How to Make Virtual Meetings More Interactive

How to Make Virtual Meetings More Interactive
How to Make Virtual Meetings More Interactive
Posted by on July 23, 2021 in All, Web & Video Meetings

How to Make Virtual Meetings More Interactive

For those working from home, you know just how easy it can be to lose focus during a remote meeting. Maybe your dog won’t stop barking at the mailman, or you’re sucked into your emails that just keep coming. Either way, it’s important to try and stay engaged during your remote meetings. And, for those hosting remote meetings, you’ll want to try and keep your audience focused, too. So if you’re wondering how to make virtual meetings more interactive, keep reading for five essential tips.

Step 1: Prepare visually appealing materials

To keep your virtual meeting audience engaged, you should prepare visually appealing materials. Instead of simply speaking to your participants on camera, mix in sharing your screen with a PowerPoint or infographic. But, don’t stop there. Make sure your materials are colorful and include pictures, not just a text-heavy screen. The more visually appealing your collateral, the more your audience will want to interact with it. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Would you rather watch someone drone on about something or follow along with an interesting presentation?

Step 2: Kick off your virtual meeting with an icebreaker

How much does a polar bear weigh? Enough to break the ice! No, on a serious note, want to know how to make virtual meetings more interactive? Start the meeting with an icebreaker. You can ask your attendees to answer a poll. Or, pose a question for them to respond with your chat feature. Not only does it make for a more casual introduction, but it can help participants get to know each other too. When you can’t chitchat before an in-person meeting, a virtual icebreaker helps the group grow more comfortable.

Step 3: Use your chat feature

Engagement in a virtual meeting is a two-way street. As a host, you want to make sure you clearly communicate with your audience. You also want to ensure your participants have a way to communicate in return. The best way to open lines of communication during a virtual meeting is with the chat feature. For bigger meetings, for example, you might have your participants share where they’re from using the chat. Chat is a great way for participants to communicate with each other, too. Say someone missed something you said. They can pop into the chat to ask the group. Then, someone can easily respond. Just remember to instruct your participants on how to get a hold of someone for technical support. They may need to speak with someone directly for help.

Step 4: Ask individuals for feedback

Now, asking for feedback may not work for larger virtual meetings. But, it is key for smaller ones. Before you kick off the meeting, let your participants know you may ask for their opinions throughout the presentation. Setting this expectation helps the audience stay focused. For example, you are presenting a new company initiative to your employees. You can ask for volunteers to provide feedback or ask a specific team member for their opinion. Keep in mind, some people are shier than others. So, try to listen to their feedback with an open mind.

Step 5: Make time for a Q&A session

So far, we’ve learned some great ways on how to make virtual meetings more interactive. Another best practice is to host a Q&A session during your meeting. While it’s great to encourage virtual chatting during a meeting, it’s best to save the hard-hitting questions for later. When creating your agenda, make sure to schedule time for a Q&A session. You can schedule it before a break or at the end of the presentation. If you host a virtual meeting with Connex, you can see which participants queue up to ask questions. Or even have them submit their questions through a virtual meeting platform. This helps you prioritize whose question to answer first. By setting time aside, you’ll keep your presentation on track. And, you’ll have time to interact with your audience rather than just present to them.

Bonus: Interactive Team Building Ideas

Sometimes, your remote team needs a mental reset. Or, you want to introduce new employees to the team. Whatever the reason, there are dozens of ideas out there on how to make virtual meetings more interactive, especially for team-building purposes. Here are just a handful of ideas to bring your team together.

  • Virtual Escape Room
  • Cook a Meal Together
  • Trivia
  • Virtual Book Club
  • Virtual Yoga Class
  • Two Truths and a Lie
  • Virtual Scavenger Hunt
  • Jeopardy
  • Pictionary
  • Virtual Bingo

How to Make Virtual Meetings More Interactive with Connex

If you’re looking for ways on how to make virtual meetings more interactive, let us take the wheel and show you just how easy it is with our virtual meeting solutions. Our Web & Video Conferencing solutions will help you save time, money, and build personal connections. So if you’re ready to make your meetings more interactive, request a demo today!

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