by clairesan | Jul 10, 2020 | Blog
A few weeks ago I decided to change my business model to Pay What You Can (PWYC).
Maybe it’s because I’m a Yorkshire woman that I’m careful with money – and it’s certainly got a lot to do with my formative experiences. I’m definitely not money-led, but I keep a close eye on my finances and do a lot of forecasting, planning and monitoring – and saving when I can. I think from an early age it was drummed into me that if you don’t manage the money, the money manages you.
Whilst I grew up in a house with no money worries (but definitely not rich), I was aware my grandparents had grown up in real poverty. Only one of my grandparents was able to stay in school after 14; and only after his mother had pawned her wedding ring to pay for his uniform. By the time I knew my grandparents they were no longer poor, but they still were incredibly careful with their money . So I get more than a little bit cross when people say money doesn’t matter and that’s it’s vulgar to talk about it – because that’s only true when you have enough of it.
So money does and doesn’t matter to me. It isn’t what drives me, but I recognise it needs taking care of. Since I can remember in my career, the inevitable tension between money and mission has interested me. As an idealistic postgraduate student and young curator I was fascinated by how contemporary artists navigated the tension between making work and making a living. I was drawn to artists like Bethan Huws who’d walked away from commercial success in favour of artistic integrity or artists such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude who rejected sponsorship and patronage for their projects – preferring to raise income through sales of editions so they could retain complete artistic control. I even spent four long years researching a PhD around how public patronage inadvertently shaped artistic practice; in other words how money influenced art, despite the ‘arm’s length principle’.
Over the past 25 years working in arts organisations I’ve seen what happens when funding has too strong an influence on what happens and how. I don’t underestimate how hard it is to avoid this; but when I was working with artists as a curator and later running art galleries I understood ‘bringing home the bacon’ so the work could happen well, without being limited in ambition or pandering to public or private patrons, to be the most important part of my job.
So, it’s important to me now – as a sole trader – that I earn enough to do work that matters to me, to a good standard, and at a rate that means I don’t have to work 365 days a year to makes ends meet. ‘Enough’ for me personally will be different to others as it is linked to my family’s lifestyle choices e.g. we moved from London back to the better-value county of Yorkshire 13 years ago; I have two children to feed, a responsibility I share with my partner who also works full-time. This means ‘enough’ for me at this stage in my life equates to earning around £28K per annum – and that’s roughly the UK average salary pro rata (I work a 4 day week) .
I’ve been thinking a lot about my business model in the light of CV19 – partly because like many self-employed people in the arts my work has been badly impacted by CV19, especially the training work I love. There are some opportunities too – but I’m under no illusion though that in the medium-term the sectors I work with are in recession and resources are shrinking.
A business model isn’t just about how you control costs and generate income – most importantly it’s about how you create value. And that’s another area that is in flux for me in the wake of CV19 – like many I’m keen to have a bigger social impact and do what I can towards tackling the many injustices and inequalities I see around me. I’m still working out how I might do that – at the moment I’m donating more of what I earn to charity and doing more voluntary work, mainly as a Trustee but in the first few months of CV19 I also offered some consultancy and coaching pro bono. I began to feel a bit conflicted around pro bono work as I worry this undermines another person’s ability to earn. Currently I’m seeing a lot of larger organisations in receipt of grant funding offering free or very low cost courses – which on one hand is great for the recipients but on the other totally undermines my ability to sell training. So if I offer coaching for free, what does that do to other coaches?
So I decided to pilot making my services Pay What You Can – starting with my coaching and mentoring. In some ways it’s a not a massive change – I always offered a sliding scale of what I called ‘Robin Hood’ prices (the better-resourced organisations paid more so I could charge the smaller ones less). In terms of training courses, I’ve always offered free and low cost places (credit here due to Deb Barnard of RD1st – I took my lead from her on that when I was working with her company). And I was inspired to try the PWYC model by my experience as a customer of Slung Low’s Wild Conference last summer. Their model is slightly different – it’s Pay What You Decide – but I liked their ethos and the transparency about their costs as I was somewhat puzzled about what would be the ‘right’ price for me if I wanted to be ‘fair’. And that has to be part of the equation too – as a customer paying what you can to be ‘fair’ and responsible.
Already I’m noticing a big difference to stating a price and inviting people to say if they want to pay less, and really foregrounding that choice about what to pay. I’m finding far more people are paying less than the suggested rate than before, but often they are booking more sessions. So this might even out if I spend less time generating work and marketing and more doing paid work (albeit at a lower rate). Of course, if everyone pays zero I’ll be out of business pretty quickly, so I trust people will pay what they can and that some can still pay.
