Even with a great session planned, things don’t always go exactly as expected. Someone might arrive late, the conversation may drift off track, or you might come up against a situation you’re not quite sure how to handle.
This guide has practical tips for those moments—from setting boundaries and using host controls to handling participant concerns and knowing when to involve the FLOWN team. You don’t need to handle everything perfectly or figure it all out on your own.
Helping participants follow the session format
Sometimes a participant may not understand the format or may miss an instruction. Begin by restating the expectation to the whole room:
“A quick reminder that we’re keeping microphones muted during the focus period. We’ll come back together to share at the end.”
This gives everyone the same information without immediately singling someone out.
If the behavior continues:
Explain what you need them to do and why
Give them an opportunity to adjust
Use host controls if the issue is continuing to affect the session
Remove or report them if their behavior becomes persistent, deliberate, inappropriate or unsafe
💡Tip: Written instructions can be particularly helpful. Adding the session format and key expectations to the chat gives new arrivals something to refer to and makes later reminders feel more consistent.
Bringing the conversation back to focus
People may occasionally share something that takes the conversation beyond the planned agenda. Redirecting them isn’t dismissive, it protects the experience everyone booked and the time they set aside.
You could say:
“Thank you for sharing that. I’m going to bring us back to today’s focus so we can protect everyone’s working time.”
“That sounds like it deserves more space than we have today, so let’s return to the session plan.”
“I’m going to pause us there so we can hear from others before the focus period begins.”
Try to focus on the needs of the group rather than criticizing the person. You are protecting the session’s shared purpose, not judging the value of what someone has said.
If the same person repeatedly takes the session off track, it can be helpful to set a boundary.
Setting clear and respectful boundaries
Clear boundaries help participants understand what you need from them and why it matters. They don’t need to sound formal or confrontational.
A useful structure is:
For example:
“Hi! I can hear some background noise coming through your microphone. Could you mute while we’re focusing so the room stays quiet? Thank you.”
When someone needs to take action, you can also give them a clear timeframe:
“Could you update that before our next focus period? Let me know if you need any help.”
If the request isn’t followed, explain what you’re going to do next. Keep your response proportionate:
“If the background noise continues, I’ll mute your microphone. You can unmute again when we return to sharing.”
👉 A boundary is not a punishment. It is a way of protecting the shared experience and making expectations clear.
Using host controls thoughtfully
Host controls can help you protect the room while keeping the session moving. Use the least intrusive control that resolves the immediate issue, then explain what you’ve done where appropriate.
Muting a participant
You might mute someone when:
Background noise is interrupting the session
Their microphone appears to have been left on accidentally
They repeatedly speak during a focus period or over instructions
You’re leading an activity that requires fewer interruptions
Where possible, explain the action in the chat:
“I’ve muted your microphone because some background noise was coming through. You can unmute again when we return to sharing.”
💡Tip: You can also mute all participants and prevent them from unmuting during presentations or guided activities. Remember to allow people to unmute again when the activity ends.
Turning off a participant’s camera
You might turn off someone’s camera when:
Their camera is unintentionally showing something that could compromise their privacy or security
The participant appears unaware that their camera is on and isn’t responding
A serious visual distraction is affecting the session
Turning off someone’s camera shouldn’t be used simply because their surroundings or way of participating differs from your preference. Cameras can strengthen body doubling, but keeping a camera off may be what allows someone to participate.
💡Tip: If the visual distraction is personal, you can also hide view without turning their camera feed off.
Responding to requests that make you uncomfortable
You may sometimes receive a request that isn’t openly disruptive but doesn’t feel comfortable or appropriate. This might include:
Requests for your contact details
Pressure to speak or meet privately outside FLOWN
Personal or intrusive questions
Requests to change the session in a way that feels inappropriate
Using flirtatious or suggestive language
One participant pressuring another for attention, information or contact
You don’t need to prove that a request is harmful before saying no.
You might say:
“I’m not comfortable sharing that, but I’m happy to keep our conversation within FLOWN.”
“Let’s keep the conversation connected to the purpose of today’s session.”
“They’ve said no, so we’re going to leave that there and continue.”
“Please don’t ask other participants for personal contact information during the session.”
If someone continues after you or another participant has set a clear boundary, you can remove them and report the behavior where appropriate.
