Open the meeting strong to set the scene. Even simple as welcoming people by name verbally as they join the call and what they can expect by the end. Close strong and end on time!

First, having a Technical Support to help so the facilitator can focus on the delivery, this is so helpful for a big group facilitation. Encourage everyone to turn on their cameras. Next, set a clear agenda what the meeting aims to achieve, have breakout rooms features available and get the team to choose a scribe & a presenter after each discussion and rotate roles. Facilitator to clearly summarize all key points. Other features such as Polling is useful to gather feedback and encourage the team to use the chat features can help to engage the team. But personally, I feel that an interesting topic, powerful slides and the energy of the facilitator are important elements to get the team focused & productive.

In my expereince : 1. When circulating the meeting invite clearly outline the agenda and expected outcomes to determine the next steps. 2.Always start with a ice breaker activity and bring everyone same page. 3. Add Polls and voting to keep things focused 4. Assign action items on the go . 5. Keep it interactive ,call out team members to give their inputs nudging them gently to participate in the discussion.

Setting the structure and agenda to the meeting is very important before everyone jumps in for the online call. It could be itemized, it could also define the onus of each member joining in, time duration and limitation for different verticals/participants, so that it is kept crisp, and do not digress from the real core agenda. In addition, a moderator to the meeting is very important. If there is a discussion needed, it is always advisable to breakout into another room and not have others be involved unnecessarily. Amazon follows the memo way, no PPT's, all are supposed to read the memo before stepping into a meeting and also know what they are expected to do.