5 ways to make virtual town halls more interactive

As more organizations shift to online meetings and work sessions in response to COVID-19, it’s important to think about how to keep employees engaged.

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Virtual town hall meetings—especially those conducted with Microsoft Teams and Zoom—can be an effective way to bring leaders and employees together.

Yet in too many cases, virtual town halls lapse into a dull one-way experience. When employees feel like they don’t have an active role, they’ll check email, browse the internet or complete other work while the town hall plays in the background.

The solution? Increase participation to keep employees’ attentions. Here’s how:

1. Create the same experience for all employees.

When town halls have two audiences—those in the room and those virtually—it creates an unequal experience. It would be best to have everyone in the same room, but if employees can’t attend in person, run the town hall as a 100% virtual session.

2. Use all the tools in your virtual toolbox.

Virtual meeting systems offer an array of tools to make virtual meetings engaging. Get familiar with your virtual meeting platform’s tools and incorporate as many as possible. Here are three options that increase interaction:

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