Managing Space and Silence - Effective Discussion Facilitation

Marcia and her group of novice e-facilitators are about to take part in an online discussion. Marcia is planning to use the discussion forum to explore concepts and strategies around motivating learners to participate in e-learning and managing lurkers.

In this worksheet you will be testing your ability to manage space and silence in an online discussion by practicing writing messages on a discussion board and critiquing posts made by other e-facilitators.

For each of the threads, try writing your own message for the discussion in the space provided.
Read a selection of different posts made by the e-facilitators.
Circle or highlight the post you think is most effective.
Read the feedback below to check your answer.

Let’s get started!

Thread 1 of 4 – Welcome to the discussion

Write an introductory message designed to welcome and engage learners in a discussion on motivation and managing learners.

Your message: <type your message here

Which of the following 3 messages should Marcia use in this same situation? Read each posting and choose the one you believe to be the most effective. The following pages then show the responses to each, along with feedback.

Posting 1

Greetings team! Let’s get stuck into our next topic – dealing with lurkers and shirkers...how can we get them involved?

So no lurking here LOL what do we think about this important topic?

Posting 2

Welcome back everyone :-) and congratulations on your great work on our last topic ‘Managing our e-learning workload’.
A list of the 10 top tips we came up with is posted to the review space on this forum. Here is our chance to crack one of the toughest nuts in e-facilitation – strategies for managing non participation.
Watch this space while we create our next set of very useful top tips.

Posting 3

Here we all are again ;-) another chance to share ideas.

Response to Posting 1

Marcia:

Greetings team! Let’s get stuck into our next topic – dealing with lurkers and shirkers...how can we get them involved?

So no lurking here LOL what do we think about this important topic?

Emma:

Not all lurkers are shirkers!! ;-( I often hang back for a bit just to see what’s going on

Thu Jun 02, 2005 21:54

Cliff:

lurking’s just not on. Complete waste of time...pull them into line and fast!

Feedback

This response has a fairly confrontational tone. It is also rather judgemental and consequently it may pre-empt or stifle subsequent discussion. Learners may well feel intimidated or defensive and a bit irritated by Marcia’s demand for contributions and her negative assumptions.

Response to Posting 2

Marcia: Welcome back everyone :-) and congratulations on your great work on our last topic ‘Managing our e-learning workload’.
A list of the 10 top tips we came up with is posted to the review space on this forum. Here is our chance to crack one of the toughest nuts in e-facilitation – strategies for managing non participation.
Watch this space while we create our next set of very useful top tips.

Delia: grat 2 b bak :-) Im relly keen 4 ths topic cos the wrklod tips r fab I rekon lurkin is OK u can stil lern lots if u lurk

Luca: I’m looking forward to this topic cos I’m not sure what it means too lurk and anyway I find the opposite with my students who love to talk in French and Italian online … they have time to think and plan their work and noone hears their accent! Quiet in class loud online...thats what I find!!

Cliff: I don’t really stand for non participation with my lot they’d never learn anything if I let that happen….. but I can see how it could be problem with e-learners so I’m interested in how to deal with it

Steve: glad to be back as well, sometimes lurking is a tech issue learners don’t feel confident with the software it’s not that they don’t have things to say

Feedback

This response has generated positive replies and motivated the group. It reminds them of their prior successes which generated a practical result. It also clearly and simply identifies the topic as important and points to another potentially useful outcome.

Response to Posting 3

Marcia:Here we all are again ;-) another chance to share ideas

*No response*

Feedback

This response is very vague and it could come across as tired and jaded. It is unlikely to motivate anyone except the keenest learners.’ Roaring silence’ may well be the result!

How does your message compare with the one you chose for Marcia? What are the good points of each and what needs attention?

See the next page for the second thread.

Thread 2 of 4 – Lurking as a learning style

Write a message directing users to read an attached document on ‘Lurking as a Learning Style’ and to post their thoughts.

Your message: <type your message here

Posting 1

Please read the attached document produced by e-learning aficionados Brad Beach and Nita Schultz from Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE. Let me know what you think. It discusses the reasons for lurking and its impact on e-learning. It also contains a literature review and a set of recommendations for engaging lurkers more fully.

I’ve also attached some focus questions to help us formulate some comparable and consistent responses to the key issues. These questions are a kick start. Please don’t feel bound to stay within the confines they provide if you wish to comment more widely that would be great.

