute whenI'm laughing, I guess.
Perfect.
It's funny that you asked about thecat, because you know what, recently
(12:18):
I did the image connect as a communityconversation at a conference where
we were having like a controlled orcontrolled networking, if you will.
And, the question I, I did a superherotheme around the whole thing, cause I, I
have some fun with the superhero theme.
And, I wrote, I put pictures ofsuperheroes on the screen, a whole
(12:38):
bunch of different ones, and Isaid, which image, which superhero
image are you drawn to and why?
And, introduce yourselves to people.
And, it was really fun for them.
But originally, when I put that together,I had one superhero that was a dog.
He had a cape on and amask, and overwhelmingly
the audience picked the dog.
And so, I was like, ah,and so I added a cat.
(13:00):
It was like, we need to have more thanone animal in here because that one
was obviously the most popular one.
It was cute.
So, the cat gets picked as much as thedog now, too, because it's only fair.
And, there's whole conversation aboutwho's a cat person and who's a dog
person that comes right out of that.
I know.
I know.
And, of course, of course,stereotypically, the dog superhero
(13:22):
seems sweet and happy and the catsuperhero seems powerful and angry.
I'd like to stay with this questionjust a little longer and see.
Yeah.
So, those are some great ideas.
Do you have any other topones that are go to for you?
Another one is kind ofmore of a technique.
I'm really interested in using like,the Mentimeter or Aha Slides or Slido,
(13:45):
whatever tool you have, with the keypoint being that the participant scans
the QR code with their phone, thatthey're already on and you know it,
so why not harness the power of it?
And, I put the instructions to whatthey're doing in their breakout on that.
And of course, it's like, if they'velost, you know, if you're like me,
you know, you get in the breakout andyou're like, "Oh, what would she say?
(14:07):
She wanted us to do".
Oh, look phone.
It's right
there.
That's brilliant.
cool
Yeah.
The cool thing about using thattoo, is like, not only can I have
the instructions, but recently,I use aha slides primarily right
now; and they've got this onewhere you can vote on a scale.
And so, it moves up and down.
And, I've been asking peoplevarious questions, like a,
would-you-rather activity.
(14:27):
For example, send them into a breakoutroom in small groups, like two or three.
And, it's like, would you rather attendthe keynote session or the workshop?
And, it's on their phone and they'rein the breakout room talking about it.
And, I want to manage when they moveto the next would you rather question?
And, I just move it; and it moves forthem in the breakout rooms, you know,
(14:49):
and it's it's like, it's just so nice.
And then, they can come back when I bringthem back; and I've got all their results,
which we can go back over and thenconduct debriefs from there if needed.
I feel like all of a sudden our phoneshave connected us when they've gone off
to the breakout rooms, you know, whichcan feel like, "Oh, I lost them" or
they vice versa might feel like they'velost connection to what I'm doing.
(15:13):
Yeah.
I think that's it.
It doesn't make sense to me asto why you can't broadcast slides
to all of the breakout groups aslike, I don't really, there's no.
You can.
You can, depending on the toolyou're using like zoom right now.
I can not only broadcast a message,
That's right.
but I can also broadcast my voice.
But the thing is, is thatnot everybody hears it.
Right.
It pops up and goes away.
(15:34):
And so, the phone is just so powerful.
We know you're on it.
So, hey, I want to use it.
But I, and frankly, to Nicole, toyour point, I'm actually using both.
Yeah.
I love that broadcastvoice feature in zoom.
Do you all use that?
Have you heard of this?
We don't use it too much, becausewe're usually the people telling
other people how to do it, but we,we can prompt it more now, I think.
(15:58):
I, I actually will alwayspick, I pick up my mic.
I have this cute little mic and I, youpress the button, and I'm like, ding,
ding, ding, please switch partners.
I love that!.
fantastic.
And then, I always very quietly pause.
And then, I give the instruction "oneminute remaining", you know, and they
(16:21):
come back and they're like, whichrecording are you using for that?
And I'm like, "Hmm, that was live".
It's
just, just me, my fabulous voiceover.
That's awesome, Kassy.
Best feedback.
Yeah.
I like that.
So, I'm using both, you know,it's like "ding, ding, ding,
please check your phones forthe next instruction," you know.
(16:44):
Katie and I just went to aescape room together and it
reminds me of the game master or
whatever they are called,
yes.
prompting us with clues; andwhen we wouldn't look up enough,
she would like push a button toyell at, kind of not yell at us,
Yeah, it
made a big noise so that itwould get our attention like a,
Love that.
like a,
your voice sounds more calming, but yeah.
Yes.
Yeah, that's the escape game idea too.