I’m offering suggested rates – as people told me they wanted some guidance – and these are based on my calculations of what it costs to run my business to a professional standard whilst paying myself the equivalent of an average UK salary (and average UK employer pension contribution). If you’re not self-employed then you could be forgiven for thinking the day rate or hourly rate sounds high. It’s a lot more complicated to calculate than dividing a salary by the number of working days in a year – for a start there are plenty of days you won’t have paid work because you are writing tenders or talking to potential clients. If you’ve never run your own business you could be forgiven for forgetting to factor in the costs of having a phone; wifi; email provider; web site hosting; URL registration fees; software licenses (MS Office, Survey Monkey, Zoom etc); buying your own laptop and other gadgets; stationary; professional services (accountant; professional liability insurance; coaching supervision); membership of relevant professional bodies; travel and subsistence for meetings and interviews; training; conferences and of course you have to pay your own sick pay; holidays and pension contributions.
It’s not an easy calculation to make and there’s a lot of assumptions in my budget which might not prove accurate, so I’ve allowed for a contingency and been conservative in my estimates. And I’ve decided that if I’ve been too cautious and if at the end of the financial year I do better than projected (and needed) that I’ll donate any surplus back to charities I already support. That feels important to me – when you have enough, you support those who don’t.
So I’ve taken the plunge! It’s too early to say how it’s working – I’ll report back at year end if I’m still trading and share what I’ve learned. But already I’m preferring this way of doing business in many ways, just feels like a responsible and fair way to work at this time. I’m hoping it makes business-sense too…
by clairesan | May 18, 2020 | Blog
How far can we move events and group conversations online, and what do we need to do differently when working virtually as facilitators? What is it possible to do via digital platforms like Zoom? How to we make these conversations collaborative, creative and inclusive – rather than the dull, technically-challenging sessions they can sometimes become?
I’m a facilitator, trainer and coach based in N Yorkshire with clients all over the UK. Prior to CV19 I spent way too much of my time away from home in hotels and travelling by train – so I’ve been itching to work more online for a long time and one silver-lining of this current situation has been the opportunity to do this. I’ve previously done some virtual facilitation training, and I did a short webinar a few weeks ago specifically about Zoom (thanks to Happy for making this excellent free taster session available – details below). And I’ve been chairing virtual meetings and coaching 1-2-1 via phone/ video conferencing for years, but I’m still in the early days of my learning about online facilitation. So I’m still on steep learning curve with some of this myself, but I still thought it might be useful to share what I’ve discovered so far… And I’m hoping you can share your experiences and tips to add to mine, as it feels like an area many of us still learning about and comparing notes with others is definitely helping my learning.
Below I’ve captured what I’ve noticed are the main differences between face-to-face and virtual facilitation; some issues I’m struggling with and my top tips to date – as well as a list of resources on this topic that I’ve found most useful in my own research so far.
1. The key differences I’ve found to date between face-to-face and virtual facilitation:
Issues using the hardware and software can REALLY get in the way – some participants have less experience/ skill in using the software, or they have poor broadband connections. These practical considerations can have a major impact on a group conversation as well as on individual participants’ ability to participate fully. It might seem basic housekeeping, but enabling people to make effective use of the hardware and software is probably one of the most impactful things you can do as a virtual facilitator.
We need to select different facilitation formats/ tools (e.g. paired discussion, a small group task, brainstorming, group decision-making tool) for virtual working than we would use when face-to-face. Some online platforms like Zoom have created virtual equivalents of common tools – like ‘Break Out Rooms’. Some familiar tools or exercises work just as well online as they do face-to-face; others are harder to adapt. Interestingly, some exercises can work better online as well – for example participants who hesitate to speak in large groups can find the anonymity of some interactive features like ‘Polls’ easier to use, or prefer typing responses into a Chat function than making their voice heard among louder ones in a room. In many online sessions I’m seeing more equal participation than I see in the ‘real world’.
Being clearer and more assertive – before and during the call. A facilitator works in service of the group, but the group vests in us the authority to organise the structure and process so that they can achieve their outcomes. Many groups are less confident and competent online than in real life meetings/ discussions so I’ve found it’s helpful to be clearer and offer more signposting about the process when online. I also find I’m more assertive and structured in making requests of the group and more vocal overall – for example, I’ll often use eye contact to encourage participation in a room, but over Zoom I’ll name and invite people to say something or select a format where participation is more structured. Before an online meeting I issue very clear instructions about how to best use the hardware, assuming no knowledge. I’m being less flexible/ responsive during sessions currently – but maybe that will change as groups (and facilitators) become more confident and competent online.
