Have your virtual meetings gotten so stale that you don’t even want to attend them?
You’re not alone. Cameras off. Half the room checked out. Two people dominating the conversation while everyone else quietly catches up on email. It happens on teams everywhere and it doesn’t have to.
In this post, I’m going to give you concrete strategies you can use over and over again to make your meetings a little less boring and a little more engaging. These are simple things — but when you use them consistently, they make a real difference.
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Why Meetings Become Boring in the First Place
Here’s the thing: people disengage when there’s no reason for them to be there. When someone gets on a call and the first thing that happens is, “Okay folks, what do we need to talk about today?” — or when one conversation ends up going back and forth between two people while the other eight on the call realize they’re not even involved, people check out. And honestly, can you blame them?
So the first question worth asking is: do people actually need to be in this meeting? If they don’t need to be there, they shouldn’t be there in the first place. But once you’ve got the right people in the room, here’s how to make it worth their time.
Strategy 1: Make Time for Connection Before Content
A good friend of mine, Chad Littlefield, always talks about making time for connection before content. That first minute, as people are joining the call, sets the tone for everything that follows.
A quick heads-up: if you try this next week and your team looks at you like something is different, just say it. “Hey folks, I really want to work on making our meetings more engaging. I came across some ideas and I thought I’d start each meeting by asking a question.”
As people are connecting and getting onto the call, post a question for them to think about. My all-time favorite opening question is:
“What were you doing five minutes before this meeting?”
It’s simple, but it lets people know where everyone is coming from — and it reminds the group that there are real human beings on the other end of the screen. From there, you can use a welcome question to open things up a little more:
- What’s one thing that made you smile recently?
- What’s one thing you learned recently?
- What’s one thing that surprised you?
- What’s a moment you’ve had recently that you don’t want to forget?
If you’re looking for more question ideas, head here and scroll to the bottom of the page. There you’ll find a list of questions you can use to start your meetings and make them a little more meaningful.
Strategy 2: Be Intentional About Participation
Once you’re into the meeting, you need to be intentional about keeping people involved. Here’s a simple rule of thumb: if you’re talking for more than ten minutes at a time without inviting participation, people are checking out.
One of my favorite techniques for this is the Cup of Names. Put everyone’s names in a cup, and as you’re sharing an update or walking through a topic, draw a name and ask them a question directly:
- “What resonated with you about what I just shared?”
- “What questions do you have?”
- “On a scale of one to ten, how well do you feel like you understand this new policy? Ten means you fully understand it, one means you’re not sure at all.”
You can also use pulse check questions — quick, low-stakes ways to gauge where people are and get them interacting. The point is simple: if you don’t engage with people, they’re not going to engage. And if in the past you haven’t asked for opinions — or if people have shared them and been told to wait until later — you’ll need to actively open that back up. Drawing a few names and asking directly is a great way to do that.
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Strategy 3: Make It a Little More Fun
A little playfulness goes a long way. Here are a few easy ways to lighten things up:
Pick a silly substitute word.
Tell the group that for this meeting, you’re going to replace a common work word with something else entirely. Instead of “procurement,” you’re going to say “cucumber.” As in, “As we figure out what we need to do in the area of cucumber over the next couple of months…” It sounds silly, but it keeps people listening — and laughing.
Play the freeze game.
At some point during the meeting, freeze — hold completely still — and see how long it takes for people to notice. “Are you frozen or not frozen?” It’s a simple, lighthearted way to snap people back to attention.
Run a quick virtual scavenger hunt.
As you’re discussing a topic, send people off to find something specific. “Where on our site do we have this information? I want everyone to go find the third word in the second paragraph on this page. On your mark, get set, go.” They go, they find it, they come back. It creates energy and gets everyone actively involved.
Strategy 4: Use Breakout Rooms and the Chat
One of the most effective things you can do if people aren’t speaking up in the large group is send them into breakout rooms. Give them a question or something to work on, let them have a real conversation in a smaller group, and then bring them back to share. Most people who won’t talk in a group of twelve will talk comfortably in a group of three.
And don’t underestimate the chat. Pause, ask a question, and say: “Write your answer in the chat but don’t hit send yet.” Let everyone think and type. Then say, “Go ahead and send.” Watch the answers come in all at once, and then invite people to respond to what they see. It’s a simple technique, but it gives everyone a voice at the same time.
Try One Thing at Your Next Meeting
People disengage when they don’t feel like their voice matters and when they don’t feel heard. These strategies are all ways of creating opportunities for people to show up, contribute, and feel like being there was worth their time.
Here’s a quick recap of what we covered:
- Make time for connection before content
- Ask welcome questions as people join
- Use the Cup of Names and pulse check questions to invite participation
- Make it playful — substitute words, the freeze game, virtual scavenger hunts
- Use breakout rooms and the chat to give everyone a voice
Don’t try to do all of these at once. Just try one at your next meeting. Then invite your team to come up with their own ideas. Together, your meetings will stop being so boring and start being a little more engaging. And, your team will work better together in the process.
Additional Resources
For even more ideas, check out my book 75 Team Activities for Remote Teams. It’s full of practical activities you can use to make your meetings and team interactions more engaging, whether you’re in person or virtual. And head over to the resource section for additional tools and guides to support you and your team.
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Want Help Making Your Meetings More Engaging?
Thank you for being the kind of leader who cares enough to make their meetings worth attending. That matters more than you might think.
If you’d like support helping the leaders in your organization make their meetings less boring and more engaging — or if you have questions about team connection, culture, or recognition — I’d love to connect. Reach out here and let’s talk about how we can work together.
