Breakout rooms allow you to divide participants into smaller groups for discussion, exercises, or interactive segments. This can create an intimate experience when needed.

Note: Use breakout rooms intentionally — for most guided sessions, they aren’t necessary.

Why This Matters

• Helps manage group size for more personal interaction

• Supports exercises, discussions, or paired work in workshops

• Encourages participants to connect in smaller, quieter groups

Step 1: Enable Breakout Rooms

1. Open Zoom Settings

2. Go to Meeting > In Meeting (Advanced)

3. Enable Breakout Room

4. (Optional) Check Allow host to assign participants to breakout rooms when scheduling

💡 Tip: Enable pre-assignment if you know participants ahead of time.

Step 2: Creating Breakout Rooms

• During your meeting, click Breakout Rooms in the Zoom toolbar

• Choose the number of rooms you want

• Select how participants are assigned:

  • Automatically: Zoom divides participants evenly

  • Manually: You assign participants to specific rooms

• Click Create

Step 3: Managing Breakout Rooms

• Open All Rooms: Starts the breakout session

• Close All Rooms: Returns participants to the main session

• Move Participants: Drag and drop participants between rooms if needed

• Broadcast Message: Send a short message to all rooms at once (e.g., “5 minutes remaining”)

💡 Tip: Keep breakout sessions short (10–20 minutes) and clearly communicate instructions before sending participants.

Step 4: Returning to the Main Session

• Click Close All Rooms

• Participants receive a 60-second countdown before returning to the main room

• Debrief together if appropriate

💡 Tip: After returning, take a moment to ground the energy before continuing the main session.

Step 5: Best Practices

• Only use breakout rooms if it adds value to your session

• Prepare instructions ahead of time to avoid confusion

• Monitor rooms discreetly and check in if needed

• Keep the overall energy calm and grounded

Final Thoughts

Breakout rooms can enhance small-group work and participant engagement when used thoughtfully. For Dragonfly sessions, they are best for exercises, paired activities, or interactive discussions, and should always be approached with clear instructions and intentionality.