* How to facilitate meetups
Month Offline meetups are playful and thought-provoking events where participants encourage, challenge, and get to know each other.
we're not purists (it's OK to slip up), but we do urge ppl to make the most of the the time we have together.
facilitators don't have all the answers and don't take up too much space in the room -- we help participants learn from each other and crowdsource creative workarounds to common troubles. u can download detailed facilitation guides for each meetup, or create ur own!
What should I bring?
- ✶ a handbell to easily get the attention of a large group
- ✷ nametags to help strangers become friends
- ✸ old-school tools for ppl to play with, e.g. typewriter, quill pen, film camera
- ✹ relevant books for participants to peruse
- ✺ paper, crayons, and pens for drawing or writing about the triumphs and trials of MO
- ✻ stickers for ppl to bedazzle their phones
- ✼ speakers and a rockin' playlist
What's the orientation like?
participants have called in, left voicemails, signed up, showed up, and now ... orientation meetup is all about building a doorway in time and walking through it together. Month Offline has officially™ begun! the focus is not on the pain of the problem, but on the fun of the challenge ahead. private commitments become shared, and participants get a chance to meet the rest of the cohort.
arrange the seating to allow for open communication between all participants. invite ppl pair up as they arrive and chat with each other about why they're flipping off.
after everyone has arrived, circle up and ask ppl to share the story of their name, and a digital habit they're hoping to leave behind.
stage a Flipping Off Ceremony, where participants turn off their smartphones and sign an Offline Pledge together to officially enter the Month Offline.
How do the meetups work?
Month Offline meetups often contain 4 segments:
- Reflection: draw a memorable moment from the last week and discuss dumb prompts in small groups
- Round Robin: share out reflections to the whole group
- Creation: hands-on activity or creative exercise related to the weekly theme
- Transition: learn about the next challenge and set intentions for the week ahead
bonus: reach out to participants 1-2 times per week with meetup reminders, notes of encouragement, weekly challenges, or upcoming events. check in with anyone who misses unexpectedly to make sure they're doing OK.
Check the facilitator guides below for activity ideas and prompts for each meetup.
What's the graduation like?
close out the challenge with a Graduation Ceremony, where participants can give mini commencement speeches about what they learned during the month and take home key insights from each other.
u might want to make a way for participants to keep in touch with each other after the challenge: e-mail listserv, reunions, alumni events, etc.
How do we share our stories w/o social media?
the MO team innovated a new form of social media called the Dumbscroll. at the beginning of each meetup, participants are invited to create (analog) content about what went down during their offtime -- memorable moments, frustrating frictions, surprising synchronicities.
after graduation, their drawings & writings are assembled into a collective art piece: a finite scroll on brown butcher paper that tells the stories of our Month Offline. this is a feed that u can get to the bottom of, and u have to be there to see it.
* Resources
encourage ppl to set intentions at orientation that they can review at the end of the month.
ceremonially enter the month by signing the Offline Pledge together at orientation.
weekly prompts to use at each meetup.
beat-for-beat structure of the og MO meetups. take what's useful, leave the rest.
invite ppl to add their creative outlet to a shared inventory.
graduate from Month Offline in style.