Facilitating Online Events

Some people assume that online events are easier and require less organisation. However, without good planning and facilitation, online events can create challenges or replicate barriers experienced by under represented groups in face to face meetings. For this reason, it is important to be well prepared and consider how you will make the event inclusive and participatory.

It is important that the person organising the event has the digital skills to run it online and is familiar with the platform that is being used. You may need several administrators to make sure that everything runs smoothly and that you can respond to technical difficulties. Prepare for an online event like you would an in person meeting and make sure that any speakers or contributors understand what they need to do to participate. Make sure the person facilitating the meeting is online early, is prepared and can welcome people to the event as they join.

To limit the chance of online abuse during the meeting, it is good practice to have members pre-register for an event and only give the sign in details of the meeting once they have given their name and email. You may want to consider having a code of conduct that participants have to sign up to during registration, which states your commitment to equality and diversity and the types of behaviour that won’t be tolerated. You could consider removing participants from the meeting who do not abide by the code of conduct.

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