(17:05):
I do escape games in my virtualtraining to show people how to
do that and put that together formore complex training sessions.
Like, I just think it's hilarious, theconcept of putting people into a breakout
room from which they must escape.
Yeah.
Could you actually tell me aboutmaybe like a case study example
of the time you created this, likeyour thought process around it
(17:26):
and how it helped connect people?
Yeah, sure.
So, first off, let me just a nod toRachel Arpin who taught this to me.
She's the game masterof all the game masters.
L&D&D.
Ubber-gamemaster, the main one.
So for me to also set context,my perspective and the work I
(17:49):
live in L&D is going to be aroundthe facilitation of such things.
So, that when you, as soon as yousaid game master, I was like, "Ooh,
I love helping people learn tobecome game masters, the performance
of that, and like the role of thecoach throughout that process".
And so, the escape game examplethat I have is a very short one that
Rachel helped me put together withthis idea of giving people who are
(18:12):
instructional designers, the inspirationto create something like this.
And then, there's also the element oflet's break down how it was facilitated.
But essentially, the short version ofmy escape game is, and as Rachel taught
me, you know, you pick a theme, youhave a story, you have an overarching
reason for why you're there, which iswhy when you're going to these escape
(18:33):
games, like, was there the vampirehunter one recently in New Orleans?
Yeah.
So, you must take care of the vampires.
So likewise, I put together a story thatwas like, "hey, we're a team and we've
just got zoom; and I'd really like foryou to feel more comfortable exploring
the features of zoom", because we'regood at starting our meeting, getting
(18:53):
on camera and showing our screens.
And guess what?
There's a whole bunch ofother stuff that can do.
And so, let's empower you toclick around on everything and
discover what else it can do.
So, my, my escape game that Rachel helpedme write was, is called "Break Into Zoom".
And, they are put into breakout rooms,and they have challenges that are
(19:14):
requiring them to click through thefeatures and discover things that give
them codes; and the codes move them onto the next parts; and they have to do
certain things; and then, when they doall these certain things, they leave
their breakout room on their own, whichthat is a learning in and of itself.
Most people are like,I could leave myself.
It's so great.
And, I'm like, yes, yes,you may, if I allow it.
(19:37):
And so, then they come back andthey're like, we've escaped.
And, I'm like, but have you, you have afinal challenge that proves your escape.
And then, you know, there'sthe whole thing and all this
stuff came up, comes up.
Actually, I just ran it this weekand I ran it to some people who
teach at the University of Florida.
And, the professor came back and she's,she didn't do it, you know, she's
like, she didn't get the last part;and I'm like, you got your last part.
(19:58):
And, she's like, itdoesn't say to do that.
And, I'm like, you know what, let'slook again, cause of course the
instructions are on the phone, right?
Cause I sent a QR code and I'mlike, look at the instruction
again, let's read it together.
And, she goes, Kassy, I didn't read it,nor did I, I didn't listen to you; and
you've just reminded me that my studentsdon't ever listen either; and like we
went to this whole big thing; and itdid what I wanted it to do, you know?
(20:18):
Work together, have to pay attention toinstructions, you know, manage through
stresses, you know, all the things.
So that's, that's one example of howI've used that and just how, gosh,
how beneficial it is to, you know, Ihave a mantra, if you will, and that
mantra, the way that I facilitateis, What did I just say or do that
I could have let you say or do?
(20:41):
Oh, that's a great oneto keep top of mind.
I'm going to write that down, because,actually, that leads me into my next
question, which is, could you sharesome of your big picture thoughts?
Like how you approach, I know this is abroad question, but like, when you are
approaching designing a virtual session,like, what are, how do you do that?
Like, what are the firstthings you think about?
Could you just walk us through, youknow, how do you ensure it's successful?
(21:04):
Well, again, thank you InstructionalDesigners for making it very clear to me
that goals and objectives matter and thatspecific types of objectives work best.
Those that can be measured.
So, I start where I have been taught tostart, to start from the IDs in my life.
And, I have like a little three stepprocess that I use, or a recipe, which
actually threads through my whole book.
(21:26):
When you see examples, you'll see itgoes back to the recipe every time.
The recipe is, well, what'sthe goal and objectives?
And I, I always love looking at thatfrom the perspective of the goal is what
the, let's say, organization cares aboutthe objectives or what the attendees
care about, though they have no ideathat they care about them, but it's
what they're doing to meet that goal.
(21:47):
So like, and then to put that intoeven more context, like I've been
invited to help you become a betterand more engaging presenter today.
That is a goal.
Maybe not a great one, but it'swhy people hire me in terms
of the way it was written.
It is a great goal, but.
Yeah, for sure.
