On the Affordances of Virtual Meetings

"Great job," our virtual French teacher said [in French]. "I'm going to give you both a candy." With that, he typed over the top of his PDF curriculum two chocolate bar emojis. 🍫🍫

"But I don't like milk or sugar," I replied.

"Of course! Would you like an apple instead?"

"Yes, please," I responded.

"Do you prefer red or green?"

"I prefer red."

He then erased one of the chocolate bars and inserted a 🍎.

Now, on the surface, this may just appear to be a silly little exchange in French. But what I saw in that moment was something much more profound...

It was as if the virtual facilitator-heavens had opened up, and one single word dropped down for my deepest consideration: 

AFFORDANCE.

The term "affordance" first came on my radar about a year-and-a-half ago while completing a virtual act intensive program in circus arts. During a "show-and-tell" meeting about our favorite pieces of art, a very brilliant member of my cohort brought in a video of someone performing underwater. They explained that the reason they loved the act was that the artist understood and took advantage of the affordances associated with being underwater. In other words, she recognized the ways in which the dynamics had changed and seized the resulting opportunities.

As a circus performer, this immediately struck me. I hadn't really considered what the affordances were of using a fabric apparatus versus a trapeze or lyra, for instance. I wondered to myself how my acts might change if I played to the unique nature of what it was I was working with.

Bonjour, and welcome back to French!

What my teacher had demonstrated with the chocolate bar and apple was that there were practically no limits to what he could provide us as a treat. While being in person would have afforded him the opportunity to pass out actual sweets, Zoom allowed him to "hand out" the exact type of food that any student might want. 

Of course, some may prefer the real deal to an emoji. 🍫 But the variety in choices expanded our conversational options, which ultimately helped him drive the learning objectives. 

(Il est très intelligent!)

So, for everyone navigating the world of virtual meetings and trainings, I'd urge you to consider the affordances of your environment. Rather than trying to merely replicate your in-person materials, activities, and approaches, ask yourself what unique opportunities exist in your virtual space.

For instance, perhaps you might:

• Utilize your virtual background to throw luxurious parties for your co-workers or clients. (I did last week for a training client, and it was so much fun! See picture.)

• Take advantage of the fact that you can hide things out of your video frame. That gives you the opportunity to bring things (like related objects or silly coffee mugs) into the frame to surprise and engage your participants.

• Consider what options might be available to you if participants are located within their homes. For instance, could household items be incorporated into any of your activities?

• Explore how platform features (such as the chat and breakout rooms) might support participants who are less comfortable talking in front of large groups.

• Use your screenshot feature for quick and easy group photos. Just don't forget to ask for permission!

• Seamlessly incorporate music and sound effects through a shared sound feature.

So, rather than just yearning for the days of all in-person gatherings, get especially curious about your virtual environment. What's unusual about the space (including the platform and each person's physical surroundings)? What's unique about the tools for engagement and collaboration? Consider the affordances of an in-person versus virtual meeting space when choosing your setting and then seize the opportunities that each environment provides!