Using Breakout Groups

Once you have Breakout Groups implemented, it will be important that Hosts know how to use them. For this, we have a series of guides that all Hosts should review before getting started:

Start Breakout Groups

1. Hover over the 'people' button to start your breakout groups
2. The main room can hold up to 200 people. You can split these people into a maximum of 20 groups and can change the group names to suit any situation.
3. Drag and drop participants to assign groups, or shuffle everyone to save time and encourage connection.

4. Adjust breakout groups settings if needed.

5. When you're ready, select "Start breakout session".

When participants return from breakout groups to the main room, their cameras are turned off and microphones are muted by default.

Group Assignments

1. Before selecting start, drag and drop participants names to assign them to a group.

2. Or, select "Assign all" to have Whereby do the work for you. You can press "Shuffle" to re-assign the groups until you're happy with the allocation.

3. Leave your participants in the unassigned section to allow them the freedom of choice.

   

Breakout Groups Settings

As a host who facilitates Breakout Groups session, click the gear icon to review and adjust the additional Breakout Groups settings.

1. Participants can choose their groups: If checked, participants can join any group on their own once the breakout session starts. If unchecked, participants can only join the group they were assigned to, and unassigned participants won't be able to join any group.

2. Automatically move assigned participants into groups: If checked, all participants will be moved into their breakout groups automatically after the selected time, unless they joined a group on their own. If unchecked, participants need to click Join to enter their breakout group.

3. Automatically return participants to the main room: If checked, when you end the breakout sessions, participants will have a set period of time to wrap up their discussion before being automatically moved back to the main room. If unchecked, participants need to return to the main room on their own.

Communicating with Participants

When leading group sessions, it can be helpful to communicate with everyone at once to remind them of topics, encourage discussion, or bring them back to the main room.

You can broadcast to all groups via chat or by getting on stage. Messages sent within a breakout group will only be seen by the people in that group.

1. Check the "Broadcast to all groups" box in the chat to send everyone a written message.

   
2. Select "Go on stage" to communicate with everyone via audio.

   
3. While "on stage" all groups will be able to hear you. You can get "off stage" to stop broadcasting to all groups.