Virtual cross-functional collaboration jam session
I’ve created 110+ virtual, synchronous learning sessions for a variety of audiences. This is a concept workshop I designed using Miro to facilitate cross-functional collaboration among different teams at an EdTech company. Many EdTech-related start-ups have grown exceptionally quickly over the past few years. Members of a given team often have limited understanding of what other teams actually do - much less when and how they might work together with those teams to achieve organizational objectives. This virtual instructor-led workshop features a visual ice breaker activity and two breakout activities + debrief sessions based on Liberating Structures team-building exercises to encourage interaction by all participants.
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Icebreaker activity
Confession: while I love learning with others, I hate awkward ice breakers. I designed this ice breaker activity to be fun for all - and also provide a safe space for vulnerability. Participants can simply move their chosen emoji to the relevant section of the mood board, or they can actively talk about their choice of emoji or mood. Either way, they begin participating actively in the workshop and get a good chuckle at the emoji options in the process.
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Breakouts + debrief
Structured activities with a strong visual reference are essential for impactful workshops. For this workshop, I designed two breakouts. First, participants work with members of their own functional team to reflect on what they know about other functional teams and opportunities for collaboration. In the debrief, each team has a chance to correct misconceptions. In the second breakout, group members make requests from group members representing other cross-functional teams, then develop concrete action steps towards collaboration.
Design principles
My goal with this virtual workshop was to use principles of active learning and inclusive instructional design to facilitate active participation by all workshop participants. Doing so requires using thoughtful prompts and inviting visual cues to allow for multiple types of participation. Participants in this workshop can share their thoughts out loud with the entire group in the intro and debrief sections of the workshop. More introverted participants have the opportunity to share their thoughts in smaller group contexts in the breakouts, yet are also able to shape the discussion among the larger group through adding notes to the board and moving emojis on the boards.
For the second breakout, I translated two brilliant exercises developed for in-person team-building by Liberating Structures into a visual, virtual format: WINFY (What I Need From You) and What, So What, Now What? These activities encourage cohesion and collaboration by helping participants address misunderstandings and brainstorm realistic opportunities for connection.
Tools used
I love experimenting with different tools for virtual connection and interaction. Miro is one of my recent favorites. I designed a Miro board with an introductory ice breaker activity and two breakout activities + debriefs. All participants are able to add notes and emojis to the relevant sections of the Miro board. The board can be used with videoconferencing platforms that allow for the creation of small breakout groups, like Zoom, or more learner-centered platforms like Minerva’s Forum. After the workshop, the Miro board then serves as a reference and jumping off point for future work. As with all of the learning solutions I craft, I designed this workshop to lead to actionable next steps. In this case, participants are led to develop their own action steps with members of other teams, and also invited to use a new slack channel to nurture future collaborative projects.