So that we can complete our discussion with in the next two weeks please post your responses by midnight on Sunday 12 June

Posting 2

There is some background reading attached …. have a squiz and post up your thoughts

Posting 3

I’ve attached a useful reading on lurkers. It may or may not help you to comment on your perceptions and experiences of lurking. Ideally everyone should have posted up three things lurking suggests to you about e-learning by Sunday 12 June

Response to Posting 1

Marcia:Please read the attached document produced by e-learning aficionados Brad Beach and Nita Schultz from Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE. Let me know what you think. It discusses the reasons for lurking and its impact on e-learning. It also contains a literature review and a set of recommendations for engaging lurkers more fully.

So that we can complete our discussion with in the next two weeks please post your responses by midnight on Sunday 12 June

Jenny: Cheers Marcia :-) I found the reading really interesting and enlightening. I have a much fuller understanding of the complexities of lurking and I feel more relaxed and calm about managing it my responses to the questions are attached

Delia: Hi Marcia the redding wos a bit long I rekon but has sum gud stuff in it I speclly likd the seckon on r lurkers lerning? Cos Im sure they r and this seckon supports my thinkin ..it sez adults learn vicarusly ans infomaly and we shuld b less tens about lurkin I agre wit this! My other ansas r attached

Cliff: This stuff justifying lurkers’ existence really annoys me. Getting stuck in and taking part is what makes learning happen, I just don’t go with this stand back and observe approach! OK they quoted a lot of sources and research but it seemed very one sided and biased. Besides it was way too long...phew, Marcia, give us a break!

Steve: This is a well argued well researched piece I enjoyed it. I’m not sure it really addresses the issues around technology barriers but it deals well with the social and learning preference ends of things. Answers attached

Thanks

Steve

Luca: like I already said lurking is no problem for me in languages but some bits where interesting I like the descriptions of what makes a lurker and is a well researched article I tried to answer the questions but I’m not sure if they r right let me know please Marcia

Ciao Luca

Feedback

This response has generated a range of intelligent, well considered replies. Marcia gives some background to the reading and invites learners to critique it. She also provides questions to inform and focus their response but wisely suggests that they shouldn’t limit their comments to the areas she has suggested. The deadline is clear and it is also simply and credibly justified.

Response to Posting 2

Marcia: There is some background reading attached …. have a squiz and post up your thoughts

*No response*

Feedback

This instruction has not motivated learners. If they do choose to respond, their replies may well be unstructured and uneven in length and quality. It also fails to set any parameters for responses. There are no focus questions nor is there a deadline for responding. Finally, there is no context or background to the reading.

Response to Posting 3

Marcia:I’ve attached a useful reading on lurkers. It may or may not help you to comment on your perceptions and experiences of lurking. Ideally everyone should have posted up three things lurking suggests to you about e-learning by Sunday 12 June

Emma: I’m not sure why you asked us to read this document Marcia it seemed a bit long to me. Anyway...I’m a serious lurker myself and I think it’s a perfectly valid way to learn by observing others and quietly reflecting in your own time. Is this the kind of thing you were after?

Feedback

This instruction contains a deadline. It also gives an oblique idea about the volume of feedback required (three things). However in an attempt to give the learners freedom to use other sources and approach the topic independently, Marcia could seem to be undermining the credibility of her source document and being wishy washy about her deadline. This may confuse learners and who may also not feel inclined to take the topic seriously.

How does your message compare with the one you chose for Marcia? What are the good points of each and what needs attention?

See the next page for the third thread.

Thread 3 of 4 – Summarising lurking

Write a message outlining how you’d summarise the discussion and then lead the users into the next topic, “Motivating and Engaging Learners”.

Your message: <type your message here

Posting 1

Cheers all, this is the end of this thread. I’ve attached a summary of the most common ideas in our discussion on ‘From Lurkers to Posters’.

Sorry it was a bit long, you’ll be relieved to know I’ve chosen a shorter piece for our next topic ‘motivating and engaging learners’!

Posting 2

OK enough of that topic thanks for your diverse comments on do lurkers learn and why do they exist at all.

Next we will look at motivating all e-learners not just the reluctant ones.

Posting 3

Thanks everyone :-) for a fine collective effort on dissecting and discussing ‘From Lurking to Posting’.

Special recognition for persistence...as Cliff and Delia commented it was a pretty long article. Hope you thought it was worth the effort in the end!

See what you think when you review our ‘10 top strategies for Managing Lurking’. I’ve posted them to the review space.

