Table 3.

Sample wording for moderator responses

Moderator Functions	Sample Responses
Clarify postings and elicit elaboration or explanation	That was really interesting; we’d like to hear more about this. Can you give us an example/a story of what you mean? Please describe what you mean. Could you be more specific about xxx? What experiences have you had to make you feel that way?
Foster interaction	Have other people experienced this? What about the rest of you? We want to hear all the different points of view. Does anyone have a different perspective/experience? Do others have similar/other stories to share? Any reactions to what (person) just shared? How do others feel about that? How have the rest of you dealt with this?
Encourage reflection	What did you learn/gained/take away from what you just shared? How did you feel when this happened? Any reactions to what (name) just shared? How would you respond differently now?
Keep participants on track	It seems like a lot of you are interested in this- let’s start a new thread on this topic. We can start a new topic on this, but let’s finish this first. Remember before we started talking about this, we were talking about xx. Earlier, (name) mentioned x. What do you think about that?
Offer support	That must have been very difficult/distressing/embarrassing, etc…Any reactions to what (person) just shared? What can we learn/take away from this? Any suggestions from the rest of the group? Any ideas on how to handle this the next time it comes up?
Enforce rules of engagement	Just a reminder, please spell out acronyms. Please don’t use all capital letters/avoid text speak.