In the last 12 months, 64% of B2B marketers hosted a webinar, virtual event, or online course; highlighting how common live online sessions have become. And this is according to Zoom.

Virtual meetings on Zoom are now an everyday part of work, school, and events. But too often they can feel like talking to an empty void: you present, and everyone else stays muted with cameras off. It’s no surprise that nearly 90% of workers admit to multitasking during virtual meetings, and many experience a sense of “Zoom fatigue.” 

Keeping your audience engaged and gathering their feedback in real time is key to combating this. In fact, 65% of participants feel more engaged when they can provide input during a session. 

Whether you’re hosting a corporate meeting, an online class, or a webinar, here are three friendly and effective ways to solicit feedback during your Zoom session. These methods will not only liven up your meeting but also make attendees feel heard and involved.

1. Launch Live Polls for Instant Input

One of the easiest ways to get quick feedback on Zoom is by using live polls. Zoom’s built-in polling feature (available to hosts) lets you pose a multiple-choice question to your audience and gather responses instantly. It’s great for taking the pulse on a topic, running a quick quiz, or making a group decision. 

For example, in a team meeting you might poll “Which project should we prioritize next?” or in a webinar ask “How familiar are you with this topic?” Attendees simply click their choice, and you can share the results in real time.

Why use polls? 

They’re interactive and fun (and participants love having a voice). Studies show that incorporating live polls or quizzes can boost participant engagement by over 40%. When people see a question pop up on screen, it grabs their attention and invites involvement. 

On average, about half of webinar attendees respond to polls (50–55%), but the most engaging sessions see up to 60–65% participation. That means a well-timed poll can get a majority of your audience clicking and thinking instead of zoning out.

Polls can also inject a bit of enjoyment: a survey of remote teams found 60% felt more connected after participating in a light-hearted quiz together. In other words, a fun poll can double as an icebreaker or morale booster.

Tips to encourage poll feedback:

Let your audience know a poll is coming and why you value their input. Keep questions clear and concise, avoid wordy or confusing polls. 

(A survey indicates that 70% of participants drop off when faced with unclear or complex questions, so simplicity is key!). If you’re gathering opinions, consider making responses anonymous to encourage honesty. 

Give people enough time to click their answer, and don’t be afraid to remind anyone who hasn’t responded (“We’d love to get everyone’s take – go ahead and vote now!”). Finally, share the results and react to them. 

For example: “Looks like 75% of you prefer Option A – good to know!” Discussing poll results for a moment validates the feedback and shows that it’s being heard. This loop of question → response → result makes attendees feel involved in steering the meeting, rather than just watching passively.

2. Encourage Interaction in the Chat

The Zoom chat is your friend for real-time feedback. Not everyone is comfortable speaking up on video, but many are happy to type a quick comment or click an emoji in the chat panel. By actively inviting people to use the chat, you create a backchannel of engagement that runs alongside your presentation. 

For instance, you can ask open-ended questions (“What’s one word that describes how you feel about today’s topic? Type it in the chat!”) or solicit opinions (“Questions or ideas? Throw them in the chat as we go.”). 

You might even do a quick DIY poll by saying “Type Yes in the chat if you agree, No if you don’t.” This gives you immediate feedback you can gauge at a glance. You can use the StreamAlive Zoom App to record users’ responses and show it on the screen.

Why use chat for feedback? 

It provides a low-pressure way for more people to participate. Research on virtual events shows that without prompting, only about 23% of delegates posted in the chat during a session, meaning the majority stayed silent. By explicitly encouraging chat interaction, you can draw out the other 70-80% who would otherwise just listen in the background. 

Once the chat gets rolling, it can take on a life of its own. Attendees often start responding to each other, not just to the host, creating a richer sense of community. 

In one analysis of a conference, chat messages mostly consisted of positive reactions and follow-ups between participants, and few messages went unanswered, people were actively engaging with one another. This kind of peer interaction is a gold mine for engagement: your audience isn’t just connected to you, they’re connecting with each other.

Tips to spark chat activity: 

Be the first to break the ice. People might be hesitant to type at first, so lead by example (maybe share a personal anecdote or a fun emoji in the chat, setting a friendly tone). Ask direct but easy questions that everyone can answer without much effort. 

For example: “Where is everyone joining from? (I’m in NYC 🌆)”. Questions like this get people comfortable with typing. During the session, call out good comments or answers you see in the chat (“Alice mentioned a great point in the chat about…”) to show you’re paying attention. This encourages others to chime in. 

If the group is large, consider assigning a co-host or moderator to watch the chat and surface feedback or questions you might miss. Also, don’t overload the chat with too many asks at once (give people a moment to respond and read others’ responses). 

Lastly, consider using the chat creatively: you can have mini brainstorms (“Drop your best idea for X in the chat now!”) or even tiny challenges (“First person to name a song about teamwork in chat gets bragging rights”). The key is to make chat participation feel rewarding and safe. 

