1.3.5 Scenarios

3.1. Possible solutions

In tackling problems in a real-time situation, the reaction has to be immediate.

You may have proposed some personal or one-to- one communication via a private message. This is a good immediate reaction and taking it privately would avoid other participants making comments too. Surely if comments are sent from other participants, these would be with the intention to help, but it could turn the chat into a very uncomfortable situation for the whole group.

Following up with a private email after the chat session would be advisable even if the situation gets into control via private chat with Jean during the session. This would give you the opportunity to further discuss the “rules”, or shall we call it netiquette? You may start the email by giving a good example, but having a standard document with guidelines will also help learners to interact online. In many cases a Netiquette document can be reused in many different courses. (See 1.3.2 Introduce Netiquette and Code of Conduct)

One extra thought which you might also want to consider is if the message was intended to be rough, or whether it was just “more direct”, because the person who was sending it is a non-native speaker. Sometimes typing quickly in a foreign language can unintentionally lead to what sounds like an inappropriate comment. A private chat message, as suggested by many, could help to get a clearer idea of the intention of the comment made. A friendly private message would be a good way for the facilitator to transform an initial uncomfortable situation into a valuable learning moment. This can be very significant in helping a learner “to find an appropriate voice” in a foreign language.

Have you ever felt that others who do not speak the same native language as you may have not interpreted your comments in the way you intended?