The context – we’re not facilitating online in a vacuum, we’re working together at a time of great disruption and uncertainty which is impacting on everyone, but making many existing inequalities worse. Those with a hearing impairment can really struggle with some of this technology or poor sound quality on a call; those with no childcare or school provision are probably frazzled, worried their kids might walk it any moment and how that might look to others; some of us very isolated right now; some of us might be struggling with poor mental or physical health, exacerbated by this social and economic situation; many are worried about their income, job security, families… We ignore this context at our peril, we need to be mindful of the context in which we are facilitating both in terms of the practical and emotional implications which can sometimes be in conflict (people may have less time than usual; some may need social content more); many of us are feeling overwhelmed, scared, distracted and less able to concentrate.
2. Some things about facilitating online which seem trickiest for me currently:
Building rapport – trust between the group is essential for people to participate fully. When we’re in a room with others it feels easier to understand one another; body language and tone is more evident and we can make eye contact and build rapport more readily. One to one interaction can happen in breaks, or during breakout exercises. Most of the groups I’ve worked with so far during Lock Down have known one another already, and we’ve worked together before – and this feels helpful when switching to online as the connections are already there. When I’m working with a new group I’m putting more emphasis on creating connections between the group at the outset than I might otherwise. The current context – and the blurring of professional/personal boundaries that is one feature of it – makes this easier in some ways.
I’ve been using this exercise – ‘take a look around you, wherever you are sitting, and select one object that says something about your feelings about CV19 and the impact on your work. We’ll take it in turns to show our objects, say a few words as to why we’ve chosen it – and then ‘pass the mic’ by nominating someone else to go next. I’ll start….’
It serves several functions:
- We get ‘all the voices in the room’ – everyone speaks which means they are more likely to speak later
- It models equal participation – underlining we all have a contribution to make
- We practice the ‘passing the mike’ technique and muting/ unmuting the hardware and taking turns so we don’t speak over one another
- It creating opportunities to connect with one another and the topic at hand and by invoking ‘feelings’ it invites people to share their emotional state, acknowledging the challenging context.
Sharing visually what the group creates together
Sharing information or perspectives is fairly simple online. The rules that apply in real life apply even more online – keep it clear and short and allow for Q&A (and there are various ways to do that on Zoom). Early on in the pandemic I facilitated an event where sharing information was important and we cut down what had been 15 minute presentations to 5-6 minutes. The shorter the better, and if it can be shared in advance in writing instead – better still. You can share your screen and do Powerpoint to death online, but there are better ways to broadcast facts or opinions than a Zoom call.
But if you are problem-solving or generating ideas together then it becomes important to think about how to share visually what you are working on – and that’s little trickier. For example – you might want to brainstorm your ideas and see all the ideas before discussing the next steps. In a room we would use a flipchart or post-its, or draw together, but online it’s a bit clunkier.
A few things I’ve tried so far –
Sharing a Google Doc – for a brainstorming exercise where I wanted people to share their ideas generated individually or in pairs, I prepared a simple table in Google Docs and shared the link during the session (via the chat function – but I could have emailed it in advance). Participants spent 5-10 mins adding to this document – everyone able to add their ideas and see others in real time. Another benefit was that the ideas were captured after the session – no need to type up the Post Its or flipchart.
Sharing my screen – I use my screen as the group’s virtual flipchart. This week I ran a prioritisation exercise to help a group decide which ideas to pursue using the impact/ effort matrix. I created a simple table in Powerpoint into which I typed up the group’s responses in real time.
These both worked fine and were simple to do – which is important – but I’m sure there are other ways to share what groups create and would love to hear your experiences. Zoom has ‘whiteboards’ that groups can use during breakout sessions, but I’m wary of introducing these slightly more complicated tools to groups until they are more comfortable with the skills…
Plenary/ less structured group discussions
In face-to-face facilitation it’s easier to be flexible with structure and chair wider-ranging group discussions effectively. Issues with lag and sound quality, as well as the lack of eye contact, make unstructured online discussions harder to manage and often quite hard to listen to or participate in.
