Online Facilitator's Training

Some Don’ts of Online Facilitation

(Adapted from: UNDP Waterwiki at http://waterwiki.net/index.php/Welcome BRAINSTORM on “How to make a Community of Practice sleep” available at http://tinyurl.com/crvcuz)

Here is a selection of online facilitation no-nos from a brainstorm in April 2006 by members of an online facilitation course.

Communication:

• Never answer to member mails,and when you do answer be very, very critical
• Write Looooongemails
• Bombard participants with lots of non-relevant information
• Give very short answers (yes,no,rubbish,etc.)
• Give very long answers ‘bla…bla…bla’

Motivation

• Strongly comment on members’ mistakes
• Never give ideas – try NOT to be creative
• Never help those who have a problem
• Be very negative about people asking the same thing
• React once very critical and then not again for 2 weeks or longer
• React strongly and emotionally like:‘NEVER DO THIS AGAIN!!!! NEXT YOU WILL BE *&^%%$#!!’
• Tell everybody that your expectations will never be met, that you don’t believe the group can succeed.

Management

• Never give deadlines, never define task and goals
• No structured communication, no milestones, never define roles of each member, etc.
• Give people very strict guidelines for contribution or long and complicated (and impossible) guidelines
• Do not give enough time to contribute
• Promise outputs/contributions, but don’t deliver