When the facilitator in me runs an online birthday bash…

My oldest friend - we grew up on the same street and used to ‘go out to play’ - has a big birthday soon.

Cue Lynn-Fun-Organiser kicking into action!

I was going to say 'it's great to make use of professional workshop skills'... but even as a 5-year-old I was making lesson plans...

Top tips for running an online celebration:
- Make the most of the opportunity by inviting friends from afar.
- Get a pro zoom account, if that’s your platform of choice, to avoid the 40 minute limit. You can cancel monthly subscription any time.
- Ask a couple of folks attending to hold up a handmade sign. Thoughtful and cute.
- If it’s a birthday, the host can buy a small cake for the guest of honour to ‘blow out’ the candles. The host has to unfortunately (!) eat said cake (note: on screen no one can tell if you have a slice in advance).
- Even when socialising, remember accessibility, yeah? Have wee breaks and let people know they can drop in an out any time.
- If friends can’t make it, pop up their photo on screen.

Ideas for games: themed anagrams around a key passion of the birthday person, music round related to the birthday person’s hobbies, embarrassing photo round is a must, an Instagram ‘caption’ competition from their past posts (‘if this was the post, what was their caption?’).