The First 30 Minutes: How to Begin Every Virtual Session in MURAL

The first 30 minutes of any virtual session are critical. It is where you greet your participants at the door, make a first impression, establish necessary ground rules, set the tone, begin to build trust and empathy, and get them familiar with any new technology. 

Ensuring that your participants have an easy time with this new tech -- before the session begins -- can go a long way to make them feel included and significantly boost their engagement later in the session. 

Here is how we begin every virtual session when using MURAL as our collaborative workspace.

1. Soundcheck/Set-Up (15 min)

• Get on Zoom at least 15 minutes early to establish a backchannel with your facilitation team (SMS or Slack)
• Check your screen/music sharing, recording, polling, and breakouts functions
• Make any co-facilitators or tech hosts a co-host in Zoom if needed
• Test virtual cameras or telepresence for any Graphic Recorders

 
2. Welcome/OARRs (10 min)

• HIT RECORD!
• Open with a thank you, a big smile, lots of open body language, and direct eye contact -- Hang a post-it with a smiley face or place a doll or toy figure next to your camera if it helps.
• Review the OARRs (Objective, Agenda, Rules, and Roles) 
  • It helps to place the OARRs in the Zoom chat -- or share your screen if your OARRs are on a slide or you’ve designed them in MURAL (see below)

3. Tools Review (5 min)

• Share your MURAL screen in Zoom to show the participants what MURAL looks like and so that they can watch you as you instruct them.
• Here are the four most important things participants must know before entering the MURAL:
  • Stickies - Double-click anywhere to make them, click inside them to type. You may also create stickies using the Toolbar. 
  • Zooming and Panning 
    • Zoom in or out using your trackpad or mouse. Zoom out to see the big picture. Zoom in instead of making things bigger. 
    • Panning - You can click and drag (mouse) or use two fingers (trackpad) to pan around the Mural. You may also use the space bar in conjunction with your trackpad or mouse to quickly drag the Mural to a different area. 
  • Follow - If you get lost, click on the Facilitator's face or icon (at the bottom of the screen) to follow them at any time.
  • Issues - If MURAL is acting glitchy or freezing up, try refreshing your browser.

4. Icebreaker, Check-in (15 min)

• OPEN THE DOORS! - Here is where you finally paste the MURAL visitor link in the Zoom Chat
  • Be sure that your headcount in Zoom matches your headcount (anonymous animals) in MURAL
• Your icebreaker activity should be one that asks participants to create stickies, type in them, and move them around the canvas. You may also have them sort or organize by dragging photos or icons into place. The icebreaker should be largely kinesthetic so that they can acclimate to the editing as well as zooming in and out that is required for more intermediate or advanced tasks in MURAL. 
• Repeatedly summon the participants to where you are on the Mural. They will be tempted to pan around and wander off to explore at first. Gently train their attention like you would a puppy, telling them, “I’m summoning you to where I am in the top left corner.”
• Build in extra time here. One or two participants will inevitably be dealing with technical or bandwidth issues, and/or need you to repeat something you said earlier. It’s a lot of information and instruction for newcomers to take in. Smile and be patient. 
• PRO-TIP: Have them place technical questions in the Zoom chat and if there are experienced people in the room, have them assist in the chat or on a backchannel.

Now, you’re off and running. Finish out your agenda as you normally would. And, if you need help or have any further questions about facilitation, don’t hesitate to contact us at illustri.us.​
​
Order Joran's latest book, The Visual Meetings Field Guide: How to Facilitate Great Meetings for Amazing Teams on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
​

For more info about MURAL, visit their website.