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Session types
| Get Inspired | Brief description and links to resources |
|---|---|
| Get Inspired: Games for learning and dialogue (60-90 minutes) | Host a fun games session where participants can play games that provide an opportunity to learn, create and innovate. Virtually Amazing meeting design and facilitation techniques |
| Learn: Panels and discussions (90mins) | Organise a diverse set of speakers to provide expert or country-experience grounded perspectives on key questions, ensuring interactive discussions and space for discussion. |
| Get Inspired: Live Q&A with experts (30mins) | Propose and invite an expert to deliver a presentation or short talk and to answer the participants’ questions live during the session about the chosen topic(s). |
| Joint Problem-Solving: Doctor-patient clinics (60mins) | Host a session where you can propose a problem you are facing and people come along as ‘doctors’ to offer you advice. |
| Joint Problem-Solving: Fishbowls (90mins) | Propose a session where you nominate a small group of knowledgeable people (the fish inside the bowl) to discuss the topics at hand, while the larger participants group (outside the bowl) actively listen, observe and take notes. Roles can also be rotated. Facilitate a Fishbowl Discussion |
| Joint Problem-Solving: Workshops (90mins) | Propose a session where a limited number of participants can join you to work on solving a problem that you may all be facing. You should design these sessions to be interactive and collaborative, and to result in some proposed solutions that you could all potentially work on together. |
| Virtual Tours | Submit your virtual / 360° / audio-visual tour to take your participants to virtually experience your topic. You can also propose including a virtual tour to other kinds of sessions, for example leading into a discussion. Example: Finnish Red Cross 360° video of drought in Somalia |
| Other ideas? | We are open to your proposals! |
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Criteria for session hosts and presenters
To host a session or deliver a presentation please ensure you have met the following criteria:
- Gender balance among speakers.
- Highly interactive and engaging formats. See also Virtually Amazing meeting design and facilitation techniques.
- Content is delivered in either English, Spanish, French or Arabic.
- Where possible, sessions include cultural elements reflecting topic, presenters, geographic focus, etc.
To submit your session or presentation proposal, please ensure you meet the above criteria and then complete the application form:
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Collaborative Tools to be used by workshop hosts
Before choosing any particular set of tools to host your virtual workshops, you should consider various factors in your planning so that you can make it as successful as possible.
What are you trying to get out of the workshop?
- Change of perception
- Insights into a particular problem/area
- Feedback on existing work or approaches?
What tools do you need to do this?
- Real-time communication – audio / video
- Real time documentation – text /diagrams
- Collaborative brainstorming – formatted documents / templates
Who are your audience?
- What are the language skills involved?
- Is everyone technology literate?
- Remote participation can be hard, activities that would take 10 mins in real life may take longer virtually.
- Create an agenda and be open with your participants about what your aims and goals for the session are.
Core tools to facilitate a workshop
There are two key tools required for a successful workshop.
- Communication channel – audio / video
- Platform for activities – text / diagrams/ illustrations / audio / voting
Communication channels
Zoom – (https://zoom.us/) – This is a peer-to-peer video conferencing platform.
- Allows for video or audio conversations with multiple guests
- Can share screens / slides / audio
- Allows small group work
- Has an interpretation function (option to be activated at a cost)
- Has mobile app
- Can join in mobile or browser
Alternatives to Zoom
Join.me – Collaborate instantly with free screen sharing, unlimited audio, and ridiculously simple video conferencing
Mentimeter – An interactive presentation platform with features that enable you to prepare, present and analyze presentations.
Microsoft Team – Work with teammates via secure meetings, document collaboration, and built-in cloud storage.
Google Meet – Real-time meetings by Google. Using your browser, share your video, desktop, and presentations with teammates and customers.
Live streaming a tour or activity
Twitter Live – Users can broadcast live, with comments and show support through likes.
https://media.twitter.com/en_us/articles/best-practice/2018/go-live-on-twitter.html
Facebook Live – Broadcast live to friends or public.
https://www.facebook.com/facebookmedia/solutions/facebook-live
- Suitable for mobile devices
- Audio is only one way from the host.
- Viewers can give reactions, chat and comment in the stream.
Youtube Live – Broadcast live event, premieres or streaming sessions
- Can only be done from laptop / desktop.
- Audio is only one way from the host.
Vimeo Livestream – https://livestream.com/
Twitch.TV
- Stream live content from multiple sources. Camera / screen.
- Requires installed software “OBS” on machine.
- Can only be done from laptop / desktop.
uStream
- Stream live content from multiple sources. Camera / screen.
- Requires installed software “OBS” on machine.
- Can only be done from laptop / desktop.
Collaborative Whiteboards/Workspaces
Mural (https://www.mural.co/) – A collaborative whiteboard area. Mural allows facilitators to run workshops or design sprints through customisable templates or a blank canvas.
- Multiple guests can draw and write simultaneously
- Multiple facilitators.
- No sign-up account required for participants
- Facilitates both named and anonymous guests.
- Best used on desktop but has an IOS app for mobile devices. Works in a browser on mobile but has a small field of view.
Miro (https://miro.com/) – An alternative collaborative whiteboard area similar to Mural.
- Multiple guests can draw, add post-its and re-arrange content.
- No Sign-up required for participants.
- You can view a Miro board anonymously but you have to sign in to make changes.
Excalidraw (https://excalidraw.com/)
Collaborative Note Taking, Writing
Google Docs – This is a collaborative text editing document.
- Multiple guests work on the same text file
- Create activities ahead of time for your workshop participants to fill in
- Facilitates both named and anonymous guests.
A document can become chaotic to work in with over 10 people.
Padlet (https://en-gb.padlet.com/) –
Collaborative documents, boards, maps and more.
Etherpad (https://etherpad.org/)
Collaborative Planning, Decision Making
Trello (https://trello.com/ )
Collaborative working, list/items based.
Loomio (https://www.loomio.org/ )
Collaborative working, decisions based.
Slido (https://www.sli.do/ )
Run polls and quizzes in parallel with your session. Crowdsource questions from sessions audience (audience submit questions, vote on which questions get asked).
Q&A – Scribo.io
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Technological Considerations
The tools outlined above may not be suitable for what you are trying to achieve. That’s fine and we are happy for you to host using any tool you like. Be aware however of some of the technological considerations below:
International Access
- Can the tool be accessed in the countries of potential participants, including your own?
Simple or Single Sign On
- We want attending the conference to be as easy as possible
- We want to use as few tools as possible so that those attending the conference don’t have to create numerous accounts for all the tools used
- This can be mitigated with tools that allow anonymous collaboration (like Google Apps)
Mobile devices
- How does this tool work on a mobile device?
- Do your participants need to use a laptop or desktop computer?
- Do they have to install an App?
Bandwidth issues
- Does this tool require a good internet connection?
- As a host you may want a wired connection to ensure a reliable internet.