I recently spent two full days attending a virtual workshop. Two days! And, surprisingly, the time flew by. I had thought this would have been much too long for any virtual engagement, but it wasn’t. Why? Great content. Great speakers. And masterful engagement.
Whether you are conducting an hour-long meeting or a full-day workshop, you can learn from these pros ways to keep your audience engaged and involved.
Virtual Engagement Strategies:
Interact early and often. Start engagement even before the session begins by having people chat in, introduce themselves, and visit. You know, just like people do when they enter a meeting room. It is a warm opening instead of a cold uninviting one.
Use the chat feature frequently. You can’t force people to chat, but you sure can encourage it, and maybe make it fun. Maybe present a riddle or trivia question and get them to chat in their answers? Once you break the ice, it will feel natural for people to chat in responses, questions or comments.
Include some working time. We were given several short working sessions, in which we were given a task to complete, working alone. These working times ranged from two to eight minutes, and there was a timer so we could see how much time was remaining. It was meaningful, as it provided a chance to apply what we were learning to our businesses.
Have frequent but short breaks. The leaders showed an onscreen timer, so everyone knew when to come back. They started right on time after each break, with no fanfare or waiting to see who was back. If you need a break, keep everyone logged in, so that getting everyone back is quick and easy.
Change gears. This workshop had a total of five different speakers, changing at about 45-minute intervals. That helped keep things fresh throughout the day. If you can’t change speakers, change gears in some other way.
Insert video clips. Videos and sound effects liven it up and give listeners something new at regular intervals. Our brains crave novelty, and novelty we got. Make sure the videos are engaging and add value to your content.
Ask attendees to sum up each section. Instead of the speaker summarizing the learning after each presentation, they asked attendees to chat in what they learned or what was meaningful. They then read out loud a handful of comments, using the attendee’s name and selecting the comments they wanted to share. It is engaging because it makes attendees think, and the speaker can comment on and reinforce what attendees are saying.
Don’t let the new reliance on virtual communication turn you into a talking head or put your audience to sleep. Keep them engaged, and time will fly. Plus, they will get far more value from your content.