According to Guinness World Records, the quietest place on earth is an anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minnesota, where the background noise measured is actually negative decibels. While this is impressive, I can think of someplace quieter – a Zoom room after a conference presenter has asked a question.   The silence that follows is truly deafening as audience members, who have suddenly realized the presenter has stopped talking, decide to wait for someone else to speak or start to comment, but then recognize with relief that they’re on mute.   This scenario came to fruition for me at the Association for Continuing Legal Education’s (ACLEA) 57th Annual Mid–Year Meeting, where I spoke on designing online courses for increased engagement. As with any talk, if you don’t nail the intro, it’s very hard to recover. I gave a brief hello, made a few comments, and then I asked a question…  Those few… Continue Reading Crickets and Conversations: Lessons in Online Course Design