5 Ways to Keep Your Virtual Audience Engaged

With the effects of Covid-19 sweeping across the globe, we have seen a dramatic change in the events industry with many conference planners forced to postpone or even cancel events. The uncertainty on when normality will resume has led event planners to make the switch to virtual events. It can be hard to keep people engaged during a live event so, how do we transition to the virtual world without sacrificing on audience engagement?

We have compiled our top tips on how to keep your attendees engaged during your virtual events!

Use Interactive Features

The use of live polling and Q&A open up discussion between the audience and presenters while helping to break down the communication barriers associated with holding events virtually. These features will allow your attendees to get involved in the sessions and participate similarly to how they would at a live event.

Give the Audience Tasks

Giving your audience tasks such as a survey or a poll to do at regular intervals provides attendees with a natural break from the speaker’s flow of conversation and allows them to shift their focus elsewhere for a short time. It can also help to prompt any attendees who may have been losing focus.

Consider Session Length

How long can people stay attentive until they tune out of what you are saying? If you want to drive engagement, avoid lengthy speeches and presentations. Many of us are now suffering from ‘Zoom Fatigue’, so it is important to minimise the amount of time you require participants to be online.

Choose Passionate Speakers

Your attendees will be more likely to engage with a knowledgeable, well-prepared speaker who is enthusiastic about the topic they are discussing. Speakers should consider using the minimal number of slides to get their point across to prevent fatigue. Regardless of if your event is virtual or physical, attendees will switch off if they feel the speaker is not prepared or is robotic in their delivery.

Enable Chat Features

Enabling the chat function for your event can allow for peer to peer communication & learning. This can sometimes be lost without the usual face to face connections. You can also open the chat function up to speakers to allow the conversations to continue even after the session has finished.