I’m finding I’m using a lot more structure in how I design sessions online – what might have been a 5 or 10 min open group discussion face-to-face works better online as each person typing 1 thing into the chat, ‘passing the mic’ etc. The Polls feature can be a good way to get some rapid feedback from everyone (or if you want to keep it simple just ask people to use hand signals – a scale 1-5 on fingers or thumbs up/down).
3. My top tips for virtual facilitation
1. Be inclusive – not all of us can use all the tools equally well yet – set up for success by sending out clear instructions about how to use the technology in advance, including basic practicalities that make things easier for everyone – like using headphones/ microphone if possible, calling from a quiet, well-lit space. Be clear if you’re planning to use the camera – not everyone will be comfortable with this so best to flag it in advance.
2. Keep meetings or sessions as short as possible – no longer than 90 mins at a time – if you need to do a half-day workshop then have a good break away from the camera for 15 mins. Use people’s time wisely and with care – many of us are not working to full capacity. Only meet together online if you really need to…
3. Make time to connect at the start – combine practicing using with the software with a simple exercise that connects people, and acknowledges the context. This will throw up any technical issues (like sound) early on and give you chance to resolve them before you’re into the main business.
4. Be sensitive to and acknowledge the current context – find a way to invite people to share the reality of their lives – even if that’s just where they are calling from.
5. Have a co-pilot (if possible) – having someone who can provide technical back-up/ support enables you to focus on the facilitation.
6. Keep the technology and tools as simple as possible – the less that can go wrong, or exclude people inadvertently, the better. It can be tempting to use the fancy new feature in Zoom but if you can do it more simply I would.
7. Signpost clearly what the plan/ agenda is – have a clear a plan, share it in advance and try and stick to it. Verbally give people reminders about where we are on the agenda, what’s coming next etc.
8. Build in interactivity throughout – create plenty of structured opportunities with simple tools like Break Outs (pairs or larger groups); Polls; Chat function; Passing the Mic (‘a round’) to enable participants to contribute in a more orchestrated way.
9. Be clear in advance what you will do if something goes wrong – what’s the policy if someone hasn’t joined the call, do you start without them or wait? What is someone drops out due to technology or their child needs something? Be clear upfront with everyone how you want to handle these situations.For each exercise I tend to have a lower-tech option prepared/ in mind in case the technology lets us down.
10. Debrief/ review after each session – ideally seek participant feedback, but if that’s not practical reflect independently – or in discussion with another facilitator (thanks to Sharon Dale who did this with me last week) about what worked/ what worked less well/what you might do differently.
Fundamentally – I’m learning it’s not that different to face-to-face facilitation. The skills and techniques we use daily as facilitators still apply – like agreeing how we work with the group, establishing a clear outcome, ‘active listening’, encouraging equal participation, designing an appropriate process – it’s just some of how we do this looks a bit different online.
I’m still learning myself about using techniques online and very interested to hear what’s working (and not) for you – so please get in touch!
Below I’ve included links to resources I’ve found useful – again I’m really keen to hear about others.
Resources I’ve found useful
Happy
I’m really grateful to Henry Stewart for offering free tasters in making Zoom interactive and I would highly recommend their very reasonably prices courses – the next one runs 28 May. Some free taster sessions also still running and they have a great blog post too:
Making zoom fully interactive, a free session:
https://www.happy.co.uk/about-us/free-webinars-with-happy/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Clients%20-%20Free%20Webinars%20in%20May&utm_content=Clients%20-%20Free%20Webinars%20in%20May+CID_b0bd7200ddf1ef4a7827450716482eb0&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=View%20the%20Sessions%20and%20RSVP
9 tips for interactive zoom:
https://www.happy.co.uk/leadership-and-personal-development/live-online-interactive-learning/9-tips-to-leading-interactive-meetings-in-zoom/
Training course – Using Zoom for online learning
https://www.happy.co.uk/leadership-and-personal-development/live-online-interactive-learning/facilitating-interactive-workshops-and-training-with-goto-and-zoom/
Judy Rees
Judy has been running online courses long before CV19 and she’s sharing great tips and resources for those involved in online training and facilitation via her twitter account @judyrees
International Association of Facilitators
Also on Twitter and a great source of articles on all aspects of facilitation including online is the International Association of Facilitators @IAF I’ve found this twitter account really helpful and generous in the past with questions I had about adapting a session for people with learning disabilities, for example.
Liberating Structures
Another great source of information about facilitation, including online, are @Liberating Structures There are various international, national and regional groups sharing tips and offering opportunities to participate in and experience online facilitation. If you’ve not yet heard of LS or seen their website – then you’re in for a treat!
Recent Comments