How to Setup Any Virtual Breakout Room Activity: Zoom, WebEx Teams, or Any Other Platform
Whether you use Zoom, WebEx Teams or any other platform, setting up breakout rooms is more than clicking buttons. Yes, you need to know how to manage your tech, but it's just as important to manage your attendees' expectations. Sending a group of confused professionals to a breakout room with unclear instructions defeats the purpose of this great virtual tool.
Here's how to successfully set up any breakout room activity:
1. Outline your activity and timeframe: First, take the time to set expectations, explain the activity or topic of conversation. Give timeframes for the discussion and state how many will be in each room. Then, perhaps most importantly, check for understanding or questions.
2. Select a leader: Next, you can help your attendees save time in their breakouts from trying to decide who is going to do what. State up front who is responsible for sharing their screen and/or taking notes. If appropriate, grant that person the right to delegate roles to others as well.
3. Explain and/or show what they’ll see: Help ease their fear about what comes next. You’re about to teleport them into a new environment and they don’t know what to expect. Use screen shots to set their expectations and increase efficiency.
4. Explain or show what they should do: How do they share their screen? Is there a document they need to access? Where do they get it?
5. Ensure they understand your role and how to ask for help: Where will you, the facilitator, be? How can they contact you if they need help or have questions?
6. Set expectations for when they’re done: Lastly, clarify what will happen when everyone returns to the main room. Will there be an open discussion? Will they paste information in chat? Does the room leader need to upload their document or email it to someone? Ensure they know what happens next.
Of course, you can eliminate steps of this process as needed. If a facilitator will go with each breakout group or if you know your attendees are familiar with the technology, these steps may be unnecessary. However, if you have a green group of attendees, following this process will help ensure they know what to do and how to do it, ultimately saving them time, frustration and solidifying your position as a superb online facilitator.
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