How to Do Breakout Rooms in Google Meet

Using breakout rooms in Google Meet can transform your virtual meetings by fostering small, focused group discussions.

In this blog, we will provide a comprehensive guide on how to set up and effectively manage breakout rooms, improving your online meeting dynamics.

What are Google Meet Breakout Rooms?

In Google Meet, breakout rooms enable meeting hosts to split participants into smaller groups for more focused discussions, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative activities. This feature can make meetings more engaging and productive. Google Meet can support up to 100 breakout rooms, making managing larger meetings easier.

Breakout rooms in Google Meet are a valuable tool for educators, corporate trainers, and workshop facilitators looking to enhance their virtual meetings. However, breakout rooms are only available with paid Google Workspace accounts, and advanced features like live streaming and recording are still unavailable.

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How can Breakout Rooms Improve Virtual Meetings?

Breakout rooms address common challenges of online meetings by creating a more engaging environment. Here's how:

• Deeper participation: Smaller groups mean less distraction and more opportunity for everyone to speak their mind, leading to richer discussions and ensuring everyone feels heard.
• Increased engagement: The intimate setting of breakout rooms encourages active participation, fostering a more dynamic and interactive meeting.
• Enhanced collaboration: Breakout rooms provide dedicated spaces for focused teamwork. Smaller groups can brainstorm and work together more effectively, leading to better problem-solving and cooperation.
• Management flexibility: Hosts can customize breakout rooms, adjust groups dynamically, and set timers to keep discussions on track, allowing for efficient management of large virtual meetings.

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How to Set Up Breakout Rooms in Google Meet

Before a meeting

Setting up breakout rooms before your Google Meet meetings ensures a smooth and organized meeting. Follow these steps to pre-schedule breakout rooms:

1. Open Google Calendar: Go to your Google Calendar and create a new event.

2. ‍Add Guests: Invite participants by adding their email addresses in the "Add guests" field.

3. ‍Click on the Video Call Icon: Click the Google Meet icon to add a video conferencing link to your event.‍
4. Access Breakout Room Options: On the event page, click the gear icon next to the video call link to open the Google Meet settings.

5. ‍Configure Breakout Rooms:

• Number of Rooms: Choose how many breakout rooms you need.
• Assign Participants: Drag and drop participant names into specific rooms or use the random assignment feature.
• Save Settings: Once you have set up the rooms and assigned participants, click "Save."

During a meeting

Sometimes, you need to create breakout rooms on the fly. Here's how to do it in real time during your Google Meet session:

1. Start the Meeting: Begin your Google Meet session as usual.
2. Open Activities Panel: At the bottom right of the screen, click the "Activities" icon.

3. ‍Select Breakout Rooms: Choose "Breakout rooms" from the list of activities.

4. ‍Set Up Rooms‍

a. Number of Rooms: Specify the number of breakout rooms you need.

b. Assign Participants:

1. Manual Assignment: Drag and drop participants' names into the desired rooms.
2. Automatic Assignment: Click the "Shuffle" button to assign participants to rooms randomly.

5. ‍Open Rooms: Once configuring the rooms, click "Open rooms" to start the breakout sessions.

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How to Manage Breakout Rooms Effectively

Managing breakout rooms effectively during your Google Meet meetings ensures that participants are focused and engaged during conversations. Here are some ways on how you can manage breakout rooms more efficiently:

Prepare participants

• Set crystal clear goals: Before the meeting, set clear objectives for breakout rooms, ensuring everyone arrives focused and understands the desired outcome of their discussions.
• Give pre-meeting instructions: Inform participants on how to join breakout rooms, what tools they might need, and the duration of each session. Consider sending an email or document beforehand to set expectations and avoid confusion.

Boost engagement with interactive tools

• Collaborative teamwork: Share Google Docs or Sheets with participants in each breakout room, allowing them to work on group tasks in real-time, foster collaboration, and ensure everyone contributes to the project.
• Dynamic discussions: Utilize interactive whiteboards like Jamboard within the breakout rooms. This tool allows participants to brainstorm and visualize ideas, making discussions more dynamic and engaging.

Balance group sizes for effective collaboration

• Small groups (3-5 people): are ideal for focused discussions and intricate tasks where everyone can speak and contribute meaningfully.
• Larger groups (6-8 people): This grouping suits brainstorming sessions or tasks requiring diverse input. Ensure the group size is manageable to hear everyone and avoid chaos.
• Flexibility is key: Be bold and adjust group sizes based on the complexity of the task and the number of participants in your meeting.

Seek feedback for continuous improvements

• Gather immediate feedback: Send out quick surveys immediately after the meeting to gather participants' experiences, what worked well, and areas for improvement.
• Schedule follow-up meetings: Consider scheduling a brief follow-up meeting to discuss the breakout sessions, facilitate a deeper understanding of participant experiences, and clarify issues.
• Learn and adapt: Review the feedback to identify common themes or recurring issues. Use this information to adjust and improve the quality of future breakout room sessions.

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Common Issues and Troubleshooting Tips

Breakout room hiccups? No worries! Here's how to fix common problems:

• Can't join? Ensure participants use a compatible browser or app and have a Google account, which allows breakout rooms.
• Audio/Video woes? Double-check the microphone and camera settings, and try restarting the device or browser.
• Room creation trouble? Verify the host's Workspace plan supports breakout rooms, and refresh the Meet page or update the browser.
• Connection problems? Ensure a strong internet connection. If issues continue, try a wired connection or switch networks.

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Best Practices for Addressing Technical Issues

Sometimes, technical glitches and issues can’t be avoided. Here are some tips in case you encounter any of these issues:

• Pre-Meeting Checks: Ensure all participants have updated browsers and Google Meet apps before the session starts.
• Offer Support: Provide a dedicated support contact for technical issues. Use the "Ask for help" feature so participants can quickly request assistance.
• Backup Plans: Have backup communication methods, like a group chat or email, in case someone gets disconnected.
• Recording and Notes: Encourage participants to take notes or record their breakout sessions for reference in case of technical disruptions.

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How Tactiq can Level Up your Breakout Room Sessions in Google Meet

If your teams hold virtual meetings regularly, then Tactiq is the ideal AI meeting assistant for you! Tactiq can enhance your breakout room sessions in Google Meet by:

• Providing real-time transcription: Live transcripts ensure everyone can focus on the discussion, not note-taking.
• Automating summaries: Get key takeaways from each session automatically for easy recall later.
• Consolidating notes: No more hunting through notes from different rooms. Tactiq combines everything into one document.
• Simplifying review and sharing: Effortlessly review and share transcripts and summaries after the meeting, perfect for providing feedback or following up on action items.
• Giving clear takeaways: Tactiq highlights vital points and tasks from each breakout room, ensuring nothing gets missed and everyone is on the same page.

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Use Tactiq for More Effective Breakout Sessions in Google Meet

Mastering breakout rooms in Google Meet can transform your virtual meetings by fostering small, focused group discussions. This guide has shown you how to effectively set up and manage breakout rooms, enhancing engagement, collaboration, and overall meeting dynamics. For an even better experience, consider using Tactiq to provide real-time transcription, automatic summaries, and consolidated notes, ensuring a seamless and productive breakout room session.