The Online Facilitation Unconference (OFU) is an annual online learning exchange on the art and practice of facilitating in virtual environments. We bring together facilitation practitioners from a wide variety of backgrounds to share, explore, learn, and make new connections among peers.

350+ people registered from 40+ countries!

Partners

We are excited to once again have the opportunity to play alongside and as part of IAF’s Facilitation Week.

A big thank you to our other partners:

Sponsors

This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of our amazing sponsors. Thank you!

Program

At its core, OFU is an unconference, meaning the vast majority of the program will be created by the participants in real time based on everyone’s interests and needs. The unconference sessions will take place in the second half of the week (Thursday through Saturday, October 22–24).

To help everyone warm up a little, we will offer a handful of pre-scheduled “seed” sessions, which will take place earlier in the week (Monday through Wednesday, October 19–21).

New this year, we will offer a mix of sponsored sessions from our tech exhibitors. These may include demos, guided tours, cases studies, or conversations about where the industry is headed, though how a sponsor structures their session(s) in terms of duration and format is completely up to them. These sessions will also take place earlier in the week, and we encourage our participants to explore the tools further during the unconference and – where appropriate – possibly integrate them into their sessions.

With that in mind, here’s what’s on the agenda as of Saturday, September 19. All positions are subject to change. We’ll add and update more entries over the coming weeks.

Pre-Event Activities

A few opportunities to get in the spirit. More sessions and activities are being announced almost on a daily basis!

All details are still subject to change. Thank you for your understanding!

• 09/29: Online Engagement Showcase [companion event]
• 09/30: Pre-OFU social mixer #1
• 10/01: Fast-track video briefing session #1 for Connected Conversations World Relay for UN75
• 10/02: Pre-OFU social mixer #2
• 10/06: Fast-track video briefing session #2 for Connected Conversations World Relay for UN75

OFU20 Pre-Scheduled & Unconference Sessions

We’re offering a number of pre-scheduled tech demos and other warm-up sessions just to get everybody’s creative juices flowing.

A number of these sessions will be open to the general public, no registration for  OFU20 required. Keep checking back for details!

Monday, October 19

• 1am Pacific: Fast-track video briefing session #3 for Connected Conversations World Relay for UN75
• 8–8.30am Pacific: Learning to FOC!
  Tune in to hear community engagement specialist and professional facilitator, Becky Hirst, share her insights and lessons learnt from transitioning from face-to-face facilitation to facilitating online conversations in 2020!
• 9–9.30am Pacific: Gallery Tour of Great Events on QiqoChat
• 9.30-10am Pacific: Speed Networking on VideoFacilitator
• 2pm Pacific: Fast-track video briefing session #4 for Connected Conversations World Relay for UN75
• 6pm: OFU20 Live Session Planning
  Your first opportunity to explore possible unconference topics together in real time and maybe add a first few sessions to the unconference agenda. The conversations will continue both synchronously and asynchronously on our OFU collaboration space. Thanks to GroupMap for providing the venue!
• 7–8pm Pacific: Kick-Off Panel: How to Humanize the Digital Experience
  Fireside chat with Jeremy Lu (GroupMap), Tim Merry and Tuesday Ryan-Hart (The Outside), Megan Moritz and Joe Mendez (ISACA), and Elise Keith (Lucid Meetings).

• 3–4am Pacific: Kick-Off Panel: How to Humanize the Digital Experience
  Fireside chat with Jeremy Lu (GroupMap), Paul Nunesdea (IAF, Digital Collaboration Academy), Molood Ceccarelli (Remote Forever), and Thomas Krecker (TFK Consulting).
• 8am Pacific: How to make online gatherings social! Wonder demo & Q&A.
• 10.30–10.45am Pacific: 15-minute welcome
• 11–11.30am Pacific: #ZoomGalleryConversation: Remote Meetings, WTF? or FTW? [companion event]
• 6–6.30pm: Running Breakout Room activities with Video Facilitator and GroupMap
• 7–7.30pm: How to Run a Collaborative Meeting and Event with GroupMap
• 7.45–8pm Pacific: 15-minute welcome

• 9–9.30am Pacific: Making sure every voice is heard (Axis live workshop on inclusion and diversity)
• 11–11.45am Pacific: How to connect your audience virtually in the most interactive way! (Remo)
• 5.45–6pm Pacific: 15-Minute Welcome Circle
• 11.45pm–12am Pacific: 15-Minute Welcome Circle
  

• 12-12.30am Pacific: Virtual Meet & Greet  (Speed Dating)
• 1–1.45am Pacific: VideoFacilitator – World Cafe collaboration sessions

Friday, October 23

• 8–9.15am Pacific: Webinar Stormz+Zoom: Interactive Decision Making

Unconference

Session planning starts Monday, October 19. Sessions start Thursday, October 22.

Below are the six recommended windows for hosting unconference sessions:

Thursday, October 22

• Night – works well for Europe + Australasia
  12-3am Pacific Time / 9am to 12pm in Berlin / 6-9pm in Sydney

Friday, October 23

• Morning – works well for Americas + Europe
  8-11am Pacific Time / 5-8pm in Berlin
• Evening – works well for Americas + Australasia
  4-7 pm Pacific Time / 10am to 1pm in Sydney
• Night – works well for Europe + Australasia
  12-3am Pacific Time / 9am to 12pm in Berlin / 6-9pm in Sydney

Saturday, October 24

• Morning – works well for Americas + Europe
  8-11am Pacific Time / 5-8pm in Berlin
• Evening – works well for Americas + Australasia
  4-7 pm Pacific Time / 10am to 1pm in Sydney

Of course, it’s OK to “color outside the lines” and schedule your sessions at different times during the week. We simply recommend these windows to make it easier for everyone to block time and also to maximize cross-continental collaboration.

