We all know good facilitation skills: ask don't tell; encourage discussion among participants-not just between you and the participants; play devil's advocate to challenge people's thinking, etc., but when we move from the classroom to the virtual classroom we seem to revert immediately to lecture and presentation mode.  If you think straightforward lecture is a snoozer in the classroom, it’s ten times worse in the virtual classroom when the only thing participants have to keep them engaged is the sound of your voice.

In order to deliver online classes that are engaging, here are five keys to better facilitation in the virtual classroom.

1.  Facilitate, facilitate, facilitate!

A common complaint of new online facilitators is that the participants aren't paying attention and are frequently multitasking.  That is only true if you are not facilitating.  If you are facilitating your participants would be too involved with the learning process to have the time or the inclination to multitask.  According to Wikipedia, a facilitator is someone who helps a group of people understand their common objectives and assists them to plan to achieve them.  Another definition, also from Wikipedia, states that a facilitator is a person who makes it easier for other people to accomplish their objectives by offering advice and assistance.  A common theme here is that the facilitator is not the focus of the learning event; the facilitator brings the learning about through the training participants.  The best virtual classroom learning experiences put the dialogue and the learning process firmly in the hands of the participants.  If you're bringing people together online in order to simply make a presentation - don't.  Record the presentation and let your participants view it on-demand.  Bring people together online for the interactive and collaborative outcomes that can be achieved when we bring people together. 

2.  Use people's names

I once heard a new television actor comment on his profession by saying that one of the hardest things for him to get used to was how often one referred to the other characters in the first person.  For instance, Well Bob I think what Juan says is something that we should consider.  Especially in light of what Lucy has now brought to the table. He also stated that in a simple dialogue you might call Bob by his name, three or four times, while speaking to him.  You may find this phenomenon to be similar in the virtual classroom.  Since you've lost the ability to use body language or make eye contact, the only way to engage people in conversation is to call on them specifically.  Rather than asking Who would like to comment on the case study?  You'll need to change your language to ask, I’d like to hear what you think of the case study - Alison?  You'll also find that you call on people randomly, usually based on whether you’ve heard from them recently or not, much more so than you would in the classroom.  In the classroom we almost always have an eager volunteer; in the virtual classroom participants need to expect to be called on randomly (“volunteered” if you will).

3.  Be directive

Your language in the virtual classroom needs to be much more directive.  It's impossible to ask an open-ended question and not confuse your participants.  For instance, Who would like to comment on the case study, needs to be rephrased as, Who would like to comment on the case study?  Raise your hand.  In the classroom an open-ended question invites volunteers, in the virtual classroom an open-ended question invites confusion.  Participants will think to themselves, Should I raise my hand?  Should I just speak up?  How does she want me to respond? While your participants are thinking through all these options you are listening to dead air and wondering if they've understood the question, if no one has an answer, or if they just don't want to participate. 

As a general rule of thumb, all open ended questions need to be rephrased as closed ended questions in order to keep the dialogue flowing and your class moving along.

4.  All instructions must be written

The least preferred way for Americans to take in information is in an auditory manner and yet the virtual classroom forces 90% of our communication to be solely auditory.  This heightens the possibility of participants getting confused - especially when you are asking them to complete some type of activity. In order to assist your participants, all instructions for activities should be written - preferably both on the screen and in a handout or workbook that you have provided for them. If you've not provided a written guide to correspond to your online class then, at the very minimum, activity instructions need to be on the screen and participants need to be allowed enough time to copy them so that they can refer back to them while completing the activity.

5.  Keep the energy up

Synchronous Learning Expert, Jennifer Hofmann, says that teaching online is like teaching after lunch all the time.  In the classroom there is a natural flow of energy from the co-mingling of your participants.  But in an online class most of the participants are isolated and it is up to you, the facilitator, to keep the energy up.  You don't want to be super caffeinated - that's the wrong kind of energy - but you do want to put on your “presenter’s” voice and mannerisms.  If possible, stand up and move the way you would if you were standing in front of the class.  Using your natural body language and mannerisms keeps your energy up and translates quite successfully through the telephone lines. In general, the skills you have as a classroom trainer translate well to the online classroom. Don’t approach online training like a telephone conversation or radio broadcast; your participants are still out there and are desperately hoping to be engaged in your class – it’s up to you to lead the way to their success.