How can you make online sessions engaging?

Key point here is to also have a Producer to keep the session flowing so that you can focus on Facilitating. Let the Producer monitor the chat, launch the polls /breakout rooms, activities - all the necessary “behind the scenes” things that are vital for the success of the session.

The power of preparation can't be understated. If you are a co-facilitator, make sure you are all aware of the choreography of the event: who has key speaking parts for which section(s), how will behind the scenes activities (like checking the chat, looking if hands are raised, etc.) be managed. Be ready to add a flavorful comment or anecdote if attendees are quiet or shy. Discuss in advance what to do if there are any technical glitches. Write down a few key items or reminders and post to the side or above your monitor so you have them available at a glance. Practice your lines so that you are comfortable with the words. And make your delivery as normal-energetic as possible.

Completely agree with Lori Milton on the Producer role. So important to a smooth flowing delivery session. The producer can handle all the things she identified.

Connect your content to a proven attractor mechanism so your people are excited and actually want to show up to the training. Like going to movie or a party. The anticipation is just as important as the experience itself in fueling engagement. Create copy, visuals, and teaser messages (videos) that speak to 1 of these 3 attractor styles: humor, simplicity or desire.

Encouraging people to have their videos on and microphones off (unless speaking) tends to be the best practice for attaining meaningful engagement. We've all been in virtual meetings that are ineffective. Even though someone has logged on, they may be responding to emails, checking social media, or tuned out. With a video on, there is still opportunity for distraction, but greater incentive to stay engaged.

Two thoughts: 1st, I always start by informing participants of the purpose, exciting them about the expected outcomes, empowering them, and involving them mentally, physically, and verbally as soon as possible. 2nd, ice breakers should be used purposefully. Find ones that tie into your agenda or objectives. Ice breakers for ice breakers sake, will often disengage about 50% of the room (depending on your audience type and the purpose or the session)

Utilize any tech you plan to use in the sessions as part of your icebreakers - this allows learners to become familiar before the stakes become higher. For example, if you plan to use the chat to answer questions, prompt to use and respond/react in the chat to an opening question. If you are using Menti, get them warmed up to accessing the tool. If using Mural, help them try out and access how to collaborate and use it while discussing something more light-hearted (but still connected to the outcomes).

Another tool to use, which is seldom used but so very powerful. Have the audience share their WIIFM (what's in it for me). Ex: What prompted you to register for this event? Which topic is of most interest to you? Please share a quick 1-2 sentence reason on why (could be in chat or speaking). This lets the facilitator identify areas they specifically want to be sure and address. At wrap up - use this list as a recap. Ask specifically or mention, i.e. "Cheryle, when we discussed xxx, did that answer your question". This ties their goals in with your event, ensures you meet their goals, gives you a great result, and provides the opportunity for further dialog if, for example, Cheryle wanted to know more in-depth information.

To increase engagement during virtual learning sessions, delegate responsibilities just as we would in live facilitation. Remember the saying, "A lazy facilitator is the most effective facilitator", Humor aside - Delegating volunteer assignments empowers participants to take charge of their learning experience and be accountable. Roles like the "Parking Lot Attendant," "Idea Incubator," and "Material Maestro" may not sound that exciting, but they play a crucial role in keeping the session interactive and enriching for everyone. Plus, it lightens the facilitator's workload, making the experience truly engaging for all. Consider offering rewards or prizes to make it even more enticing!

It always makes the event much more meaningful when you refer to participants by name. Read your room by looking at the on screen mannerisms of participants to see if there is agreement, questions, confusion. Ask if anyone has a question and invite them by name. Practice smiling if you need to in advance because a happy facilitator engages.

Breakout groups are important for engagement in my view, unless the session is quite short or the full group is small. Breakouts allow space for quieter people to share their insights, and for people to learn through articulating their thoughts. The key to a successful breakout is to set a clear question or task for the discussion. I often invite people to share their personal experiences in relation to the topic, and then for the breakout group to end their discussion by drawing some short conclusions or good practice points, based on the stories shared. It can be helpful to allow a couple of minutes of thinking time on the topic before setting up the breakouts, so people go in with some ideas to share.

If you are hosting a session with less than 20 participants, invite the group to go around and introduce themselves. Ask each person to share their name, pronouns, organization, and one "fun" or topic-related prompted response (i.e. Next vacation or most recent book you've read). To ensure the process keeps moving, ask folks to end their introduction by calling out the next person (of their choice) by name.

Often in an in-person workshop, it is the space between the formal elements of an agenda that provide opportunities for participants to build relationships, swap perspectives and ideas and generally engage with the topic. Don't be afraid to create unstructured time in an online session for people to chat and explore that is emerging for them. As a facilitator you can then check in and ask people to share anything that has emerged from their conversation. You never know what you might find out!

Consider using interactive tools to help engage your audience. Ask for their participation and then provide them with a digital copy of the results. Having breakout rooms with virtual whiteboards helps attendees get their ideas "on the wall" and enables conversations around their thoughts. Try to limit the breakout room size to 3 to 5 people so that everyone has an opportunity to share their insights.

Preparation in advance can help a lot. Imagining a few what-if scenarios and what to do, will help should they come up. For questions you can't answer, ask the audience (if appropriate) if anyone present can comment. Otherwise, tell the attendees it's a takeaway for you. Write it down immediately, and state that you'll get an answer. And make sure you do send out the answer to attendees. Remain calm, take a deep breath, laugh (it's ok to be human) during a glitch so that you are not in full panic mode as the facilitator/leader. End the virtual meeting after all questions/comments have stopped. If your session saves the chat text (you should have confirmed that this function is available and turned on in advance), make sure you download it.

While I agree that some flexibility is needed with respect to cameras being on, I usually emphasize the value of being able to see each others' person and read their body language. This is an important part of team development and strengthening. I always provide the "manage yourself" ground rule and say that if folks need to go dark for a few minutes, that's OK, and to get back on as soon as possible. A mentor of mine has a harsh saying that can often be true, "If your camera is off, you become irrelevant," meaning we tend to focus our attention on people who show movement, and we will often ask questions of people on camera and gather their opinions. It's a dedicate balance between requiring and inviting.

Mindfully use game environments. Picture a 6-month long critical project where you and a team of people set goals, create action plan, learn new skills, onboard new members, track progress, and try your best to meet the deadline. Now take all of that, add a sci-fi spin on it, condense it into a 45 minute multiplayer experience and voila! there's your game environment. I'm sure you can imagine its power in the hands of skilled facilitators. You could facilitate the program to address anything from how the team strategized to how they didn't/listen to each other to how they handled onboarding new members and on and on!

Constantly monitor the room. This is another reason why cameras on is important to facilitating engaging sessions. You have to read participant energy and engagement and adapt when it begins to drop. The first clues are usually nonverbal facial and body expressions. Then tone of voice. Injecting a energizing activity or taking a break when you start to recognize the signs can really change the energy for the whole session.