Buzzing online workshops for change-makers

9.7

(6 ratings)

2 Weeks

Cohort-based Course

Create engaging online workshops that are *better* than in-the-room ones: more productive, more inclusive, richer and more fun

Buzzing online workshops for change-makers

9.7

(6 ratings)

2 Weeks

Cohort-based Course

Create engaging online workshops that are *better* than in-the-room ones: more productive, more inclusive, richer and more fun

Hosted by

Judy Rees

Online-workshop designer, facilitator & trainer. Clients inc UNICEF, WHO, Oxfam

Judy Rees

Online-workshop designer, facilitator & trainer. Clients inc UNICEF, WHO, Oxfam

Course overview

End Zoom fatigue and create that workshop buzz - without the costs of travel

People think that online workshops are almost always a waste of time: dull, ineffective, exclusive

But there is an alternative! In this course you'll build an online conversation which involves a wider mix of voices, so that everyone can be part of whatever comes next

Who is this course for

Humanitarian leaders and others who need to solve big problems together without the costs of global travel

Facilitators of stakeholder workshops who are frustrated with current online formats and want the fun of collaboration back

Innovators in tech and related areas who need real, practical insights from distant places, perhaps in the global south

Humanitarian leaders and others who need to solve big problems together without the costs of global travel

Facilitators of stakeholder workshops who are frustrated with current online formats and want the fun of collaboration back

Innovators in tech and related areas who need real, practical insights from distant places, perhaps in the global south

What you’ll get out of this course

Build a step-by-step engagement plan

You'll know exactly what to do, and when, to maximise everyone's participation in your specific event. Hint: it starts before it starts, and keeps the conversation going waaay beyond the workshop

Create activities that work for everyone

Your participants will all be different, different levels of technical ability and different technical set-ups as well as all the personal differences we know and love. You'll learn how to maximise the chances of including everyone in group activities, now and in the future

Keep going when the tech goes wrong

Set up your workshop so that you're not at the mercy of the internet! This isn't Zoom 101 - it's primarily about people and what makes them tick - but you'll learn the specific steps to take so that when things wobble (and they will!), the conversation won't stop

Add the fun!

Just because we're not all in the same place at the same time doesn't mean we can't love working together. You'll learn tried and tested tips and tricks to add joy and laughter to fully-remote workshops

Co-create with colleagues

This cohort-based course will include lots of small-group conversations with ample time to connect with, and learn from, your fellow students. Our courses attract some of the world's best facilitators, so deep learning is guaranteed

Course schedule

8 hours

Three 90-minute classes
Pre-class preparation
1 hour
Essential reading and short videos to ensure you get maximum value from our live time together
Homework projects
90 minutes total
Apply what you're learning to your own challenges in a structured way, so that you can easily get feedback and improve
Ask me anything

Optional session to share what you've tried, what you've learned, and what you'd like to know. I'll do my best to help.

9.7

(6 ratings)

What people are saying

Judy made the whole training seem effortless, with so many possibilities to share with others. I wanted to go out and share with others from day 1 of training. It made me want to do more and better in my own professional context.

Vuyiswa Ncontsa

Chief Executive Officer of BRIDGE

Judy Rees is at the top of her game and possibly the leading thinker on facilitating remote meetings effectively. I recommend her and her work in a heartbeat.

Paul Crick

The Elevate Partnership

Judy is a knowledgeable and thorough trainer; she opens one's mind and shifts one's capacity to be able to facilitate meetings effectively and optimally online.

Barbara Dale-Jones

Director, The Field Institute

A great mix of practical and theoretical where we the participants had a role to play to ensure the course was successful. Judy made the training fun and engaging and kept the course moving forward at a good pace whilst still including everyone.

Alison Macklin

Community Business Manager, Plunkett

Wow! Judy really knows what she's doing, and likely has a thoughtful answer to your most perplexing issues on hand.

Sophie Haggerty

Communications and Campaigns Officer, Community Land Trust

Judy managed to keep it active and interesting while at the same time pushing the participants to take part in a way that was not at all intimidating.

Jeremy Francis

Regional Support Director, Norwegian Refugee Council

Months later, we’re still reaping the benefits: we’re better at preparing and facilitating online meetings ourselves, and we’re participating in online meetings that are better prepared and facilitated.

Ruben de Winne

Oxfam Novib

[When I applied these techniques in a public event] everyone stayed and everyone participated. Typically there is a 60% drop off when participation is announced – so big impact.

Phil Cain

Enterprise Agile Coach

Meet your instructor

Judy Rees

Judy Rees has been leading distributed and hybrid teams for more than three decades, and delivering cohort-based live-online learning programmes for 12 years.

Named as a ‘Top 100 influencer in Remote Working’ in 2020 by Onalytica, Judy helps diverse groups of people to connect more deeply online, and to learn from each other, in highly-participative, highly-inclusive online gatherings.

She is a regular keynote speaker at online events, demonstrating key principles of engagement and inclusivity in the process.

As a trainer she has introduced hundreds of trainers, coaches, and facilitators to the joy of live online training and events.

As an event designer and facilitator/host she has worked with a wide range of organisations including the World Bank, World Health Organization and Unicef. She founded one of the world’s first online-video unconferences in 2016, and was a pioneer in adapting Liberating Structures to the online context.

She’s a prolific blogger on these subjects and authored the ebooks Web Events That Connect (2020) and Successful Hybrid Gatherings (2022).

In her first career as a journalist and media executive, she managed large remote teams for many years. Remote and hybrid working has always been the norm in journalism!

She's known as the co-author of 2009 category bestseller Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors And Opening Minds, and the creator of Collaboration Dynamics, a remote-first programme for team development. Clean Language, and its appreciation of metaphor, meaning-making, and the value of directing attention, informs and underpins her online-engagement work.

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