When done right, everyone (from the shy to the outspoken) has a chance to be heard via chat, even if they never unmute their mic.

3. Leverage Zoom Reactions and Nonverbal Feedback

Sometimes the simplest feedback is a quick emoji 👍 or a raised hand 🙋. Zoom’s Reactions feature lets participants send little emoji icons that pop up on their video or name (like thumbs-up, clapping hands, hearts, etc.)

There are also nonverbal feedback options (if enabled by the host) like a Yes/No checkmark, “slow down” or “speed up” symbols, and the classic Raise Hand. These tools are perfect for gauging the room’s sentiments in real time without stopping the flow of conversation.

Why use reactions? 

It’s a lightweight, real-time feedback channel that almost everyone is willing to use. Think of reactions as the virtual equivalent of nodding heads or quick hand-raises in an in-person meeting. They allow you to get a sense of agreement, confusion, or mood at a glance. For example, you can say, “Give me a thumbs-up if you’re ready to move on” – and instantly see how many 👍 icons appear. The Zoom host dashboard even shows a count of how many people have clicked each reaction. This way, if only 2 out of 20 give a thumbs up, you know to pause or ask if others need more time. Reactions are also great for engagement because they’re so easy. Just one click, no pressure of formulating a spoken comment. 

This ease matters, since nearly one-quarter of employees (24%) say they have difficulty being included in online conversations. Those are the folks who might never unmute to speak, but they will click a Yes 👍 or No 👎 icon when asked. It gives everyone, including the quieter voices, a chance to participate without spotlight anxiety. And let’s not forget: reactions can inject some fun and personality into the meeting. 

A flurry of 🎉🎉 party popper emojis when you announce good news, or a 😂 laughing emoji at a joke, makes the whole session feel more human and lively.

Tips to encourage reactions: 

Prompt your audience to use them! Don’t assume people will spontaneously click reaction emojis – give explicit cues. Try asking simple binary questions: “Should we take a break now? Click Yes or No.” or “Do you agree with that statement? Thumbs up or thumbs down.” For more nuanced feedback, you can get creative: “How are we feeling about this proposal – hit the 🎉 if you’re excited or 😮 if you’re surprised by it.” 

Make sure to explain the reaction icons at the start if you suspect attendees aren’t familiar (especially in educational settings or with less tech-savvy groups): e.g., “You’ll see a little ‘Reactions’ button on your Zoom toolbar (you can use that to send a thumbs-up, clap, or other emoji.) 

Let me know how you’re doing.” When people do react, acknowledge it: “I see lots of thumbs up, great!” or “If you hit the green check, I got your response.” This positive reinforcement will encourage more folks to try it. Also, consider enabling nonverbal feedback icons (in your Zoom settings) for larger meetings: the Yes/No and Raise Hand icons can be very handy for quick polls and for managing Q&A sessions. 

For instance, instead of awkwardly asking a huge group to unmute one by one, you can say “Raise your hand in Zoom if you have a question,” then call on those with the hand icon. By normalizing the use of reactions, you create an interactive environment where giving feedback is as easy as clicking an emoji, and everyone feels a bit more “in it together” rather than isolated boxes on a screen.

Bringing It All Together

Encouraging feedback during a Zoom meeting transforms it from a one-way lecture into a two-way conversation. When you run a poll or spark a lively chat discussion, you’re telling your audience their voice matters. And when attendees feel heard, they tend to be more engaged and attentive (which can make your meeting more productive and enjoyable for everyone.) It can take a little practice to smoothly integrate these interactive elements, but the payoff is worth it. Start small if needed: maybe add one poll and one chat question to your next meeting and see how people respond. Every group is different, so experiment with what types of questions or feedback methods click best with your crowd.

Finally, remember that you’re not limited to just Zoom’s native features. There are purpose-built tools out there to supercharge live audience engagement. 

For example, some hosts use platforms like StreamAlive to visualize and manage feedback in real time (one tool can even turn your audience’s chat messages into word clouds and live polls, making the feedback fun and highly visible for all.) 

(It works within Zoom, so participants don’t have to juggle separate apps.) While you don’t want to introduce anything too complex, a specialized engagement tool can be a great add-on once you’re comfortable and want to take things to the next level.

The best Zoom meetings feel less like a monologue and more like a conversation. By using polls, chat, and reactions, you create multiple channels for your audience to talk back to you (and to each other) even in a virtual space. So go ahead and give these feedback methods a try in your next session. 

Mix and match, get creative, and find out what your audience loves most. You might be surprised how a quick poll here or a goofy chat question there can light up the room (or rather, the Zoom 😊). As a host, it’s truly rewarding to see those responses start flowing in. Not only will you get valuable input, but you’ll also foster a sense of connection that makes meetings more engaging for everyone. 

Happy Zooming, and don’t be afraid to ask for that feedback! Your audience’s reactions might just be the boost that brings your virtual meeting to life.