“Trust the people. (If you trust the people, they become trustworthy).”

~adrienne maree brown

As a leader-facilitator who inspires possibility within community, organizations and individuals, you can intentionally offer opportunities for trust building even in virtual meetings. Here are some starting points:

* Set super-clear expectations. Make sure participants know what to expect from the session. Share the agenda in advance. Share other handouts or documents via Google docs or a common folder so everyone can easily access in real time. Respect the time frame. If you’re going to go over time, make sure to communicate that.

* Consider a flipped approach. If there are readings or reflections participants can do in advance of the session, ask them to. Use your time together to discuss, reflect and connect.

* Promote video. Make the use of video optional, but encourage participants to use it. When they do, acknowledge or thank them.

* Establish group agreements using a democratic, participatory process. Pose some basic agreements on a slide and ask participants to offer others. Then ask for their agreement to uphold them. Sample agreements include:

• Be present.

• Accept that some things are outside your control.

• Be willing to try technology that may be unfamiliar.

• Speak up if you do not hear yourself speaking; Step back if you hear yourself speaking a lot.

* Facilitate interactive community-building activities. Include icebreakers and use the tools available on your platform such as polling, yes/no, thumbs up/down, chat box and breakout rooms. If the group is more tech-savvy, consider using shared documents for group brainstorming or charting.

* Create or offer a set of gestures. Invite participants to communicate their feelings or responses to other speakers through gestures such as placing their hand on their heart to indicate depth of feeling, a hand signal to indicate “I agree” or “same”, or snapping with both hands while someone’s talking to indicate support.

* Set discussion parameters. Let participants know when they are expected to contribute to a discussion or when it is optional. Set a speaking order that is written down on a slide or in the chat box and say people’s names. It’s always okay to pass, but you should provide the opportunity for them to speak.

Yes, you are probably doing many of these, right? If not, do! You can. You’ve got this. And we’ve got you. ❤️