Event Platform & Technology

OFU is a BYOT (bring your own technology) event, meaning the session hosts are in charge of choosing the tools and platforms that best fit their needs. In the past, this has worked out very well as it allows participants to experience, over the course of the event, a variety of new, improved, or otherwise interesting technology options in context.

While OFU doesn’t prescribe how to run the sessions, we do provide a central collaboration hub for attendees to introduce themselves, discuss topic ideas for the unconference, manage the schedule, and document outcomes. Registrants will receive their personal invite to this venue before OFU20 gets under way.

Who Attends?

OFU events bring together facilitation practitioners from all over the world and from a rich diversity of backgrounds.

Countries

We ask registrants to tell us where they’re from (and/or where they currently live). As of October 9, we have 40+ countries represented:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Belgium
• Brasil
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Denmark
• England
• France
• Germany
• Ghana
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• India
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Kenya
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Morocco
• Nepal
• The Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Niger
• Norway
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• Romania
• Scotland
• Singapore
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Uganda
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Wales

Roles

As of September 25, here is how our registrants have self identified in terms of their professional role:

• Advisor online learning
• Agile coach
• Agile coach and trainer
• Bohm Dialogue facilitator
• Certified professional facilitator and virtual facilitator
• Chief community builder
• Civic engagement specialist
• Coach
• Communication advisor
• Communications strategist
• Community engagement consultant
• Consultant
• Coordinator
• Curriculum developer
• Digital scribe and social innovator
• Director of programming
• Education manager
• Educational and leadership consultant
• Educator
• Event production professional
• Executive
• Executive assistant
• Executive coach
• Executive director at small nonprofit
• Experiential facilitator for companies and public services
• Facilitation entrepreneur
• Facilitation trainer
• Facilitator
• Facilitator of online processes and learning curriculums
• Graphic facilitator
• Group facilitator
• IAF certified (TM) professional facilitator
• Independent contractor
• Independent facilitator
• Innovation consultant
• Learning consultant
• Manager at small nonprofit
• Mediator
• Nutrition educator/trainer
• Online facilitation instructor
• Online facilitator
• Open Space facilitator
• Personal growth workshop facilitator
• President of a 501c3
• Project manager
• Public engagement and knowledge transfer officer
• Restorative practitioner and trainer
• Senior adviser
• Stakeholder engagement consultant
• Strategic designer
• Technology provider for facilitators
• Trainer
• Trainer of online facilitators
• Training coordinator
• Virtual facilitator
• Visual facilitator
• Visual practitioner

Burning questions

We ask registrants what’s on their mind in terms of “one burning question” regarding virtual facilitation. Here are a few of their answers:

• How to apply collaborative tools in a virtual meeting?
• How to deal with conflict online?
• How to facilitate groups with hostile or disengaged actors?
• How do we achieve serendipity online?
• How do you bring the creative mind into virtual facilitation?
• How can we make it fun, deep and collective?
• What are the ways to make digital events better than in-the-room events?
• What are best practices for creating space for those who have been hesitant to interact?
• How to fight Zoom overload?
• How can we be more creative in designing and convening virtual sessions that are engaging?
• How can we generate the energy and engagement of in-person events in virtual facilitation?
• How do we continue to keep participants engaged in online gatherings?
• How do you make engagement on par with fully energized face-to-face meetings?
• How do we create a more engaging experience and better connection between participants?
• How to get people to pay attention?
• How to run engaging conference formats online?
• What are the best ways to keep participants engaged?
• How to manage very large groups doing complex problem solving?
• How can we get to know a facilitator’s personality/style and if it fits an event/audience?
• How do I convert my ability to challenge my clients online?
• How might we more effectively address blended meetings?
• The why, how, when of facilitating hybrid sessions?
• How to address barriers, particularly internet and technology access?
• How do you achieve inclusion and equity online?
• What did we learn about virtual facilitation during this pandemic?
• How can we address teaching and learning in the “New Normal”?
• How can we expand the market for professional facilitation on a more regular frequency?
• What do participants valued more than ever?
• What is the new normal in virtual facilitation?
• What’s next in the world of facilitation?
• What have we learned about online facilitation in 2020?
• How can we use virtual tools to build skills in real time while not losing presence and connection?
• How do you “read the room” and be comfortable with pauses?
• How do we create new relationships virtually?
• How to inspire connection between participants in a virtual environment?
• How do we make it easier to engage and bond and not let the technology get in the way?
• What are the current process and tool innovations to support real human connection online?
• How can I experientially facilitate the learning of interpersonal skills?
• How do I keep connected to my body during online facilitation?
• How to deal with burnout due to the need for more virtual interactions after COVID?
• How to quickly get group agreement on what to do next?
• What are the first facilitation steps that non-facilitators should learn?
• What really are “best practices” in online facilitation?
• How to provide VR-based and kinesthetic activities for groups (e.g., LEGO Serious Play etc.)?
• What are the easiest-to-use interfaces that allow users to create “virtual gallery walks”?
• Which online collaboration tools and practices work best for what?
• Where to find tools for facilitation and coaching?
• What are some of the best ideas for being visual in virtual facilitation?

Learn More

• Wondering if OFU is right for you? We answer the most frequently asked questions.
• Would you like to become a sponsor? Check out the sponsor package and get in touch.
• Interested in supporting OFU20 as an outreach partner? Shoot us an email.