Creating breakout rooms in GoToMeeting is an excellent method to facilitate group conversations and cooperation during virtual meetings. As an individual who regularly utilizes GoToMeeting for team gatherings and training sessions, I can verify the benefits of breakout rooms in increasing participation and efficiency. This article will lead you through the process of setting up breakout rooms in GoToMeeting, while also providing some personal insights.
Step 1: Start your GoToMeeting Session
To begin, launch your GoToMeeting application and start a new meeting session. Once the meeting window is open, you will see various options and controls in the interface.
Step 2: Enable Breakout Rooms
Next, click on the “Manage Attendees” button, usually located at the bottom of the interface. This will open a panel showing all the participants in your meeting.
In the “Manage Attendees” panel, you will find the option to enable breakout rooms. Click on the “Breakout Rooms” tab, and then toggle the switch to enable breakout rooms for your meeting.
Step 3: Create Breakout Rooms
Once breakout rooms are enabled, you can start creating individual breakout rooms for your participants. To do this, click on the “Create Rooms” button. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to specify the number of breakout rooms you want to create.
Consider the number of participants in your meeting and the size of the groups you want to form. It’s important to strike a balance between having enough participants in each room for meaningful discussions while avoiding overcrowding.
Step 4: Assign Participants
After creating the breakout rooms, you will need to assign participants to each room. GoToMeeting gives you the flexibility to manually assign participants or automatically assign them.
If you prefer manual assignment, you can simply drag and drop participants from the list into the respective breakout room. This allows you to strategically group participants based on their roles, interests, or any other criteria you deem fit.
On the other hand, if you choose automatic assignment, GoToMeeting will evenly distribute participants across the breakout rooms. This can be a time-saving option, especially when you have a large number of attendees.
Step 5: Join Breakout Rooms
Once the breakout rooms are created and participants are assigned, it’s time to let the magic happen! As the host, you can either join a specific breakout room or choose to remain in the main meeting room.
To join a breakout room, click on the “Join” button next to the respective room in the breakout rooms panel. This will transfer you to the breakout room, where you can interact with the participants and guide the discussion as needed.
Conclusion
Breakout rooms in GoToMeeting provide an excellent opportunity to foster collaboration and engagement in virtual meetings. By dividing participants into smaller groups, you can encourage active participation, brainstorming, and idea sharing.
By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily create breakout rooms in GoToMeeting and make the most out of your online meetings. So go ahead, give it a try, and witness the immense value it adds to your virtual collaboration experiences!