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Echoing/amplifying what Peggy said in response to Sarah:? Yes, it's often important for people to feel they have a voice and they are seen in meetings (especially people who are typically marginalized).? So breakout groups are your friend!?

But I advise using breakouts *strategically* :? Before sending people into breakouts, everyone needs the message that breakout rooms are about *equal* voice around a specific prompt.??People who are accustomed to "having the stage" need to understand that this is not just "a smaller stage" for them to bloviate,?nor a practice run before they can do the same once breakouts end. And people who tend to *never* speak in large meetings need to understand that going into breakouts means that their voice is important for the others to hear.??Decide in advance if you want to hear verbal feedback after the breakouts (in which case each breakout should declare a spokesperson before the breakout ends), or via text in some manner (in which case each one needs a scribe), and let them know what to expect.

Tell them that you're still managing the meeting (i.e. taking care of people who might get runover) even when they can't see you because they're in breakouts.? ?You'll give them 30 seconds or so to figure out speaker order, then you'll send announcements every X minutes ... and they need to honor the announcements or they'll cheat future speakers.? If possible, I advise keeping the groups to less than five and limiting each person to no more than three minutes or so.? Remind them that having more to say than time allows is actually a GOOD thing -- that means they can have richer conversations over breaks/after the session!? I also suggest a super-quick way of determining who will speak first, second, third ("If you're willing to speak first, gesture to the camera with your index finger raised. Even if there are more than one person?ready, it's much quicker than negotiating through the mics. Then others can hold up two fingers, three, etc.")? If they do that, then the first person may get a few extra seconds, but that might be good for the bloviators.

You also need to give everyone a specific prompt, and then give them at least a minute or two of SILENCE to consider their responses before opening breakouts. (Because once you send them into the breakouts, the talkative ones will just start talking.)?

Don't forget to send broadcast announcements, and also warn them before closing and "yanking" them back into the main room, and reminding them to select a spokesperson or scribe if you're getting feedback in the larger group, after.?