The objectives though, likewhat are the objectives?
That's what you're going to do that'sgoing to make you engaging and better
(22:10):
and great at what you're doing.
So for example, take a look, thisis what we're doing in our class.
You're going to learn toask thoughtful questions.
You're going to learn to listen andrespond, you know, to those thoughtful
questions, you know, there's allsorts of things to break that down.
It's the things you're doing.
So first, I get really clear on thatbig picture with any program and also
(22:31):
very small with any activity, because Iwant to make sure that that activity is
aligned to the greater purpose as well.
So, every activity has ameasurable objective too.
And, the second part of my recipe.
So, first part is goal objective.
Second part is look at the objective thatneeds other people for it to be, you know,
learned in a better way, if you will.
(22:51):
I didn't say that very good English, butwe'll have a better learning experience
because we are here live together.
And, this is where you can start topull out things like, like for me,
when I'm teaching people how to be anengaging presenter, it is important that
you know how to manage the technology.
I have also learned that you learningthe actual click of the technology is
(23:13):
a better objective alone than with me.
And so, you clicking on whereto locate the poll and to build
the poll is great by yourself.
When you're with me, welearn to set the poll up.
We learn to give time topeople to respond to it.
We learn to read the responses.
(23:33):
We learn to make comments aroundthose responses and then debrief and
connect that to the larger purpose.
But, I'm not going to show you whereto go click on, create poll, type
your question, type your answers.
That's best on your own, with guidance.
There's videos, there's handouts,but I don't need to walk through
how to click on that poll.
(23:54):
That's what I've decidedfor my programming.
So, that's what I mean by social.
The social part, I needthe people to respond.
I need you to see the difficulty they havewith finding where the poll popped up.
You know, that's the thing that's whatI'm there to teach and more interesting.
And so, I'm going to focus there.
So, the social, the sociallearning objectives are what I'm
(24:14):
going to bring into my virtualinstructor led training program.
The third part of the recipeis what features should I use?
Should it be chat,whiteboard, poll, breakout?
Whatever it may be, features come last.
Yeah, and that's really helping meimagine too, like saying, okay, this
is the designated, this is when we'regoing to really carve out time for
the social learning, because it makessense in terms of the purpose and
(24:36):
what we're doing here versus and then,you know, either do this on your own.
Is it, do you think of it like beforeor maybe time during the presentation
where it's more like one on oneor they're like, how do you, yeah.
Is that like a hallmarkahead of time or after?
It depends.
Like in the case of they need tolearn the tech, I have found that
everyone thinks that they know itenough in my case, most people.
(25:00):
And so, what I'm like,great, you probably do.
And so, then I bring everyone togetherlive first and I use every single thing.
And ideally, I'm using something that Ihope they've never seen before, because
what I'm trying to do is address themotivation and the inspiration part of it.
Because the homework assignment is, I betyou saw me do some stuff today, go find
out how I did it, you know, and I givethem checklists and things, but they've
(25:24):
got the moment of the experience live.
Like, she sent her voiceinto the breakout room.
I didn't know I could do that.
Go find out where.
I actually documented it.
You practice it.
Oh, nice.
You know, and I'm like, the way youpractice is you pull up a computer, you
start a session, and then you actuallyjoin your second computer as an attendee.
So, you can see your attendees, the way itlooks for them when you do certain things.
(25:46):
Oh, nice.
And, do all of that homework assignment.
And then, when we get back intosession number two, in this case,
which is a couple days later,then I'm like, how did it go?
What'd you find out?
And then, I find out right awaywho didn't, you know, so there's a
constant thread of motivation andinspiration throughout all of it.
So, back to your original question,though, Katie, it depends on
(26:08):
where we are in the programand what we're doing with it.
Makes sense.
Yeah.
Do you have any favorite tools forleading virtual activities or anything
you're experimenting with currently?
You know what?
I kind of like them all, honestly.
Like, you know, if you'd askedme this, like, you know, 10 years
ago, I'd be like, polling's boring.
But then, recently,polling's now super fun.
And I, it turns outI'm really competitive.
(26:30):
I went to a session where somebodywas polling us after every key
concept and I was like, I want to win.
I want to know, you know, soI actually just like them all
used in ways with purpose.
I'm excited that in our world today,we keep getting new ones, and new ways
to use things, you know, new layouts.
(26:51):
And really interested in the stuffwe can do using the cameras, like
having images pop around us and float.
And, I recently discovered, Ihaven't, it's been around a while,
but I only just started using it.
It's called "Mm Hmm".
And, I like that on "Mm Hmm," Ican fade myself out of my camera.
And, I'm just like, I have allsorts of ideas, like, you know,
(27:15):
going on here with superpowers.
