Creating Online Gatherings That Work

It's morning and I'm still foggy before the black tea sets in. I'm cringing through yet another lackluster online gathering. The energy is limp. The routine is stolen straight from the last event they threw. No invitation is extended to engage with other attendees. I'm wondering why on earth I bothered to show up. I click away to other screens and start my other work--the online event no longer has my attention.

We cannot keep squishing in-person experience structures into an online environment. If we keep doing this, we. will. lose. our. communities.

We have to own our "sharp, bold purpose" as Priya Parker calls it, for gathering. We cannot simply show up for another zoom meeting where our skin looks pasty and our optimism wanes.

What is the point of us gathering? What online structures can we deploy to accomplish that purpose? How can we tweak and innovate with online structures to create the experience and impact that matters to us? What is uniquely possible because we have to be online?

See the contrast:

I'm sitting in front of my computer and leaning towards the screen. I'm in a breakout room with four strangers from around the world telling them things about my work life that I rarely share to even my friends. In real time, I'm making mental connections that change my behaviors and business opportunities. I am building new friendships forming with people from all over the world. If you need an ROI, my linkedin traffic is skyrocketing and messages are flying back and forth.

The breakout room is just one subset of over 2000 people tuned in for the #realskillsconference hosted by Seth Godin's team at @Akimbo where they believe that real learning comes through human connection, not top-down instruction. They have the receipts to prove it. The conference flawlessly deployed zoom conferencing and online facilitation techniques to meet their purpose and in a way that was even more effective than in person.

Every event forced online has the same tools at their disposal. They have the potential for similar reach and impact. But to do so, we must let go of our norms and embrace the tools in front of us. The cost to our work, our values, our communities will be enormous.

What is possible if we embrace our purpose and reimagine our structures?

Want to ideate together? I'm here. And I know the resources and teams you need to make it happen. I care about how we gather. Let's do it better.