7 tricks to increase engagement on zoom

Have you been struggling to garner engagement on Zoom? Zoom fatigue is real and employees or event attendees are increasingly checking out or choosing to disengage during vital Zoom events. Hosting engaging meetings is crucial to the long-term success of hybrid or remote-first organizations. Engaged employees are more inclined to take an active and positive role in team meetings, are more apt to share insights and ideas, and are less inclined to cause disruptions or distract other employees. Engaged employees are more inclined to collaborate with their peers and brainstorm ideas that are crucial to future success. 

In contrast, employees that aren’t engaged will be distracted, disengaged, unmotivated, and will be more inclined to leave the organization. Engaged employees are the key to minimizing turnover. In this article, we’ll cover 7 expert tips that will help you increase engagement on Zoom. 

When hosting your next meeting or event on Zoom, make sure to: 

1. Prepare the crowd with a teaser 

As a meeting attendee, there’s nothing worse than preparing for another daunting meeting. As a meeting or event host, there’s nothing worse than presenting to a crowd that is dull or disengaged. In order to increase engagement on Zoom, you must get creative and find new ways to hype up your audience. Preparing attendees with a hype video prior to your zoom meeting or event is an excellent way to garner attention while increasing engagement. 

Leveraging video makes it possible for you to capture the essence of your meeting or event in ways words can’t. Not only can you allude to an exciting announcement, but video also makes it easier to circulate your content meaning you can get your message in front of more eyes prior to your event or meeting. 

2. Set clear expectations 

The benefits of setting clear expectations prior to your zoom meetings or events are bountiful. Setting clear expectations provides clarity for you as the host as well as meeting attendees. If you want attendees to be more engaged, you have to be transparent and let them know from the get-go. This can be as simple as having an honest conversation prior to the event that alludes to event or meeting rules and guidelines pertaining to engagement.

Simply stating that this is a camera on event and encouraging everyone to turn their camera and mic so you can chat and fully engage with the event will go a long way. If you aren’t clear about your expectations from the start participants may not feel as though they have to engage. 

3. Create an immersive experience

Creating an immersive experience is arguably one of the only ways to mimic an in-person experience while meeting remotely. Creating an immersive experience helps you connect with meeting participants so you can create a more memorable experience that prompts participation and engagement. 

Tools like Remo make it easier than ever to create an immersive experience that increases engagement. Remo is an immersive virtual event and meeting platform that empowers users to recreate natural interactions in any type of gatherings, from global events to virtual meetings between colleagues. Where other telecommunication tools allow users to meet via videoconferencing, Remo empowers users to create customized virtual environments of all kinds including recreating your office building, your favorite beach, or even a nice cozy coffee shop! 

For the first time ever, you can create a stunning visual environment that compliments your meeting and keeps your audience engaged. Simply create your own custom environment or have an expert do it for you. With Remo, you can: 

• Create unique environments that foster communication and collaboration. 
• Craft virtual gathering spaces that are both functional and visually appealing.
• Create designs that align with your brand and speak to the unique needs of your event or gathering.

4. Leverage visuals to make your presentation more engaging 

Leveraging visuals is an excellent way to boost zoom engagement and luckily, there are tons of tools and plugins that you can take advantage of to increase engagement amongst participants on Zoom. Peardeck is an amazing resource that makes it possible for you to design captivating slides that will leave participants in awe. Simply design a new presentation or choose from an endless array of pre-made options, upload your PowerPoint or keynote to Google Slides and you’re ready to go! 

There are countless ways that you can heighten the visual appeal of your presentations to make them more engaging. In addition to Peardeck, there are ample paid or free options to choose from like Aha Slides or Menimeter. These tools make it possible for you to engage your audience and eliminate awkward silence through fun elements like polls, quizzes, gifs, and videos. 

5. Prioritize inclusion and participation 

Making sure your zoom meeting or event attendees feel included and inclined to participate is imperative when determining how to increase engagement on Zoom. Online meetings or virtual events are where ideas are shared, decisions are made, and relationships are formed. By taking the time to ensure participants feel comfortable and confident participating, you will be able to create a more inclusive environment that boosts engagement and fosters ideas. 

If participants don’t feel included, they may not feel inclined to participate. There are a number of tactics that you can use to make your participants feel more included by welcoming participants one by one when they enter the meeting or event, calling participants by name when you address them, and making sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate. 

6. Leverage breakout rooms to host impactful conversations 

Breakout sessions or breakout rooms are small, planned micro meetings that occur during a larger meeting or virtual event. Breakout sessions can be used to get granular and improve attendee engagement. Where the overarching meeting or event is generally more obscure, breakout sessions make it possible for participants to dive into the details by providing individuals with the space needed to dive into relevant topics while simultaneously providing them with the tools necessary to curate the ideal group. These more granular meetings make it possible for participants to create a space where a curated group of people can come together to ask meaningful questions, host in-depth conversations, or get to know each other on a more personal level. 

7. Seek feedback 

Often underutilized, feedback is an excellent tool that can be leveraged to gain additional insights that lead to positive change. Seeking feedback from your teammates, colleagues, or meeting or event participants is an excellent way to increase engagement in Zoom. Asking simple questions that allow you to learn more about participants wants, needs, and preferences will go a long way. 

If you're looking to boost engagement at your virtual event, conference or meeting, why not consider Remo? Remo is an immersive virtual event and meeting platform that empowers you to recreate natural interactions in any type of gathering, from global events to remote work meetings with your peers. Remo can help you boost engagement at your online event or meeting with its wide range of engagement-boosting features and a dynamic, visually immersive environment.