An online meeting or workshop can be just as interesting and interactive as ain real life. You just need to design it with online in mind.
Here are some tips specifically for facilitating online sessions.
Few Tools
Choose 1 or 2 tools to use and stick to them. Remember that each additional tool means switching, potential issues, learning a new interface, etc. Which tools you use should be determined by what your audience is familiar with and what functionality you need.
Small Groups
Interaction often works best in small groups, so make sure to regularly break out into subgroups. Most videoconferencing tools nowadays have functionality for break out rooms. Use it!
Short Sessions
Sitting behind a computer screen is more tiring, even if the session is engaging. Make sure you have long breaks and limit the total length of the session. It is better to have a few sessions spread out over several days, than 1 long session.
Visualize Results
Use shared documents, a virtual whiteboard, or polls to capture results. Make sure everyone can see it (and edit as necessary). Asking participants to capture results on a virtual whiteboard is also a great way to see progress of break out rooms (which helps to know when to call them back).
Design for Online
Converting face-to-face interaction patterns to an online setting may sometimes work. More often, it doesn’t. That’s why you should design the interactive parts of your session specifically for online use. Make the most of the tools you are using, and make sure that you choose the right tools for the kind of interaction you are planning (but don’t use too many different tools).
Multiple Screens
To manage an interactive online session well, you need to be able to see the participants and the content (e.g. whiteboard or slides) at the same time. You probably also want to see your facilitation guide with timing and prompts. That means you’ll need at least 2 good screens, preferably three.