By now we all know about Zoom fatigue. The novelty has definitely worn off. It might be a good time to revisit our Zoom meetings, presentations and training sessions to make sure we are making them as engaging as possible.
Here are 10 ways you can get your teammates, peers or learners engaged in brainstorming and sharing. We would love to know if you have discovered more ways to engage virtually, so drop us a line if you know of others.
Raise your hand. Years ago, I gave my first virtual presentation. I still cringe when I remember that terrible sensation of speaking to…..no one. It’s definitely jarring at first. Find the button that allows people to raise their hands. Most people will do it if you ask. There…now you are not so alone. Encourage people to raise their hands if they have a question or want to make a comment.
Stickers. If learners have “stickers” (or reactions) in your Zoom room, you can have them react with a heart (like) and X (don’t like) or other icons. If your system doesn’t include these, use the annotation tool and ask them to put an + or – to indicate their opinion. We all want to be heard and here is an easy way.
Annotate. Have people annotate or type something on a blank slide—their name, their locations, their pet’s names, or a question about the content. It is a bit of an icebreaker, and people may appreciate the chance to say hi in an easy way. You are breaking the ice for the next interaction you request.
Chat. Any time you want, you can ask people to type something in the chat box. But be clear and directive with what you want them to do. “Please type in the chat box one thing you would like to learn today.”
Polls. Polls are a more formal way to capture feedback from the audience. You can use polling to create a quiz or a test, an opinion piece, or a way to gather information about your audience. You generally need to set them up in advance, and the nice thing is the system tabulates the answers for you.
Break out rooms. My classroom training nearly always includes table discussions. It is a great way to have learners do something with the content; practice, give each other feedback, do a case study, etc. Zoom allows you to break your group into smaller discussion rooms, and get them back into the main room with just a click. Recent surveys at the University of Minnesota indicate that students consider this format highly valuable.
Virtual whiteboards. You can show a virtual whiteboard and annotate it just as you would in the classroom. Or you can have your learners or listeners write or draw on it. It is great for spontaneous “back of the napkin” discussions, and it creates a break from slides or talking heads.
Blank slide capture. Many of my slides provide limited content, plus a text box to add new ideas generated by learners. Sometimes I ask them to annotate, other times I do the typing. Here’s a little trick: if you have a large group, have people with names starting with A-E go first, the F-J go next, etc. That way there won’t be so much of everyone writing over everyone else.
Physical flip charts. My colleague Ben Borchert taught me this trick. You can turn the camera on yourself standing at a flip chart, as you discuss and write just like you would in a classroom or meeting. It provides a visual change and it’s appealing and new since most people aren’t taking advantage of this technique yet. I would suggest changing the camera angle during a break, if that makes sense in your schedule. Bonus: you get to stand up for a while!
Read and reflect. For some content, the learners can think and apply what they are reading, hearing or discussing. This appeals to introverted learners or those who prefer to take notes, plus writing forces us to slow down and process the information. I usually leave text boxes on PDF handouts so learners can capture best ideas and action items.
As always, if you want people to engage with you, start with super-easy ways to involve them. As you build trust and comfort, you can move to more involved ways of engaging, such as asking people to speak out loud, share their screens, or even teach back some of the content to others.
Best of all, your Zoom meetings and classes will be more engaging and more impactful, and you won’t feel so all alone leading them.