09/22/2026
It all started with the BIG question on the table.
What symptoms tell you it's time to try something different in your virtual training room?
This Coffee Chat dug into engagement techniques for virtual sessions—not brand new tricks necessarily, but fresh spins on tools we've gotten bored with. We opened by identifying the warning signs: nobody's responding to questions, cameras are off, people have two screens open answering email while half-listening. One participant shared a telling story from evaluating a five-day virtual regulatory course—the first day and a half felt unnecessary and could've easily been asynchronous, while the meat-and-potatoes content later in the week, where people actually needed stories and case studies, got rushed through. The lesson? We often just lift a face-to-face structure into Zoom without rearranging the puzzle pieces for the medium.
The group tackled how to handle important background information without losing people to a lecture. Ideas included drip-feeding pre-reading in small chunks via email days before class, using short videos or animations to prime people ahead of time, and putting accountability back in learners' hands—like requiring them to bring a real example to class, even if you don't strictly need it, just so they show up having actually thought about the content. One participant put it well: "This will be better for you if you bring it."
Breakout rooms got serious attention—specifically why people groan at the mention of them virtually but happily do the same table discussion in person. The consensus: it's often poor facilitation, not the format itself. Fixes included designating a leader or moderator for each room ahead of time, using chat "blast" features to send reminders or curveball questions into rooms, and being genuinely purposeful about the activity instead of just filling time. As one person put it, breakout rooms need to end with people thinking "I'm really glad we had that conversation," not confusion about what they were even supposed to talk about.
We also got into practical chat-feature tricks: the "waterfall" (or reverse waterfall, or chat geyser, depending who you ask) where everyone types their answer but waits to hit send until told to, which removes the fear of being first and gives slower typists and thinkers room to process. Using people's names in the chat pulls them back from multitasking. And building in extra wait time after a question matters more virtually than in person, since you can't read body language to know when someone's thinking versus checked out.
Finally, the icebreaker debate got fun and honest—apparently there's a lot of quiet hatred out there for "two truths and a lie" and "what's your spirit animal." Fresh alternatives floated included favorite dinosaur, favorite Muppet, giving people a choice of two or three icebreaker questions instead of one, and end-of-session activities like summarizing the day's learning without using any words, or writing one lingering question on an index card to remove the fear of asking something "everyone else already knows."
The takeaway? Engagement in the virtual space takes more energy and more intentional structure than face-to-face, not less. Know your tools well enough to troubleshoot them for others, give people processing time, and always have a plan B when your audience isn't who you expected.
So what's one engagement technique you're going to try or retire after this conversation?
Stay curious!
Shannon
Video
VimeoCoffee Chat: Energizers for the Classroom
Transcript Summary
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Transcript:
OtterOtter Voice Meeting Notes
Chat Box:
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Resources:
SessionLab
A great resource for facilitators. It has workshop templates, agendas, activity ideas, and a library of facilitation techniques.
SessionlabA Better Way to Design Workshops | SessionLab
Liberating Structures
A collection of structured group activities designed to increase participation and avoid the same few voices dominating.
LiberatingstructuresLiberating Structures | Simple, powerful interactions patterns that include every voice
The Training Arcade
A resource specifically focused on game-based learning activities.
ElblearningGames and Gamification For Training | The Training Arcade® & Arcades™ | ELB Learning
Books:
Gamestorming 2.0: An Updated Playbook for Innovators, Rule Breakers, and Changemakers
by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown
AAmazon.com: Gamestorming 2.0: An Updated Playbook for Innovators, Rule Breakers, and Changemakers: 9781098148089: Gray, Dave, Brown, Sunni: Books
The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education
by Karl M. Kapp
AAmazon.com: The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education: 9781118096345: Kapp, Karl M.: Books
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters
by Priya Parker
AThe Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters: Parker, Priya: 9781594634932: Amazon.com: Books
The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth
by Amy C. Edmondson
AAmazon.com: The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth: 9781119477242: Edmondson, Amy C.: Books
The Virtual Training Guidebook: How to Design, Deliver, and Implement Live Online Learning/
by Cindy Huggett
AAmazon.com: The Virtual Training Guidebook: How to Design, Deliver, and Implement Live Online Learning eBook : Huggett, Cindy: Kindle Store
Interact and Engage, 2nd Edition: 75+ Activities for Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars
by Kassy LaBorie, Thomas Stone
AInteract and Engage, 2nd Edition: 75+ Activities for Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars: LaBorie, Kassy, Stone, Thomas, Stone, Thomas, Stone, Thomas: 9781953946409: Amazon.com: Books
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