Like, did you wish you had thesuperpower of invisibility?
Guess what?
I just got it.
I love that.
I'm going to have to try that one.
Now, I'm like, "Ooh, Ibetter test it and show you.
It, my sort of second to last questionis, do you have any memorable maybe
stories or moments or little anecdotes,where you really saw social learning
(27:38):
like happening in a session thatjust stuck with you and felt magical?
Oh, so many little things that areso magical and also just funny.
I really like it when we get to aplace where people are just talking
and chatting; and they're justdoing it without being prompted.
And then, I really think it's supermagical when in a class, you're having
(28:01):
them chat answers, but then theystart to chat to each other on things.
And, it just, it's such a simple moment,but it's so powerful that that happens,
you know, and it's just so neat.
And, I'd like to encourage that kindof natural use of the tools, which is
why you'll find me always having somesort of feature, like it's a rare thing.
(28:25):
Let me back it up and say it differently.
It's a rare thing in my sessionsto just sit on camera and talk.
I'm usually like, and let's drawand let's circle and let's chat,
you know, and, you know, I'malways having them use a feature.
So, that they're just getting used tocommunicating with using the features.
And, I think the more that we addthese things and the more people
(28:46):
get comfortable, it just becomesmore magical as you put it.
Yeah.
Because it feels like technology is magic.
Yeah.
You
know, like today's magic is tech, right.
And so, tech is cool,but what, you know what,
people
are cooler.
Totally, and I love hearing how youthink and talk about blending the, you
know, how the hub link and work together,so for, so we can achieve our goals.
(29:09):
Yeah.
Is there anything I didn't askthat you think is important for
people to know on this topic?
I think he did such a greatjob with wonderful questions.
I think just a bit of advice isto just give yourself a break,
you know, because it is veryfrightening and you can feel alone.
And so, If you have any kind of fearof failure, then just like making
sure you're really preparing yourselfand learning that tech and practicing
(29:33):
as you can by yourself, and withthe second computer, it will help.
It'll change everything.
And then, just also giving yourselfa break, like you're doing your best.
And, you know, there's times thatI've had things go wrong and I'm like,
" okay, the whole thing went wrong.
You guys, let's, what do we do?"
And just like, let it be, you know, andthen let's work through it together,
because the, the act of allowingyourself to be vulnerable in those
(29:55):
moments is helping to build thoseconnections and that community and
people coming together and helpingone another gives people a really
wonderful feeling of inclusion, you know.
It's like we recently heard a keynotespeaker at the recent conference, the
first one say that, it was MatthewMcConaughey, he said, "it's not, it's,
we're not as interested in your success.
(30:17):
We're far more interested in howyou, how hard it was for you and
maybe how you didn't make it work,"because that's, those are the places
where we can relate to one another.
And so, I guess the advice isjust give yourself a break.
It's okay.
Plus, even if it's perfect today, they'reprobably going to give us a new feature.
And then, I'm going to mess that oneup the first few times I use it anyway,
and we'll get through it together.
(30:38):
Nice note to end on with thecall for self compassion.
Definitely.
So, if people would like to learn moreabout your work, where can they find you?
I am on Kassy Consulting.
I'm also at Kassy Speaks.
Both those websites are connected.
And, I'm very active on LinkedIn and Ilove connecting with people there too.
Amazing.
(30:58):
Well, thank you so, so much for your time.
I really enjoyed learning from you.
And yeah, that's all for today.
Thanks everybody.
Thanks, Kassy.
Abracadabra!
Here are our top takeaways forbringing the magic of social learning
to live facilitated sessions.
Remember what Kassy said, Techis cool, but people are cooler".
(31:18):
Don't overfocus on tech andforget about the people.
Decide what social learning objectivesyou'd like to focus on in the session
and what participants can learnindividually on their own time.
Incorporate activities toencourage social connection.
In this episode, Kassy shared manycreative ways to accomplish this.
Connect fun moments back to the session'sgoals; help participants understand
(31:42):
the why behind each activity; giveyourself a break, you're doing your best.
We can't wait to hear how yournext live session turns out.
We're confident that by applyingKassy's insights, it will be a hit.
Since we're on the topic,now it's your turn.
For your experiment, you'll brainstormactivities that will encourage social
learning in a live facilitated session.
(32:02):
You can find the full experimentbrief in the show notes or the social
learning lab community on LinkedIn.
In the community, you can also shareyour stories, get feedback and insights
from peers and comment on others ideas.
If you enjoyed this episode, pleaselike, subscribe, or share so we can
continue to build a supportive groupof social learning enthusiasts.
(32:23):
Until next time, keep makinglearning that matters.
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