Tip
Break your meeting into “attention sprints.” Every 7–10 minutes, switch gears — change the speaker, invite reactions in chat, or use a quick poll. These micro-resets re-activate attention and make your meeting feel dynamic rather than draining.
Description
Online meetings often ask the impossible: to sit still, stare at a grid of faces, and stay mentally engaged for 60 minutes straight. Neuroscience says our attention span starts dipping after 10 to 25 minutes of passive listening (Forbes and Frontiers in Psychology). In virtual spaces, that dip becomes a cliff. The fix isn’t longer slides or louder voices — it’s deliberate rhythm.
Think of your meeting as a playlist, not a lecture. Each song (or segment) should have its own tempo: a short presentation, followed by a question to the group, a chat reaction, a poll, etc. These moments act like brain oxygen — they pull attention back to the shared space. You meeting platform likely already has built-in tools to help facilitate this like emoji reactions or annotation boards.
You’ll notice how engagement spikes when people sense movement and variety. You’ll also feel more alert as a facilitator because you’re co-creating the energy instead of performing for a quiet crowd.