For more on this monthly series of free facilitation webinars, and to register your interest for future sessions and topics, please visit free facilitation webinars.

In this session I shall share some learnings from the design and facilitation of an online conference of the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO), that involved more than 900 participants over six 2-hour sessions. I shall be joined for the session by my client for the conference, Illias Animon of the FAO Forestry Economics department.

For more information on the FAO online conference, and links to the conference website and session recordings, see my February 2015 blog post How engaging can a large facilitated online session be?

Each session in this series of free facilitation webinars will be hosted in Adobe Connect for a highly interactive learning experience.

Each topic will be addressed by a short case study or other presentation, supplemented by links to further online material for later reference. Sessions will apply tools and techniques of virtual facilitation to help participants to engage with the material and the presenter, and with their own and each other's experience on the topic. A short technical orientation directly before the session will introduce the features of the virtual meeting room and the tools to be used. A brief closing reflection at the end of the session will invite reflection and learning on the facilitation process and virtual tools as well as on the content of the session.

For full voice participation in the session for a more conversational experience, microphone rights will be available to up to 15 participants who are first to login and set up their audio. Others will be able to listen and interact via their keyboard alone.

Login details will be circulated to registered participants within 7 days of the session. The session room will open 45 minutes in advance of the session start time. In order to enjoy microphone rights please login at least 30 minutes in advance. To participate by voice, please connect from a quiet place without background noise. Participants arriving less than 15 minutes in advance will be able to participate by keyboard only. Once logged in early, participants may 'step away' until it is time to begin.

The session will be recorded, the recording will be made publicly available online and the chat transcript will be shared with registered participants. We recommend that you do not reveal private information during the session. You will be invited to share contact details if you wish after the recording is stopped.

Adobe Connect will use your computer audio for the session. You will need a computer with internet connection and speakers, or (for voice participation) a microphone and headphones so that others don't get feedback from your speakers to your mic. Adobe Connect apps are available for participation via tablets and smartphones, however functionality may be limited so use of a computer is recommended.

Please test your connection to Adobe well in advance of the meeting, in case you need to install any software or adjust any settings in order to participate - complete the test in a few moments by following the instructions here. Your computer needs to have the latest version of Adobe Flash - please check and if necessary download and install that here.

Please note, we reserve the right to cancel any session without notice and without liability for any consequential or indirect loss, however in this case we will give us much advance notice as possible by email to those registered.