From Distraction to Interaction: Strategies to Maximise engagement in Online Meetings & Training Session
- truthaboutlocalgov
- Apr 30
- 4 min read
Updated: May 2
Virtual meetings have become an essential component of communication within local government, bridging geographical gaps and supporting remote work arrangements. As digital workplaces evolve, virtual meetings are crucial for collaboration and decision-making. Yet, the lack of physical presence can lead to disengagement, distraction, and isolation among participants.
To address these issues, it's vital that local government adopts strategies that capture attention and foster active participation, ensuring virtual meetings are both effective and engaging for everyone participating.
"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." — Benjamin Franklin
Firstly, let’s put some meat on the bones around the current challenges that exist with engagement in virtual meetings.
Virtual Meeting Engagement Challenges
Lack of Agenda/ Poor Expectation Setting One primary reason for disengagement during virtual meetings is that attendees are unsure of what to expect. This uncertainty can lead to feelings of unpreparedness and reluctance to participate. Sharing the meeting agenda in advance helps attendees prepare, encouraging them to voice their thoughts and participate more freely.
Meeting Fatigue This challenge has been prevalent, especially in remote work cultures since the pandemic. With every interaction occurring virtually, employees can feel overwhelmed. To mitigate this, assess the necessity of each meeting request and only send invites when absolutely necessary. Being mindful can reduce meeting fatigue.
Distractions and Lack of Privacy Working from home or non-office environments comes with distractions. Active engagement in virtual meetings requires attendees to be fully present and involved. Minimising distractions involves having a dedicated workspace isolated from the rest of the house, or a "home office" setup that provides privacy to focus.
Lengthy, Unstructured Meetings Long meetings covering multiple discussion points can drain attendees, reducing engagement. To overcome this, ensure your meeting agenda is concise and clearly defined. Limit discussion points to 3-5 to keep the meeting productive and engaging. Longer, unstructured meetings can be counterproductive.
Cultural Differences and Individual Personality Cultural differences, personal preferences, behavioural choices, and personality traits all influence how attendees engage in meetings. Being inclusive and allowing people to engage in ways that align with their personality and culture is important. Not every attendee will speak as much, and that's okay as long as they are actively involved and contributing in their own way.
Now we have clarified the extent of the challenges, try incorporating the following strategies into your virtual training and presentation engagement strategy to maximise engagement and foster the sort of outcomes that means as a sector we continue to embrace flexibility and agile working patterns rather than being forced due to a lack of engagement to return to a more traditional in person setting.
Best Practices for Engaging Virtual Training Sessions & Presentations
Set Learner Expectations Upfront At the start of the session, inform learners that they are expected to actively participate throughout the programme. Encourage them to turn off notifications and close other applications on their browser. Including this information in a pre-event email can set the tone for the training and remind the audience to focus.
Encourage Video Use Having their video on can significantly improve learners' engagement, as they will want to appear attentive. To encourage video use:
Set this expectation in advance via email, allowing participants to prepare.
Ask participants to turn on their video at the beginning of the session and explain why it is important.
Thank participants by name who have their video on, providing positive reinforcement.
Engage Learners Within the First 5 Minutes Participation and engagement are key to an interactive training session. Integrate opportunities for participation within the first five minutes to set the expectation for ongoing engagement.
Request Learner Engagement Every 10 Minutes To maintain engagement, aim to interact with participants every 10 minutes. These interactions can be informal, such as:
Asking participants to share their experience with the topic in the chat.
Using a scale to gauge their knowledge on the subject.
Prompting them to share their initial thoughts on the topic.
Asking them to raise their hand if they have done something before.
Requesting their biggest takeaway from a section.
Wait for Responses If you ask for participation and do not receive responses, wait until someone responds. Moving on without a response signals that participants do not need to answer. Instead, try:
Informing the audience that it may take time to type responses, and you are happy to wait.
Reframing the question if it was unclear.
Making the question easier to answer, such as a "yes/no" question.
Acknowledge Participants by Name When people respond, acknowledge their responses by name. For example, "John says he has done this before. Mary is a beginner." This recognition rewards them with attention and reinforces that you value their input.
Create Feedback Loops Integrate learners' feedback into the training to show that it matters. For instance, ask participants to rate their knowledge on a topic at the beginning. If most rate themselves low, acknowledge this and tailor your content accordingly.
Begin and End in Full-Screen Presenter Mode Starting and ending the session with yourself in full-screen mode helps build a connection with your audience, as it can be challenging for attendees to feel engaged when looking at a slide deck.
Be Conversational with Predictive Reactiveness Use a conversational tone to build a deeper connection with the audience. React based on how you predict your audience will respond. For example, laugh if you tell a joke, or nod if discussing something difficult. This approach creates a conversational style and acknowledges the audience.
Utilise Breakout Rooms Breakout sessions encourage participation, especially for those uncomfortable speaking in larger groups. For effective breakouts:
Provide clear instructions.
Appoint a leader to guide the discussion.
Allow time for solo preparation before group discussion.
"Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners." — John Holt
Virtual training is a powerful tool for communicating with your officers and members on. When you are virtually presenting or training, you must be deliberate in creating an engaging environment to drive participation and keep the audience motivated. With the right strategies, virtual training can exceed the quality of in-person sessions.
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