Three's Company: The Benefits of Starting an Online Group with Multiple Facilitators

Building an online group / community is no easy task. It requires a lot of effort, patience, and dedication. However, one of the most important decisions that you need to make when starting an online group is the number of group faciltators that you will have. 

While it may be tempting to start on your own, there are several reasons why you should always start with at least three. 

In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of having three group facilitators and the pitfalls of trying to start an online group all alone.

Let's look at the benefits of having three group facilitators/community managers.

Task sharing

One of the main benefits of having three group facilitators is task sharing. Running an online group requires a lot of work, including responding to members, moderating discussions, generating content, and planning events.  And that can be just the tip of the iceberg of the tasks you can have.  By having three group facilitators, you can divide these tasks among yourselves, making it easier for everyone to manage their workload. This can help to ensure that no one person is overburdened and can help to prevent burnout and frustration.

Different voices

Another benefit of having three group facilitators is that it allows for different voices and perspectives within your group. Each group facilitator will have their own unique experiences, skills, and insights that they can bring to the table. This can help to ensure that your group is more diverse and inclusive, which can lead to more meaningful discussions, content activities and connections.  

Consistency in response

Having multiple group facilitators also helps to ensure consistency in response. If one of you is unavailable, there are two others who can step in and respond to members.  This can help to ensure that your group is always responsive and that members’ questions are addressed in a timely manner.

Let's look at the pitfalls of starting all alone

Overwhelming

While it may be tempting to start an online group alone, it can quickly become very overwhelming to manage everything on your own. Online group facilitation is a complex task that requires different skills and knowledge, which cannot always be mastered by a single person.  It requires you to wear multiple hats. You are expected to know everything from engaging with the member, creating content, hosting events, moderating discussions, analysing data, and strategising for growth and engagement.  All of this can quickly become too much to handle if the group kicks off.

Underwhelming

It can also work in the opposite direction.  If the online group does not kick-off.  You will feel that the time and effort you are putting in is wasted, you will have no one to bounce ideas off, spark motivation and it can become frustrating due to little support and a lack of sense of direction resulting in the group losing momentum and dying out.

How do you make it work with three facilitators? 

If you decide to start your online group with three group facilitators, there are several tips that you can follow to ensure success. 

1. Make sure that you communicate regularly and establish clear roles and responsibilities for each group facilitator. 
2. Create a schedule for tasks and ensure that everyone is aware of their responsibilities. 
3. Establish guidelines for responding to members, moderating content and accepting and declining members to ensure consistency. 
4. Make sure that you have clear objectives that you work together to achieve them.

Remember, starting an online group is a significant undertaking be it 4 hours a week or 40 hours a week. While it may be tempting to start alone, there are several reasons why you should always start with at least three group facilitators. 

Dividing tasks, providing different perspectives, and ensuring consistency in response will set your online group up for success. By following these tips and working together, you can create a thriving online group that provides value to its members.