As organisations rushed online, many simply tried to replicate face-to-face meetings in a virtual environment. What quickly became clear was that this approach wasn’t working.  We saw familiar challenges emerging: 

• One or two people dominating conversations. 

• Participants feeling uncomfortable speaking up. 

• Accessibility needs being overlooked. 

• Digital confidence and technology becoming new sources of inequality. 

• Participants struggling with poor internet connections, caring responsibilities and competing demands at home. 

• Senior voices having more influence than frontline staff or community members. 

• Long presentations replacing meaningful interaction.  

The pandemic didn’t remove existing inequalities. In many ways, it magnified them. People needed practical tools and confidence, but they also needed a different mindset about what good virtual facilitation looked like.  

We designed and delivered a practical learning programme called Engaging Diverse Groups Virtually, helping people rethink how they designed and facilitated online spaces.  

The programme brought together facilitators, managers, academics, engagement professionals and organisational leaders who were all trying to navigate a rapidly changing world.  

Rather than focusing purely on technology, we focused on creating better experiences for people. 

Together we explored: 

• How to design inclusive online spaces. 

• Ways to encourage participation from diverse voices. 

• Practical approaches to planning virtual workshops. 

• New facilitation roles such as chat moderators and breakout facilitators. 

• How power and privilege show up in virtual spaces. 

• Creative tools that move beyond presentations and talking heads.  

We shared practical techniques including: 

• Check-ins and check-outs. 

• Permission slips and psychological safety. 

• Breakout conversations. 

• Collaborative digital whiteboards. 

• Shared documents and visual collaboration tools. 

• Interactive discussion and reflection methods.  

Most importantly, we helped people understand that successful virtual engagement isn’t about mastering software. It’s about helping people feel welcome, heard and able to contribute.  

Participants left with more than a toolkit. They left with greater confidence and a new way of thinking about online engagement. The programme helped people recognise that virtual spaces could be: 

• More inclusive. 

• More equitable. 

• More accessible. 

• More valuable.  

Participants began to experiment with new approaches that prioritised interaction over presentation, conversation over broadcast and participation over attendance.  

The learning also extended beyond individual workshops. Participants joined an ongoing learning and sharing network, creating opportunities to continue exchanging ideas and supporting one another as the pandemic evolved.  

At a time when many people felt isolated and disconnected, these new skills helped organisations maintain relationships, continue collaboration and keep communities connected despite physical distance.  

The pandemic taught us something we still believe today. People don’t join meetings because they love meetings. They join because they’re looking for connection, purpose, learning and belonging. 

What became clear during this work was that great virtual engagement has very little to do with technology. The platform is rarely the most important part. What matters is whether people feel safe enough to contribute, confident enough to participate and valued enough to keep showing up.  

The move online also challenged us to think more deeply about inclusion. For some people, virtual spaces created barriers. For others, they opened doors that had always been closed. The real task was learning how to design spaces that worked for as many people as possible.  

Looking back, this wasn’t simply a response to COVID-19. It was the beginning of a much bigger conversation about how we build connection, collaboration and community in a digital world. 

At Collaborate Out Loud, we learned that even when people are physically apart, meaningful collaboration is still possible. Sometimes all it takes is a thoughtfully designed space, a willingness to try something different and a belief that every voice matters.