Step into the hall…
Use The Hallway for Sidebar Conversations
Two (or more) people attending a meeting in person can “step into the hall” for a semi-private discussion. Moving the conversation respects the presenter and the other people in the audience. Discussions In the hallway don’t derail the meeting for others and the hallway is more informal.
An online participant may want to do the same thing… step into a hallway to have a video discussion with one or more other online participants.
Stepping into the hallway, either a real one or a virtual one, is a good place to have a sidebar discussion and allow everyone else to keep the focus on the agenda. It offers a more casual atmosphere to strategize or just bounce ideas around.
An On-Line “Hallway”
The technical admin can establish a virtual hallway for them using Zoom!
Here’s How:
First, create a Zoom breakout room. Rename it “The Hallway”. Additional breakout rooms can be renamed “Hallway 1” and “Hallway 2.”
Next, add the option that the online participants can choose to “join.” Of course, participants can always leave the hallway and return to the main session.
Finally, the admin/host enables break-out rooms. The in-room and online facilitators can announce their availability.
A Tool for the Presenter
If the meeting leader feels that the discussion has strayed too far away from the agenda item, the presenter can suggest that the members “step into the hall” to hash it out.
Oops…
The only challenge is that the in-room audience and online participants cannot easily chat with each other. Perhaps the person in the meeting can step into the hallway, and then join the meeting using their cell phone. Suggestions welcome!