Let's face it: keeping your audience glued to your session on bias reduction activities isn't easy. But, when you engage them right, not only does it make the session more fun, it actually drives home the message way more effectively. The goal is to move beyond just talking at your audience to actually involving them, getting them to reflect, discuss, and apply what they learn. With MS Teams and tools like StreamAlive on your side, you can make participation not just easier, but a genuinely enjoyable part of your live sessions.

Get Global with Magic Maps

Magic Maps is a fantastic way to break the ice and get everyone speaking from the start. Begin your session by asking folks to tell you where they're joining from. It's fun to see a map fill up with pins from around the world, reminding everyone just how diverse your group is. You can go a step further and ask them about a country they’d love to visit or a place that has special meaning in their lives. This not only gets people talking but sets the tone for a session about embracing diversity.

Meet Real-Time Thoughts with Opinion Polls

Opinion Polls give your audience a voice in real time. Have an open-ended poll about what your audience thinks is the hardest bias to tackle. Let them type out their thoughts, and watch as common themes begin to appear. You can address these points on the fly, catering the session to tackle the biases that your audience is most concerned about. This makes the experience feel bespoke, and participants will appreciate being heard.

Test Ideas with Power Polls

Power Polls could be your unexpected ace in the hole. During your session, throw in a poll asking about common biases they’ve noticed in their own workplace. It gets your audience reflecting on their own environments and naturally sparks discussion. Another neat way to use poll results is as a jumping-off point for group discussions—like asking people to share how they handle bias when they see it. This keeps the session lively and ensures everyone takes something concrete away from it.

Add Excitement with the Winner Wheel

The Winner Wheel can be such a hit during your bias reduction exercises! It’s a simple way to motivate participation because everyone wants their name on that wheel. Whenever you introduce a new section or topic, ask attendees to share something in the chat related to the bias topic; it can be a comment, a thought, or a question. Use the wheel to pick a name at random. The winner could maybe choose the topic for your next discussion break or get a virtual badge – a fun reward that spruces up the session.

Visualize Ideas with Wonder Words

Wonder Words is a super way to bring out everyone's ideas in a visual format. When you ask your audience to type out a single word related to their experiences with diversity, the word cloud begins to take shape. Suddenly, it becomes crystal clear what the hot topics are—maybe 'communication' or 'unity'. Use this visual to guide your discussions. It’s a colorful, dynamic way to show consensus or raise challenging topics without singling anyone out. Plus, it keeps the energy light and visual, which everyone loves.

Simplify Decisions with Choice Circle

Power Polls could be your unexpected ace in the hole. During your session, throw in a poll asking about common biases they’ve noticed in their own workplace. It gets your audience reflecting on their own environments and naturally sparks discussion. Another neat way to use poll results is as a jumping-off point for group discussions—like asking people to share how they handle bias when they see it. This keeps the session lively and ensures everyone takes something concrete away from it.