To keep your participants engaged and prevent them from mentally checking out, add one of these every 10-15 minutes.
The change from one "mode" to another will jolt your participants into attention.
🗣 Group discussion
Ask a question or give a prompt and have participants share their answers.
- Ask open-ended questions
- Give examples of what an answer could look like
- Don't be afraid of the pause
- Use raise hand button to avoid people talking over each other
👥 Breakout rooms
Send participants into the rooms with a clear discussion prompt.
Make sure to repeat the prompt multiple times (aloud, on slides, in the chat).
Ideally, have 3-4 participants per room. If there are only 2, someone might drop off and leave a person alone.
🧑🏫 Demo
Share your screen and walk them through how you do something. You could also pre-record it and play the video.
- Keep it short and regularly check for questions
- Practice the demo beforehand
- Hide confidential information
✍️ Silent writing
Give instructions and let participants complete them quietly on their own for 2-3 min.
- Put a timer on the screen
- Make it clear when the time starts
- Ask people to share their outcome in the chat, in a discussion or in breakout rooms
🧑🎤 Guest cameo
Ask a participant or guest speaker beforehand to give a demo or present something.
Make sure they're prepped and know at what point you'll ask them to speak.
Remind them to only share information that they're allowed to share.
💬 Chat response
Ask a question or give a prompt and let participants enter their reply in the chat.
Read a few of the responses out loud.
You can also ask a clarifying question and let participants expand on their answer.
📊 Poll
Set up a poll to "take the temperature" of the group.
You can also use it in the beginning to find out what people want to focus on for this session.
Pre-write the poll and have it ready to go.
🔥 Hot Seat
One participant is in the "hot seat" and shares a challenge or an output.
The other participants offer their suggestions and feedback (out loud or in the chat).
Could be done spontaneously or ask before your session who would like to go into the hot seat.
📼 Video clips
Use them to show examples or prompt a discussion.
Keep them short.
Make sure to select "share computer audio" and "optimize screen for video" when sharing your screen.