Online faciliation

Online facilitation: Lessons from the Outcome Mapping Learning Community

Simon Hearn, ODI26 April 2010

Over 2000 members

An active community

• Online discussions• Research grants• Biannual newsletter• Discussion papers• Face-face meet ups• Regional sub-

communities• Stewards group

1. Invest in facilitators before technology

2. Understand your members

90%

9%

1%

3. Look after the core group

4. Balance participation with reification

5. There is more to a community than discussion...

… meetings

… relationships

… community cultivation

… access to expertise

… projects

… context

… individual participation

… content publishing

… open-ended conversation

Community activities

oriented to …

Base material from: Digital Habitats: Stewarding technology for

communities© 2009 Wenger, White, and Smith

6. ...but it’s a good place to start

7. Create a rhythm

8. A little theory goes a long way

Domainis the area of shared interest and knowledge the community focuses on.

Practiceis putting the knowledge to work, as manifest in the community’s tools, stories and interactions.

Communityis the manifestation of individual and collective identity of the members.

9. Provide appropriate tools

10. Monitor as you go

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Other members Facilitators Stewards Advisors

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