Increasing audience engagement is on the minds of virtually every corporate presenter. And when speaking to a large group, it can be especially challenging to keep the eyes (and ears) of the audience on the speaker and off the cellphones. In our work with companies across industries, we have found increased audience engagement when breakout sessions are employed.
When should you consider holding breakout sessions?
There are a few factors to consider when choosing to schedule breakout sessions, including the main purpose of the event, the overall length of the event, the number of speakers scheduled, and the value of each session to all – or to a subset of – your attendees.
What is the main purpose of the event?
Think about your meeting’s purpose. What is each speaker’s goal, and what content are they going to deliver? Are your speakers demonstrating new products or teaching new skills? Are they there to inspire or to drive change? Examining the goals of your event is the good first step in helping the meeting planners ensure that you are providing the right content to the right subset of your audience and at the right time.
Who needs what information?
Ultimately, ensuring that the information provided is relevant to the attendees is the most critical element of successful breakout sessions. Do you have a diverse audience in terms of depth of knowledge, professional background, and even age? These considerations can factor into your decision to integrate breakout sessions into your meeting. You also may ask attendees to pre-register for the breakout sessions that interest them most. This gives you the opportunity to cancel any session that doesn’t have strong attendee interest prior to your meeting. If every session is important to your overall goal, you may consider using a round-robin approach to ensure your audience attends each breakout session.
If your meeting is held on site, a tour of your facility can be a fantastic breakout session option. While such tours may not be breakout sessions in the classic sense, they do disrupt the monotony of sitting and listening passively.
Tips for Successful Breakout Sessions
Meeting length matters.
Long meetings, where everyone is stationary in a single room for a long stretch of time, are challenging to sit through, even for the most attentive people. And considering that the typical attention span today is rather abysmal, you will do yourself and your guests a favor by mixing things up. When you allow your attendees to move from a central keynote forum to smaller breakout sessions, the movement and change of scenery will help keep everyone attentive longer. What’s the point of cramming myriad data points into a dense meeting when your guests tune out after a few minutes anyway?
Train all speakers.
Giving your attendees closer access to your speakers increases engagement and helps to facilitate deeper business relationships. Therefore, the main speakers should be encouraged to rehearse regularly. As well, ensure that your breakout session moderators are prepared to answer questions, facilitate conversation, and are fully versed in corporate messaging.
Breakout sessions are more intimate and offer additional opportunities for relationship development and interaction between your speakers and your guests. At large events, such as sales meetings, annual meetings, and industry conferences, breakout sessions can be especially valuable. Contact Franchetti Communications if you need help strategizing for your next meeting and training your speakers.
Franchetti Communications delivers accelerated results by designing power-packed media interview and presentation training sessions around your unique goals, in person and via teleconference. Franchetti Communications works with corporations and business leaders to develop communication strategy, messaging, and PR strategy. Follow Franchetti Communications on LinkedIn, and be sure to download our special report: 6 Ways to Guarantee Your Message Cuts Through the Clutter.