From the time somebody registers to attend an gathering until the moment your gathering begins, we them to feel informed, engaged and welcome. Consider what happens between the registration and the event along with how the experience will be for them showing up and being welcomed in to the community.

Here's how we do a welcome

• Give your gathering a purpose
  Explore your reason for bringing people together. Identify a specific need. Create a unique and disputable purpose. Ask why rather than just the party’s category.

• Make purpose your bouncer
  Let your purpose guide your approach to your guest list. Will your party thrive from generous exclusion or over-inclusion?

• Design your invitation to persuade
  How can you use storytelling to draw your guests into your gathering?

• Ditch etiquette for rules
  Identify a pop-up rule to help your guests be more present or avoid unhelpful group tendencies that can distract from your purpose.

• Greet individuals as they enter the space
  Acknowledge people as they enter the space. Give them direction as to what you would like them to do.  

• Have some music playing
  On zoom, click on share screen > advanced > share computer's audio. This is a great way to set a vibe for an online gathering especially. 

• Create and share your agenda
  Share what they are to expect for your time together. 

• Create virtual norms that are inclusive
  Ask how the audio/visual is. Turn on closed captioning. 

Once a community conversation begins, there should always be time dedicated to helping the members get acclimated to the space and the other members in attendance. This can be done via icebreaker exercises or a facilitated conversation with the intention being that we take a moment to know one another and bring some “human” into the space. When done well this will bring a stronger sense of connection resulting in a willingness to contribute elevating the rest of the gathering.

Here are some common icebreakers we use:

• If you really knew me, you would know that... 

• what's your energy level (red/yellow/green) today?

• what's the weather to describe how you're doing today?

• what's one word to describe how you're doing today? (use a Slido word cloud)

• What your rose (in bloom), bud (about to bloom), thorn (challenge)?

Here's how we facilitate the connection to create inclusivity:

• Lead a grounding session
  There are lots of videos online from Calm or Headspace you could play for minute two. Otherwise, guide the group in a simple round of 4 seconds in, 4 seconds out (box breathing) for 4 rounds.

• Reflect on your intentions for the session
  Have them think about what they are hoping to achieve or get out of the session.

• Use timed round robins
  Set a timer for how long everyone is allowed to share. Use a timer with an audible reminder. This keeps answers short and sweet and can keep the meeting on track. Normalize everyone having a voice. 

• Use the rename feature
  This is a powerful tool on zoom. Click on the blue dots in the corner of your photo on zoom > click rename. This could be used to add your pronouns, where you are joining from, which chapter you are with, energy level, a word to describe how you're doing, etc. 

• Give people thinking time
  Some individuals need time to process rather than answering on the fly. Consider giving a prompt in advance with your invitation. Share the agenda with questions to reflect on in the calendar invite. Give them space to be quiet and reflect before sharing with others. Consider even having them turn off their cameras for reflection time. 

This is the main content of the meeting. The meat and potatoes. This could include a panel discussion, a fishbowl conversation, facilitated workshop, community service, etc.  

Here's are things to keep in mind for when you are facilitating the work phase of your gathering:

• Interrupt the interruption
  Interruptions happen. Advocate for someone else who has been interrupted. “I’d like for Alex to finish their thought”

• Use reactions
  For virtual events, consider using the reactions when appropriate.

• Vulnerability looping
  It takes courage to lead with vulnerability. Thank others for showing up with vulnerability. When someone sends you a vulnerability signal, if you don't catch it and respect it by sending a signal back, it can leave them feeling exposed which damages trust. If you return with vulnerability, it accelerates our trust. 

• You don't always have to have the 'right' thing to respond
  Someone may share something, and you are not sure what they best way is to respond. Simply acknowledging and thanking them for sharing is valuable. If it calls for it, you can even say "I'd love to talk with you more about this afterwards if you're open to it."

• Spotlight when necessary
  There is a feature on zoom meetings where you can spotlight just one speaker rather than the gallery view which is very helpful in the right context. 

• Group praise
  Inviting people to come off mute and acknowledge one another by everyone clapping or cheering someone on.  You can do this in person as well or you can also have everyone put their hands on their hearts and hum to really acknowledge something challenging that someone has shared. 

• Shift the energy when necessary
  When going into a breakout room or coming back from a breakout room, take a moment to pause, breathe or even just shuffle your hands. 

• Ask people to lean in
  If you're really trying to get a point across online, ask paticipants to lean in to the camera just 10% or 1%. This helps captures their attention and refocuses them. 

• Hold space and sit in silence
  You don't need to have talking during the entire time. There's so much wisdom and connecting in the space between thoughts or people. Be willing to sit in that and then let someone gain the courage to share. 

• Ask the group to acknowledge they understand
  When facilitating online or even in person, you'll likely explain an exercise or something the group is about to do. Ask them to give you either a voice confirmation they understand or a physical gesture like a thumbs up. 

Coming together to connect and learn with one another is great. But we are building a community designed to drive change in the world and this can't happen without action. In each of our events, time should be taken to reflect on what actions can be taken based on the learnings and experiences that occurred during each unique gathering.

Here's how we facilitation the action:

• Reflect on what individuals are taking away
  What's one thing you are committed to taking action on.

• Send out a recap email
  Share with them once again everyone's takeaways, what you covered and/or what individuals were commited to taking action on.

Often the most overlooked part of a gathering. It is seen as a nice to have and gets pushed because "The Work" runs over. However, our brains seek resolution, i.e. a beginning, a middle and an end. When the end is skipped, we are left with a feeling of unresolved tension which influences the experience. Dedicating some time at the end for reflection, sharing gratitude and summarizing the evening goes a long way and helps put a bow on a great gathering.

Here's how to effectively close your gathering:

• Have a check-out prompt
  This could be as simple as having individuals do a one word or a one sentence check out. How are they feeling now?

• Close with intention
  What’s one thing you can do to close this party and make it memorable?

• Clap out
  Finish up a gathering with a chant or a clap. 1,2,3 *chant* or 1,2,3 *clap* and then shut down the zoom or end the meeting.