Greetings from Barcelona☀️where I’ve just landed after a special 3-week visit with friends and family in Canada 🇨🇦.
🙌Many thanks for reading The Quest.
If you are joining for the first time, welcome to our deep dive into facilitation, learning, and how to live a creative life.
This week I’m excited to share insights and practical tips for engaging your virtual participants even when cameras are off.
Let’s jump right in!
🎥 What do you do when your participants don’t turn their cameras on?
A few months after I made the switch to facilitating groups online I was invited to lead an interactive session at a global teachers’ conference. Most of the world was still in lockdown so the session was 100% online.
I spent hours designing what I thought was a “wow-worthy” immersive session.
I was thrilled to see registrations roll in. I was pumped about having people from all over the world connect virtually in the session. I hit “join meeting”. I could see the participants starting to trickle into the session.
But there was one problem. The participants were joined with their cameras off.
Hmmm… maybe I hadn’t made it clear enough in the session invite that it would be an interactive session? As I welcomed people into the session I dropped in a few “thanks for turning your cameras on” nudges. One guy dutifully turned his camera on. And then quickly turned it off when he realized he was alone in the spotlight.
I talked about the benefits of having our cameras on.
How we can connect more easily when we see each other? How we’ll all get more out of the session.
Still nothing.
I felt my stress levels rising.
I needed to start the session. And I knew my session design wasn’t going to work without cameras on. I felt like I was in a giant echo chamber listening to myself speak. I felt completely disconnected from my group. But I had no choice but to carry on.
I ditched my pleas for people to turn their cameras on.
Instead, I dropped a prompt question in the chat. A few responses. I invited people to share with audio only. To my surprise, several people chimed in. I managed to salvage some engagement. But it was hands-down one of the most challenging sessions I have ever led.
Engaging your virtual group without video is one of the biggest challenges that virtual facilitators face.
It makes it impossible to read your group member’s body language and facial expressions. You can’t tell if they are still with you, or if they are on Facebook making dinner plans. Not “seeing” each other impacts the quality of communication and connection.
So how do you get group members to turn their cameras on? And what can you do to engage participants even when cameras are off? That’s our Quest for this week.
👉 Why We Don’t Turn Our Web Cameras on in Zoom
👉How to Get Peers to Turn On Cameras in Virtual Meetings
👉5 Tips for Engaging Your Virtual Groups Even When Cameras are Turned Off
🤔Why We Don’t Turn Our Web Cameras on in Zoom: The Impact on Teaching and Learning
If you want to understand how to engage with cameras off, you need to understand why their cameras are off in the first place.
That’s why I was excited to read this article by Cosette Lemelin from the Centre of Teaching and Learning at the University of Alberta. It sheds light on the most common evidence-backed reasons students keep their cameras off during online classes.
You may think it’s because your group members aren’t interested. But there are many other valid reasons like:
👉 Feeling shy or uncomfortable at being seen on camera
👉 The group norm is cameras off
👉 Having a poor internet connection
👉 A desire to maintain privacy about home life
👉 Concerns about appearance
👉 Not wanting to be seen snacking or multi-tasking (guilty on this one 😅)
👉 Zoom fatigue
So what do you do? Here’s Lemelin’s advice:
✅Set expectations based on your students’ needs. Check in with group members, or run a survey before the session to find out what would allow their webcams to be turned on and when.
✅ Aim for small windows of connection. Rather than asking for cameras on for the entire length of the class, ask participants to turn their cameras on for breakout groups. Then turn videos off during lectures.
✅Try a “soft start”. Open the Zoom room 10-15 mins early when group members can connect and socialize with cameras on.
Read the full article 👉 here.
Why do your group members keep their cameras off?
💻How to Get Peers to Turn On Cameras in Virtual Meetings
What if you need your team to have their cameras on during an online meeting say for critical discussions, team building, or remote interviews?
I found some useful strategies and tips in this article from Justin Kale at Crucial Learning.
Here’s what he says:
- Set expectations. Give people a heads-up if they will be required to turn on their cameras. This gives group members an opportunity to prepare. And it gives you a way to share your concerns with the group if the cameras are off.
- Share the facts. If people still aren’t turning their cameras voice your concerns. Be explicit about the benefits like fostering better discussion and involvement.
- Tell your story. Share the bigger picture of why having cameras on is important to you.
- Ask for help. Ask group members straight out to turn their cameras on and to private message you with any concerns.
He reminds us that empathy is key. If remote co-workers don’t feel connected, valued, or a part of something they won’t want to turn their cameras on.
Read the full article 👉 here.
🎥5 Tips for Engaging Your Virtual Groups Even When Cameras are Turned Off
A Twitter thread I published with strategies for meetings when it’s not possible for group members to join with video.
 Gwyn Wansbrough |
Here’s the summary 👇
1/ 💬 Leverage the chat.
2/ 🎙️Emphasize audio.
3/ ⚒️ Use interactive tools.
4/ ✨ Incorporate movement.
5/ 🚫 Level the playing field by turning all videos off.
Join the conversation on Twitter 👉 here.
How do you engage your group when video is not possible?
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