Skip to content

Back to overview

Episode 078

September 16, 2020

078: Facilitating as an Avatar in the Virtual World with Tracy Cosgrove

Sign up to download the free 1-page summary.

    Intro

    We’ve reached a time when more people than ever are working remotely, and this includes facilitators.

    Tracy Cosgrove, Founder of PTSM, is passionate about sharing knowledge and facilitating as an avatar in the virtual world. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to talk to Tracy about her experience and expertise around avatars, setting up a virtual office, and bringing teams together despite being thousands of miles (and oceans) apart.

    Learning how to facilitate as an avatar in the virtual space is so important right now, which is why I’m so excited to share this conversation with you so that you can be better equipped and prepared to rule the virtual world.

    Find out about

    • What inspired Tracy to move from the physical to the virtual word of facilitating

    • How to set up a virtual office
    • The importance of doing your research as a facilitator
    • Costly mistakes to avoid when choosing a platform to help you host virtual workshops
    • What to consider when renting a virtual office space
    • Helpful and creative team building exercises you can use virtually

    Don’t miss the next show: sign up to my newsletter and subscribe to the show through your podcast player.

    Feeling inspired by the conversation in this episode? We can have our own – take a seat at my virtual table as part of a Mastermind Group.

    A huge thank you must go to SessionLab, the sponsor of Workshops Work. Claim your free two months of SessionLab Pro now – this deal is exclusive to Workshops Work listeners!

    Questions and Answers

    01:35 When did you start calling yourself a facilitator? 03:17 What made you move to the virtual world? 06:58 If you were a hashtag, what would it be? 08:18 How was it for you to transition to suddenly not meeting people and communicating with avatars? 16:22 Do you think that there’s a difference in terms of how you facilitate whether you’re in the persona of an avatar versus zoom training with video? 17:45 In terms of the facilitation skills and how you communicate with the people and the exercises, do you see a difference? 19:13 What doesn’t work in the VR world? 20:52 As an avatar facilitator, how do you create a space where they can be present and open? 23:00 How did you find your virtual office space? 26:52 What would you recommend someone who’s exploring options to work as an avatar? 31:35 What is the investment you need to set up a virtual VR office? 33:32 What is wrong about the platform? 34:33 What is the one thing that people must take care of or must watch out for in order to choose the right platform? 38:01 What makes a workshop fail? 39:47 What is your favourite exercise? 47:55 What is the sequence of taking breaks when sitting in front of Zoom for eight hours? 52:24 What is the key takeaway that captures the essence of our conversation?

    Links

    Passport to Success Myanmar (PTSM)

    Connect to Tracy

    Email Tracy at Tracy@passporttosuccessmyanmar.com

    Facebook