Breakout Rooms
Breakout Rooms
Table of contents
1. Introduction to breakout rooms [edit]
2. Creating breakout groups [edit]
3. Configure breakout rooms in advance [edit]
4. Managing breakout sessions [edit]
Introduction to breakout rooms [edit]
Breakout rooms allow you to divide meeting participants into separate sessions which can be used for small group activities or discussions. As meeting host, you have full control over the number of rooms created, who can join each room, how long the breakout sessions will last, and have the ability to move between rooms at any time. This is an excellent feature for adding collaborative elements to online classes or webinars, particularly with a large number of attendees where facilitating meaningful interactions can be challenging. Breakout rooms can also give participants access to features which may be restricted in the main room, such as their microphone, camera, and screen sharing. Like any group activity, it can be helpful to plan breakout activities in advance. For example, you may want to consider:
- number of participants per group
- timings for the breakout activity
- clear instructions for the activity
- materials participants may need to work on
- expected outputs and whether participants will report back to the main room
- assigning roles during the breakout session to ensure activities run smoothly
Creating breakout groups [edit]
Ad-hoc breakout groups can be created quickly during a meeting, or you can create groups with specific participants in advance by configuring the meeting settings in your Zoom account. To initiate a breakout session during a meeting, start by clicking the Breakout Rooms button at the bottom of the window.
Once you are ready to start the breakout session, click Open All Rooms. See the ‘Managing breakout sessions’ section below for information on running a breakout session.
Configure breakout rooms in advance [edit]
To create breakout rooms with specific users in advance of your meeting, first to your Zoom account, locate your scheduled meeting and click edit.
Simply add the email addresses of your participants (this must match the email address they are using to log in to your meeting) and type the room name in the corresponding column. When ready, save the file and upload it using the Import Rooms window.
Please note: Only participants who enter the meeting with the email address registered in the pre-assigned breakout room will be allocated to the correct room when the breakout session begins. Students need to join the Zoom session using their QMUL email addresses to be automatically allocated to the correct room. Anyone connecting as a Guest, using an external email address, or registered users who join late after the breakout has started, must be manually allocated to a breakout room during the meeting
Managing breakout sessions [edit]
Once the breakout rooms have been opened, there are several actions you can take to manage the session. You (or any Co-Hosts) may want to move between the rooms to check on participant discussions or answer any questions. Hover your cursor over a room and click Join. This will refresh your Zoom meeting window and move you into the breakout room. You can move between any of the breakout rooms and the main meeting room at any time.
Broadcast messages to breakout rooms [edit]
This is how you, as a host, can broadcast a typed or voice message to participants in Zoom breakout rooms. First ensure you are running the latest version of the Zoom desktop app. In Zoom, once you have set up your breakout rooms, select Open All Rooms.
You will be presented with two further options: 'Broadcast Message' and Broadcast Voice.
Please note: Messages only broadcast for about 5 seconds to participants in the breakout rooms, so you are advised to keep them very short. If you are sharing important details with the breakout rooms, use the chat window instead or relay the message several times.
To speak to the participants in the breakout rooms select Broadcast Voice.
Please note: If you do not switch off the broadcast option, your microphone will continue to broadcast any sound or conversation you have! A message will also appear on screen giving you the option to hold the 'B' key down whilst speaking, rather than clicking on the speaker icon.
Please note: the B key on the keyboard works slightly differently to using the speaker icon. If you press B, you must continue to hold the key until you finish speaking. When you remove your hold on the B key the participants will no longer hear you.
You may decide to alert participants if you are going to speak to them during a breakout room, otherwise it might come as an unexpected surprise!
Tips for running breakout rooms [edit]
- Be sure to share any required files, communicate tasks, and assign roles prior to opening the breakout rooms. Users may be confused about what to do once leaving the main room if instructions are not clear. You are unable to share your screen to all groups once breakouts begin.
- Note that if you are recording the meeting, the recording will continue to capture activity in the main room during breakout sessions. If you need to have discussions with other co-hosts, ensure you pause the recording. Breakout rooms are not automatically recorded, and breakout room recordings will appear as separate files from the main meeting recording. Recording breakout rooms follows the same steps as recording a meeting. Click here to view details information on recording in Zoom.
- Participants who join late, after the breakout session has started, will need to be manually allocated to a breakout room.
- You can manually re-assign or move students between rooms at any time.
- Co-hosts can move between rooms and assign participants to rooms. If you have a large number of participants, additional facilitators can be helpful for assigning users to rooms and moderating discussions.