Virtual Facilitator Cards Facilitation Guide

👋 Hey Facilitator! Welcome to your new source of activities for easy, creative virtual facilitation on Zoom! Please poke around on the site, see what you find, and if you try out any of the activities you can share your learning right on this site. Join the free newsletter for updates and when new activities go live.

Latest Activities

Reverse Engineering on Zoom

Invite participants to imagine that they’re in a future where you’ve accomplished your goals or achieved perfection in regards to a particular concept. Viewing that finished product or project, what steps were taken to accomplish it? What pitfalls were avoided? Have them record their reflections on paper. Let them know how they'll be sharing their writing before starting.

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Minute Papers on Zoom using Google Forms

Provide a prompt, then link participants to a Google Form with a long answer text field. Instruct them to take one minute to respond to the prompt, then hit submit. If you’re planning on displaying their responses or using them later in the facilitation, let them know your intentions before they start writing.

Finger Voting on Zoom

Tell participants they'll be voting on a decision using a number scale. Explain the scale and decision you’re voting on, have everyone type their vote into the Zoom chat, but instruct them not to hit send until you give them a cue. Cue the votes, then review and discuss the results.

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Anonymous Q&A on Zoom using Google Forms

Provide a Google Form through which participants submit anonymous questions. Read a submitted question out loud, answer it, and repeat. If desired, have the form linked to a Google spreadsheet for easy sorting and tracking.

Latest Emotion Activities

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Minute Papers on Zoom using Google Forms

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Gallery Exhibit on Zoom using Google Slides

Have participants click through a virtual gallery of images, quotes, facts, or questions you’ve prepared in Google Slides.

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Gallery Exhibit on Zoom using Gather

In Gather, have participants navigate around the room, interacting with the images on the walls. If you want them to keep any questions or prompts in mind while walking around, let them know before you begin. Bring the group back together when you're done.

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Spectrum Questions on Zoom using Gather

In Gather bring participants together to explain the activity, indicating where the boundaries of the spectrums are and what each side indicates. Standing on a spotlight square, read out the statement you want participants to respond to, give them time to place themselves along the spectrum. Discuss and repeat with new prompts.

Latest Ideation Activities

Reverse Engineering on Zoom

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"I Know" vs. "I Wonder" Lists on Zoom using Google Docs

After providing a prompt to the group, open a Google Doc and screenshare it. Then generate two lists: one of the things you know as a group, and one of things the group is wondering.

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Mindmapping on Zoom using MURAL

Place a central concept that you want to explore at the center of your Mural board. Have participants use stickies to generate all the ideas, themes, and sub-categories that branch from it. Encourage them to continue to explore those sub-themes, creating more branches extending out to the edges of the board.

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4 Squares on Zoom using Google Drawings

In a Google Drawing that is divided into four quadrants, have participants respond to a series of prompts through writing, drawing, listing keywords, etc. Give them enough time to complete all the prompts. State your intentions for sharing before starting.

Latest Clarification Activities

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Anonymous Q&A on Zoom using Google Forms

Fishbowl on Zoom

A way to have a small group conversation within the large group. Have a few volunteer talkers leave their cameras on and the listeners turn their cameras off and then hide non-video participants. Provide a prompt or focus for the conversation, let the small group talk for a few minutes, hopping in with questions if needed. Swap out for different talkers, repeat if desired.

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Anonymous Q&A on Zoom using Google Slides

Using Googles Slides built in Q&A feature have participants submit their anonymous questions and if you choose, up-vote the ones they most want answered. Present the question you want to answer, answer it, and repeat.

Hot Seat on Zoom

Using the spotlight function on Zoom, highlight a participant for the hot seat. Have other participants raise their hands and/or unmute to ask questions of the person in the hot seat. Swap who's in the hot seat, the given topic, or both as needed.

Latest Execution Activities

Finger Voting on Zoom

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Vanishing Options on Zoom using AhaSlides

Allow participants to vote on a decision using a multiple choice AhaSlide with four or more options. After the vote, duplicate the slide, delete an option or two, then have them vote again on the new slate. Can be repeated several times.

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Dot Voting on Zoom using Google Slides

Have participants all join the Google Slides document and then using pre-made dots, have them place their dots on the pre-written sticky notes to vote. Once everyone has voted discuss results.

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Dot Voting on Zoom using MURAL

With all your potential options written on sticky notes in your mural start a dot voting session, where participants will move dots to their chosen sticky. Once everyone has voted (or time is up), review the results. Repeat for additional rounds, removing stickies as you go if desired.