If you’re wrangling a remote team and tired of bland, awkward video calls, you might be eyeing breakout groups as a way to make your workshops less of a snoozefest. This guide is for folks who actually want to get work done—no fluffy icebreakers or endless technical fiddling. We’ll walk through using Whereby breakout groups so your team can collaborate in smaller chunks, share ideas, and maybe even enjoy the process.
Let’s keep it practical: what does Whereby do well, where does it stumble, and how do you run a solid workshop with minimal hassle?
Why Use Breakout Groups in Whereby?
You’ve probably sat through video calls where only two people talk and everyone else checks their email. Breakout groups are about fixing that. They let you split folks into smaller rooms, so everyone actually gets to speak (and maybe even listen).
Whereby’s take on breakout rooms is simple. You can create groups on the fly, assign people, and bounce between rooms as a host. There’s no complicated dashboard or “are you sure you want to break out?” dialog. That’s the good news.
But let’s be honest—Whereby isn’t as full-featured as Zoom or Teams when it comes to big, complex events. It works best for small to medium teams who want quick, fuss-free collaboration.
Step 1: Prep Your Workshop—Don’t Skip This
A good workshop starts before the meeting. Breakout groups only work if you plan ahead, even just a bit.
Ask yourself: - What’s the goal? (Brainstorm ideas, solve a problem, give feedback, etc.) - How many people are joining? - How many breakout groups do you need? - What should each group do? (Clear tasks beat vague “discuss this” requests.)
Pro tips: - If you have more than 20 people or need complex group shuffling, Whereby might struggle. Keep it simple. - Send a quick agenda and group assignments in advance if possible. Surprises are overrated.
Step 2: Set Up Your Whereby Room
You don’t need an IT degree to set up Whereby, but a little prep saves stress.
- Create Your Room: Log in and make a new room with a clear name (like “team-workshop” instead of “johns-room-2”).
- Check Your Plan: Breakout groups are only available on certain paid plans. Double-check you’re covered before you promise anything.
- Invite Your Team: Send out the room link ahead of time. No downloads needed—just a browser.
What works: Whereby’s “no downloads” approach means less time troubleshooting. Chrome or Firefox work best. Safari sometimes throws a tantrum over camera permissions.
Step 3: Kick Off—Set Expectations Up Front
Don’t just drop people into a call and hope for magic.
- Start with a clear goal. Remind everyone what you’re here to do.
- Explain the breakout process. If it’s new to your team, walk through what’ll happen: “You’ll be assigned to a smaller group, talk through X, and we’ll regroup in 15 minutes.”
- Share any links or docs upfront. Whereby lets you drop links in chat, but it’s not a replacement for a real shared doc.
Pro tip: Keep it short. People tune out during long lectures—get them into the breakouts ASAP.
Step 4: Launch the Breakout Groups
Here’s where you actually use Whereby’s breakout feature.
- Click “Breakout Groups”: As the host, you’ll see this option in your room controls.
- Choose group size or number: You can split people evenly, or drag and drop folks where you want. (Manual assigning is fine for small teams, but clunky for big ones.)
- Set a timer: Whereby lets you set a breakout duration. Use it. Otherwise, people wander back whenever they feel like it.
- Send instructions: Type out the prompt or task in the broadcast message, or drop it in the main chat before splitting.
What works: The UI is straightforward—no secret menus or endless options. People are shuffled in seconds.
What doesn’t: There’s no way to pre-assign groups before the call. No fancy “broadcast video” to all rooms. If you want complex facilitation, you’ll have to get creative.
Step 5: While Groups Are Running—Don’t Hover
As the host, you can jump between breakout rooms to check in, answer questions, or just make sure no one’s stuck in awkward silence.
- Visit each group once, then back off. Trust your team.
- Use the broadcast message if you need to nudge everyone (“5 minutes left!”).
- Don’t micromanage. People need space to actually talk.
Pro tip: Have a backup plan if a group finishes early—like a stretch break or an extra question. Otherwise, they’ll just sit staring at each other.
Step 6: Bring Everyone Back and Actually Do Something With Their Work
When the timer ends (or you hit “End Breakouts”), everyone gets pulled back into the main room.
- Ask each group to share. Pick a spokesperson, or just go round-robin.
- Capture notes somewhere visible. Google Docs, Notion, Miro—whatever works. Don’t rely on Whereby’s chat for anything you want to save.
- Discuss next steps. Don’t just clap and log off—turn ideas into actions if you want the workshop to matter.
What works: The transition back to the main room is smooth—no one gets lost in the shuffle.
What doesn’t: There’s no built-in tool for collecting notes from each group or voting on ideas. You’ll need a separate doc or whiteboard tool for anything beyond basic discussion.
Step 7: Follow Up (or Don’t Bother Next Time)
The best workshops lead somewhere. The worst disappear into the void.
- Send a quick recap after the call—main takeaways, decisions, and what happens next.
- Ask for feedback. Was the tech smooth? Did people actually get to talk? Tweak things for next time.
- Don’t overdo it. Not every meeting needs breakouts, and not every session needs a 10-point action plan.
What to Ignore (and What to Watch Out For)
A few things you might be tempted to fuss over—but don’t:
- Don’t over-engineer group assignments. Random is fine for most cases.
- Don’t expect Whereby to save bad content. Breakout rooms help, but only if you have a clear purpose.
- Don’t rely on chat history. It disappears when people leave the room.
Watch out for: - Browser quirks (mainly Safari) - Folks on mobile—Whereby works but it’s not as smooth as on desktop - People who “lose” the invite link—keep it handy
Quick Checklist: Running Breakout Groups in Whereby
- [ ] Clear goal and agenda?
- [ ] Right Whereby plan?
- [ ] Room set up and tested?
- [ ] Group assignments (if needed)?
- [ ] Shared docs/links ready?
- [ ] Timer set for breakouts?
- [ ] Recap and next steps after?
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Breakout groups in Whereby aren’t magic, but they do make team workshops less painful—if you keep things simple and focus on real conversation. Don’t let the tech run the show. Try it, tweak what doesn’t work, and ignore the hype about “transformative collaboration experiences.” It’s just a tool—use it to get out of your team’s way.