Discussion resources
These resources are best used in Zoom using Miro as an interactive whiteboard in which the sheets for each week are imported. Google Jamboard is another interactive whiteboard that you could use but it doesn’t have quite the same level as functionality as Miro. Both are free to use. They work best on a desktop or laptop. Tablets are OK, smartphones are not recommended.
You will ideally need a professional Zoom account which allows meetings of more than 40 minutes.
To use Miro you will need get a Miro account and set up your team in Miro so that everyone can access the boards.
Good preparation on the part of the facilitator is key for a successful session. This part of the tool can generate really rich, enlightening and constructive conversations if you have planned it carefully in advance.
Setting things up
The following instructions and tutorial videos guide you through setting up and using this resource in Miro as part of a Zoom session.
- First of all make a Miro account and set up your team in Miro
- Next set up a board in Miro for the discussion you are planning to have.
- Familiarise yourself with the functions you will need to run a session in Miro – in particular you will find it helpful to facilitate a discussion by learning how to get people to follow you round the board.
How-to videos: using Miro boards to facilitate discussions
Facilitating a conversation using one of the sheets
- Before a session with a group its ideal if you invite those coming to the session into your team beforehand.
- When the group gathers on Zoom show people the Miro board first by sharing your screen and guiding people round the functions they will need to use. Make sure you show people how to follow you when needed.
- When you are ready share the link to the board in the Zoom chat and people will then be able to come straight into the board.
- You may want to start off by creating a ‘learning zone’ on the board, an area in which people can practice doing simple things like writing their name on a post-it, writing in a text box, starting a comment thread, so that they feel confident to interact with the sheet.
- Move to the discussion sheet and facilitate your discussion.
- The icons can be imported into your board as a way of getting discussion going in a different way. You can invite people to drag icons into the relevant part of the circles to express their answers to the questions. These images can be interpreted in a variety of ways and often seem to unlock people’s thinking to be more imaginative and creative.
- Its often a good idea to allow people to interact with the board on their own for a time. Perhaps invite the group to focus on one question and to use the icons, post-its etc. to express their thoughts and questions. After a period of time the facilitator can then bring people together by asking them to follow him/her and draw out further discussion as everyone looks at how the board has developed.