Navigating tension between participants
You are not expected to mediate personal disagreements or decide who is right. Your role is to prevent the conflict from taking over the session.
Begin with a neutral interruption:
“I’m going to pause this conversation. This session isn’t the right place to resolve a personal disagreement, so we’re going to return to the agenda.”
You can then:
Restate the purpose of the session
Set a boundary around further discussion
Message the participants
Mute someone if the argument continues
Remove a participant if they won’t respect the boundary
Contact the FLOWN team with any context that may need following up
Avoid asking people to explain or resolve the disagreement in front of the room.
Sharing personal information safely
Meaningful connections often form through FLOWN, but we don’t endorse sharing personal contact information such as email addresses or phone numbers. You never need to exchange personal details to participate or build a sense of connection.
Before sharing something, pause and consider:
What information am I sharing?
Who will be able to see, save or pass it on?
Why do they need it?
Could it reveal my identity, location, workplace or routine?
Am I sharing information about someone else without their permission?
Would I still feel comfortable if I could no longer control where it went?
Be particularly careful with addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, workplaces. Once personal information is shared online, you may have limited control over what happens to it.
During a session, hosts can also help by:
Avoiding requests for unnecessary personal details
Encouraging people to keep communication within FLOWN
Reporting when inappropriate requests are made
🚨 Think before you share: Connections can grow without exchanging personal details. Consider what you are sharing, why you are sharing it and who may have access to it.
Adapting when technology doesn’t cooperate
Technical problems happen, and you don’t need to solve every issue during the session.
If a participant is having trouble:
Offer one simple first step, such as refreshing or leaving and rejoining.
Continue the session while they reconnect where possible.
Adapt the activity if a particular feature isn’t working.
If you’re experiencing the problem, let the room know what is happening. You can add a short break, simplify the next activity or ask participants to continue focusing while you reconnect.
“I’m having a small technical issue. Please continue with your focus period while I reconnect, and I’ll update you in the chat.”
💡Tip: If refreshing the session doesn't fix your issue, check the FLOWN Help Centre for more guidance.
Staying calm and adapting is more valuable than trying to make everything run exactly as planned.
Responding to inappropriate or unsafe behavior
If someone behaves inappropriately or makes you or another participant feel unsafe, you don’t need to work through every earlier step before acting.
Depending on the situation, you can:
Mute their microphone
Turn off their camera
Report their behavior to FLOWN
Remove them from the session
Remove and report them at the same time
To report or remove a user from the session, access the participant controls using the '...' menu when hovering over the a users video tab:
If you believe the session or another participant’s safety is at risk, remove the user.
If there’s no immediate risk but you’re unsure what to do, contact the FLOWN team for support.
Related guide: How to report or remove a FLOWN member from a session
If you’re worried about someone’s wellbeing
Sometimes a participant may say something or behave in a way that leaves you concerned about how they’re doing.
If it feels appropriate, you can check in privately and keep it simple:
“Hey, I just wanted to check in after what you shared. Are you doing okay?”
You don’t need to provide counselling, crisis support or try to work out what someone needs. We don’t expect Community Hosts to take on that role, and FLOWN isn’t a counselling service either.
If you’re concerned, contact the FLOWN team and share what happened. We can take it from there, including checking in with the member and helping them find appropriate external support or signposting where needed.
When contacting us, it’s helpful to include what you noticed or what was said, the session it happened in and any action you’ve already taken.
If you think someone may be in immediate danger
Contact the FLOWN team immediately if you’re seriously concerned about someone’s immediate safety. For example, they may:
Appear unconscious, unresponsive or physically unwell
Say or suggest that they are about to harm themselves or someone else
Be extremely distressed and indicate that they don’t feel able to keep themselves or someone else safe
You don’t need to work out exactly what is happening or decide whether it meets a particular threshold. If something feels urgent, report to FLOWN straight away and share what you’ve seen or heard.
When in doubt, pass it on. Your role is to notice the concern and let us know. We can take it from there.
Getting support from the FLOWN team
You don’t have to make every decision alone.
Contact the FLOWN team if you’re uncertain about a boundary, a participant has made you uncomfortable, an incident needs following up or you simply want to talk through how something went.
We’re happy to offer guidance and help you decide what to do next.