If you’ve ever tried running a team brainstorm or workshop online, you know the pain: everyone talking at once, awkward silences, and the same three people dominating the call. Breakout rooms are supposed to help—splitting the group into smaller, focused discussions. But if you’re using Gotomeeting, you might’ve noticed it’s not as obvious as, say, Zoom. This guide is for team leads, project managers, or anyone stuck running remote meetings who just wants a clear answer: can you do breakout rooms in Gotomeeting, and if so, how?
Let’s cut through the fluff and get your team collaborating better, not just staring at screens.
First, the Awkward Truth
Let’s not sugarcoat it: as of early 2024, Gotomeeting doesn’t have true “breakout rooms” baked right in, the way Zoom does. If you go hunting in the interface for a magic ‘Breakout’ button, you won’t find one. There’s no built-in feature to split a meeting into several sub-meetings and pull everyone back together with a click.
But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. There are some workarounds, and Gotomeeting’s parent company has started rolling out breakout-style features in related products. I’ll walk you through what does work, what’s clunky, and what to skip.
Step 1: Know What Gotomeeting Actually Offers
Before you waste time clicking around, here’s what you need to know:
- No native breakout rooms: Gotomeeting (see [gotomeeting.html]) focuses on straightforward meetings. If you want true breakouts, you’re looking at either workarounds, or switching to GoTo’s other offering, GoTo Training, which does support breakout sessions. But for now, let’s stick to what you’ve got.
- Multiple meetings workaround: You can create several separate Gotomeeting sessions, and send small groups to each one. It’s manual, but it works.
- Gotomeeting’s “Rooms”: Don’t get confused by hardware-based “GoToRoom” solutions. Those are for physical conference rooms, not virtual breakouts.
Pro tip: If you’re running big events with lots of breakouts, consider whether Gotomeeting is the right tool, or if you should use Zoom or GoTo Training instead. For small teams or occasional use, the workaround is usually fine.
Step 2: Plan Your Breakouts Before the Meeting
If you try to set up multiple meetings on the fly, chaos will reign. Here’s how to prep:
- Know your groups: Figure out how many breakout sessions you want, and who goes where. Write it down.
- Set up separate Gotomeeting sessions: For each breakout, schedule a separate meeting in advance. Name them clearly (e.g., “Team A Breakout - Monday 10am”).
- Get the join links: Copy the unique link for each session. You’ll need to send these to your team during the main meeting.
What to ignore: Don’t try to use “meeting rooms” or “channels” like you would in Slack or Teams. Gotomeeting doesn’t have persistent virtual spaces—each meeting link is its own thing.
Step 3: Run the Main Meeting and Launch Breakouts
When it’s time for breakouts, here’s what actually works:
- Kick off in your main Gotomeeting session. Give everyone context, explain how the breakouts will work, and double-check everyone’s got the links.
- Share breakout links. Drop the breakout links in the chat, or email them out in advance. Be direct: “Team A, use this link. Team B, this one.”
- Help folks join the right room. Be ready for confusion—some people will click the wrong link or get lost. Don’t worry, it happens.
- Set a return time. Make it clear when everyone should come back to the main session. There’s no magic button to pull them back—you’ll need to rely on time and reminders.
- Stay available. If you’re running the show, consider popping into each breakout to check in. You’ll need to join and leave each session manually.
What works (honestly)
- Small groups: For teams of 10-20, this manual method is manageable.
- Short sessions: Use breakouts for 10-20 minute bursts, not hour-long workshops.
What doesn’t
- Large events: Herding dozens of people into the right rooms gets messy, fast.
- Automated transitions: You can’t force people back to the main room with a click. You’re relying on everyone to follow instructions.
Step 4: Re-Gather the Group
When it’s time to regroup:
- Send a reminder. Post in your team chat, or email everyone, telling them to rejoin the main Gotomeeting link.
- Wait a couple minutes. People will trickle back. Don’t stress if it takes longer than you hoped.
- Wrap up. Once everyone’s back, finish your meeting.
Pro tip: Budget extra time for transitions. People get lost, links break, someone’s mic won’t work—you know the drill.
Step 5: Streamline for Next Time
If you’ll run breakouts often, make it easier:
- Keep a doc with all your links. Don’t reinvent the wheel for every meeting.
- Standardize your breakout messages. Save templates for “Here’s your breakout link” and “Come back at X:XX.”
- Get feedback. Ask your team what went smoothly (or not). Sometimes, the simplest path is to skip breakouts entirely and just have shorter, focused meetings.
Extra Tips and Common Pitfalls
What To Watch Out For
- Link confusion: People will click the wrong link. Number your groups, color-code them, whatever makes it clearer.
- Tech issues: Gotomeeting can be cranky with multiple sessions open at once. Have folks close one room before opening another.
- No “broadcast to all”: Unlike Zoom, you can’t send a message to all breakout sessions at once. If you need to alert everyone, you’ll have to email or message outside the meeting.
When to Use (or Skip) Breakouts
Use Gotomeeting breakouts if: - You’ve got a small, disciplined team. - You only need one or two quick breakouts.
Consider another tool if: - You’re running big workshops or training sessions. - You need fancy features: timed breakouts, auto-assignment, or broadcasting messages.
What About GoTo Training or GoTo Webinar?
If breakouts are a regular thing for your group, check out GoTo Training (from the same company). It has actual breakout session features—split groups, auto-assign, the works. But it’s a different product, with its own quirks and pricing. Switching might not be worth the hassle unless you’re running lots of big sessions.
Keep It Simple
Breakout rooms aren’t magic—they’re just a way to make meetings suck less by letting people talk in smaller groups. If Gotomeeting is what you’ve got, use the workarounds above, and don’t overcomplicate things. If your team is spending more time managing links than collaborating, it might be time to rethink your approach.
Test once, improve as you go, and don’t be afraid to say, “Let’s just keep this simple.” Sometimes, that’s the best collaboration tool of all.