Practicing Virtual Verbals
Your biggest task is to provide many opportunities for the team to learn how to brainstorm and work together to create and finalize 25-35 responses in a timed (20 minutes!) situation. You need to help the team with its tasks during each practice session.
Teams will need to:
- List out or share responses in an orderly fashion that can be heard or seen by other team members.
- Getting started, it’s been suggested that teams use a round robin format for verbally sharing responses (with passing definitely an option) over a video conference platform
- A great way to share potential responses is via a common document that all team members can see and access. The document can even be editable by all members so that time is used efficiently. When writing or typing responses, don’t worry too much about spelling or perfect capitalization; as long as others figure it out, you’re good to go!
- Figure out how to best manage the 20 minute spontaneous competition session. Some teams report dividing that session into parts such as brainstorming, sharing, analyzing, and finalizing. Multiple timing devices for the various parts could also be used.
Coach as the team scribe during practice:
- If responses are being given verbally, the coach can practice typing up all the potential responses. In a virtual competition, the scribe will be working under a time limit, too!
- If a common document is being used, the coach can practice transferring the team-chosen “winners” to a final document, just like the one the team will be submitting during the virtual spontaneous competition.
- Remember: Other than being the scribe, the coach CANNOT contribute in any way while the team is completing its 20 minute session.
- Big Suggestion: Mute yourself while being a scribe! Your reactions can inadvertently steer the team toward choosing certain responses.
After a practice session is finished, you can put your amazing coachy skills to good use by helping the team identify and celebrate its strengths, as well as improving its needs. Debrief, then debrief some more!
Foster Inclusivity: Please keep an eye on all team members; sometimes the loudest voices drown out the most creative thoughts and responses. As with all other aspects of Odyssey, it’s critical that all team members feel included and welcome during the spontaneous process. By practicing virtual spontaneous regularly, your team will gain confidence and increased comfort in a timed competition situation. |