Confirm Understanding
Assume good faith
There are so many ways to be misunderstood online! As a facilitator, it is imperative that you first assume good faith. This phrase is used on Wikipedia to encourage the most productive kind of collaboration on its pages. Take a peek at their description of what assuming good faith means. The facilitator who assumes the good faith of participants will avoid potential conflicts.
Follow up on silence
When a participant is silent, or even unresponsive to your messages, emails, or phone calls, be sure to follow up, but remember to assume good faith. Silence can be a sign that a participant is not reading your messages because he/she hasn't found them yet. It can be a sign that the participant is confused. It can be a sign that the participant is present, but not ready to share yet. It can mean the participant got called away on an emergency.
One facilitator shared that she was becoming increasingly frustrated with a participant who would not return phone calls, email, or even log into the course. This participant had been doing well, but then had dropped out of touch. The facilitator felt she was being ignored. We discovered weeks later that the participant had experienced a massive heart attack and had been hospitalized. Thankfully, the facilitator's messages and emails had always voiced concern, rather than frustration. You will never regret sounding concerned. You will regret sounding annoyed.
Some cultures are less comfortable letting the facilitator know when things go wrong. Some consider it disrespectful to point out something that could be seen as reflecting negatively on the person in charge. Remember that participants could be struggling but not feel comfortable enough to let you know.
Ensure the understanding of humor
Jokes are fine. Humor is important. Of course, humor must be appropriate, but adding a diverse group of readers increases the challenge. Be very sure that all of your participants understand not just the content of the humor, but the fact that it is humor. If you have even the slightest concern that a joke or humorous comment could have been misunderstood, follow up. No one is offended by an apology or confirmation of understanding.
Avoid jargon and acronyms
Educators are notorious for our jargon and acronyms. NCLB (No Child Left Behind) and AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) are terms familiar to all US public (state) school teachers. Private (independent or parochial) school teachers may have no idea what they mean. International teachers wouldn't need to know about them. Even the terms "private" and "public" when used to refer to schools have different meanings in different countries. Your state or country has it's own terminology and acronyms. Be kind to your participants and urge them to be kind to each other by creating a "jargon-free zone" where everyone does their best to say exactly what they mean, and everyone commits to asking for an explanation when a term or acronym doesn't make sense.
Ask questions to be sure everyone “got it”
When handling difficult concepts, ask questions to be sure folks understand. Take your time and explain your thinking as you share new information. Ask for responses in the form of polls or message replies to let you know that they understand, or to share questions if they have them. Handling misunderstandings early will avoid greater issues later.
Know Your Students
Ultimately, the most important thing you can do to be sure your participants succeed in your online class is to know your students. The more you learn about your participants, the more successfully you can collaborate with them and encourage them to collaborate and connect with others.