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One of the easiest ways to increase the engagement of online meetings is by incorporating more visual content into them. Humans react instinctively to visual stimuli and process facial expressions faster than words. Moving objects have even greater impact than still images. Short videos or other engaging visual content can make online meetings more impactful. Here are some tips to keep your participants engaged:

Purpose-driven meetings

A great meeting is one in which people feel a sense of contribution. The intent of the meeting should be centered around the needs of everyone in the room. While objectives are important, they don’t necessarily reflect the needs of everyone. Intentions are a good starting point for creating a purpose-driven online meeting. To make it more engaging, ask your team members to submit specific contributions, including questions, suggestions, or observations.

During United Way of Central Iowa’s Conversation Powered by Purpose, people could build meaningful connections through a series of short segments. During each segment, people answered personal questions such as “What motivates you to achieve your goals?” and “What strengths help you achieve success?” Participants were able to share their perspectives, share their ideas, and develop their sense of purpose. This type of conversation is also engaging and helps people develop their sense of purpose.

Assigning different roles

Assigning different roles to participants keeps the meeting more interesting. Everyone is more likely to engage if they have a specific role to play during the meeting. Also, this can prevent people from getting bogged down by the meeting’s task-oriented nature. Assigning different roles to team members makes online meetings more engaging and productive. Each team member should also be given their own role, if possible.

Assigning different roles to virtual meeting participants makes them feel more involved in the meeting. Defining roles can help motivate participants to carry out their responsibilities and come through for their colleagues. Moreover, this approach also encourages participants to follow up with follow-up emails after the meeting, which reinforces the importance of the meeting and drives outcome-oriented results. The role of an observer is the most common threat in virtual meetings, and it is important to combat this threat by creating shared responsibility.

Icebreakers

Virtual icebreakers are the latest trend in team building. They help employees share their opinions and experiences with each other without being judged or scrutinized. You don’t have to use controversial topics, so any topic can be used. Try asking them about their favorite things or hobbies. They’ll surely have fun doing it! But be sure to choose the right one for your team – and you’ll be surprised at how much better your online meetings will be.

One great icebreaker idea is the classic Mad Libs game. This simple but effective activity gets everyone involved and results in a funny end product. No matter how big or small your team is, you can use this activity to break the ice and make your meetings more engaging. To do this, all you need to do is pair up a few employees with different levels of experience, and then ask them to fill in a story about themselves and their team members. Then, ask them to make a price for their item, if they want to.

Sharing hosting responsibilities

If you plan to host an online meeting, you should split the tasks and assign roles to everyone. This will make the meeting more engaging and make it easier for you to keep track of everything. As the host, you should make sure that everyone is on the same page. For example, you should take turns being the moderator to avoid derailments. Moderators should lead with authority and keep an eye on the technology. It is also a good idea to allow speaking permission to everyone who needs it.

Actively including people

One of the best ways to keep participants engaged during virtual meetings is to ask for their input. People listen to one person at a time and are more likely to participate if they can hear the other person’s thoughts. So, it is important to ask for specific contributions from everyone who is part of the meeting. Alternatively, you can make a personal appeal by asking each individual for a specific contribution.

Another way to keep participants engaged is to set an agenda. You can write the agenda beforehand, but this does not necessarily engage everyone. Some people may be more vocal than others. To avoid this problem, assign roles to participants. For example, you can have a facilitator, a timekeeper, or a note-taker. Each person can focus on a particular role and contribute their ideas to the overall meeting’s success.

Sharing feedback

One of the best ways to keep your meeting on track is to share your agenda with the participants. Doing so keeps everyone focused on the topic at hand. In addition, assigning responsibilities will foster group collaboration. Lastly, use the questions tab and chat function to encourage Q&As. Online meetings can also benefit from these features. In fact, many businesses have grown accustomed to using them over the past year.

Recording your online meeting is another great way to keep it on track. By recording your meeting, participants can point to specific sections and review action items, collaborations, and presentations. Choose a video engagement platform that can integrate with collaborative tools for online meetings. If you can’t find a solution for this, it’s time to consider hiring a technical support person. Lastly, test your meeting before your scheduled date and time. Make sure everyone is ready for the virtual meeting before the event.