Make Virtual Meetings Matter: Meet, Engage, Connect!

This session gives meeting facilitators practical, positive strategies for running virtual meetings people actually want to attend — covering facilitation, accessibility, and tools like Vevox, chat, shared docs, and Padlet. By the end of this session, you'll be able to: -Identify the specific ways online meetings work against attention and participation, and apply practices that set every attendee up to engage. -Apply collaborative facilitation techniques — setting tone, inviting dissent, balancing voices, and closing with clarity — that keep a virtual meeting open and on-purpose at the same time. -Recognize interactive tools and breakout room strategies to actively involve participants rather than leave them as passive observers. 00:00 Welcome & introductions 02:20 Session overview & objectives 04:40 Joining the Vevox poll 07:00 Poll: What makes online meetings drag? 09:25 Today's agenda 11:15 Why engagement is harder online 13:20 Before the meeting: plan the content, then the tech 15:35 Accessibility from the start 18:30 Leading the meeting: setting the tone 21:40 Inviting dissent & balancing the room 23:00 Listening, and holding the line 24:00 Closing with clarity 25:25 Interactive tools: Vevox, chat, shared docs, Padlet 28:40 Ideas from the chat (the "garden" instead of a parking lot) 30:10 Poll: Which tools have you used? 32:30 Keeping breakout rooms engaging 34:15 Facilitation essentials 35:00 After the meeting: minutes & follow-up 36:25 Accessibility checklist recap 38:05 Poll: What's one thing you'll try next? 41:10 Takeaways & resources 42:30 Q&A 48:00 Upcoming sessions & wrap-up