In summary, the key themes emerging in our discussion on lurking were:

Lurking can be dysfunctional behaviour but this is not necessarily the case
Managing dominant learners and gently encouraging lurkers are effective complimentary strategies in e-facilitation
Setting clear expectations for participation and modelling this behaviour lets everyone know what’s required
Using a variety of e-tivities and approached helps to engage all e-learners

Please go to the next thread for instructions on our experiential e-game for responding to a much shorter text ;-)

Response to Posting 1

Marcia:Cheers all, this is the end of this thread. I’ve attached a summary of the most common ideas in our discussion on ‘From Lurkers to Posters’.

Sorry it was a bit long, you’ll be relieved to know I’ve chosen a shorter piece for our next topic ‘motivating and engaging learners’!

Jenny: I was wondering if we could keep all the summaries together in the review section? I really like being able to get to everything in one place.

Actually I was quite happy with the length of the text it was well written and therefore easy to read! As professionals I think we should be prepared to stretch ourselves from time to time

Cliff: Glad to know the next piece is shorter

Feedback

This message responds to feedback on the length of the previous text. However Marcia has neglected to provide a succinct summary in the message to focus learners on their findings. She has also departed from an established practice of posting summaries and resources generated by the discussion to the review section. This inconsistency is not helpful to learners’ sense of security and order regarding where things are in their e-learning environment.

Response to Posting 2

Marcia:OK enough of that topic thanks for your diverse comments on do lurkers learn and why do they exist at all.

Next we will look at motivating all e-learners not just the reluctant ones.

*No response*

Feedback

This is not a summary. Marcia has not synthesised the content of the discussion at all! The message may also come across as rather dismissive of the topic and of the learners’ responses which they have worked hard to produce.

Response to Posting 3

Marcia:Thanks everyone :-) for a fine collective effort on dissecting and discussing ‘From Lurking to Posting’.

Special recognition for persistence...as Cliff and Delia commented it was a pretty long article. Hope you thought it was worth the effort in the end!

See what you think when you review our ‘10 top strategies for Managing Lurking’. I’ve posted them to the review space.

In summary, the key themes emerging in our discussion on lurking were:

Lurking can be dysfunctional behaviour but this is not necessarily the case
Managing dominant learners and gently encouraging lurkers are effective complimentary strategies in e-facilitation
Setting clear expectations for participation and modelling this behaviour lets everyone know what’s required
Using a variety of e-tivities and approached helps to engage all e-learners

Please go to the next thread for instructions on our experiential e-game for responding to a much shorter text ;-)

Emma: As a confirmed lurker, I’m pleased to see that lurking gets a guernsey as a genuine way to learn and I like the focus on strategies to motivate all learners. Good stuff!

Steve: Nice work Marcia! this sort of collaborative stuff is pretty effective and time efficient I’m getting a lot out of this online learning experience it’s adding a new dimension to my tech head perspective LOL

Delia: Thnx 4 the sumry Marcia its realy cler and usful

Cliff: Cheers Marcia, I’m still not convinced that lurking is OK but I got some good ideas for kick-starting my classes. Really glad I don’t have to read a long difficult piece on my own again.

Jenny: I didn’t mind the length of the reading at all it was very useful professional stuff the 10 strategies are an excellent resource thank you Marcia and everyone I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion

Luca: less reading is a big relief as I am too busy to do much of that.My students don’t lurk much but I can use the strategies anyway

Feedback

This is a fairly long message but it covers a lot of important ground. Marcia has sensibly placed an extended summary in the review area. She congratulates the learners and acknowledges and acts on their concerns about the lengthy reading. She also provides a succinct summary and entices them into the next area with the prospect of an experiential e- game.

How does your message compare with the one you chose for Marcia? What are the good points of each and what needs attention?The next page has the final thread.

Thread 4 of 4 – Getting engaged – Establishing and maintaining motivation

Write a message introducing the new topic “Motivating e-learners”, with a reference to an attached document entitled “What Makes a Great E-facilitator?”

Your message: <type your message here

Posting 1

Having made a success of exploring the ‘hard nut’ of managing reluctant learners, we are now going to broaden our discussion to include ways to ensure that all our e-learners are inclined to stay energised and motivated.

In the spirit of engaging and motivating you all :-) and in response to your feed back about length and depth, we are going to handle our current reading differently using an e-game called ‘Less is More’.

This involves everyone reading and summarising just one section of ‘What Makes a Great e-Facilitator?’ Please see the attached instructions for dealing with your allocated ‘bit’ in line with the rules for ‘Less is More’.