Nathalie facilitates a co-design workshop for a public body: twenty-five staff across sites, a two-hour slot, and no room to “try the link again.” Last week, forced updates ate the welcome quarter-hour; today she wants substance from minute zero.
Why workshops start late
In participatory formats, delay is not only human: downloads, blocked agents, expired guest codes, two links in the calendar. The facilitator becomes IT support while the exercise waits.
Nathalie sees a pattern: “Motivated people spam chat that they cannot join; others go quiet and drop.” At twenty-five, a hesitant entry kills the first activity.
- Install or update on the day
- Confusion between main and backup links
- No entry filter: noise and wanderers
- Facilitator alone against ten “I cannot hear” messages
Workshop room (25) sized for the session
Meeting by Leagora offers a Workshop room up to twenty-five—the right ceiling for a world café or design thinking, without oversizing. Nathalie pins a session link in the invite; everyone joins in the browser with no install.
For prep with a co-facilitator she keeps a Team room (5); for a twelve-person wrap-up committee, a Project room (12) is enough. The large workshop stays in Workshop.
- Workshop (25) for participatory sessions
- Browser access, no install
- Dedicated session links per slot
- France hosting and GDPR-aligned approach
Waiting room and controlled entry
Nathalie enables the waiting room: she admits site pairs, checks mics, then opens when ready. No overlapping voices while someone still hunts the tab.
On paid plans, a custom domain reassures public-sector clients—the link matches the training frame.
The day before she sends one reminder: same link, thirty-second mic test, nothing to download.
Pre-workshop checklist (15 minutes)
Nathalie runs the same routine before every twenty-five-person session.
- Open the Workshop room and test share + mic with co-facilitator (Team room upstream if needed)
- Check waiting room and link wording in the calendar invite
- Prepare a backup session link, not broadcast, if the agenda was duplicated
- Remind participants: recent browser, headset recommended, no mandatory account
- Hold five minutes after the official start to absorb latecomers without restarting the exercise
| When | Action | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| D-1 | Send link + browser instructions | Zero install on the day |
| H-15 | Audio test between facilitators | Avoid live support |
| H+0 | Waiting room, admit in waves | Calm opening |
| H+5 | Start exercise 1 | Group already engaged |
Scenario: world café without a technical queue
At 9:45, twenty-two people are in the room; Nathalie opens the first table round. Two latecomers pass the waiting room, get a fifteen-second brief and join a group. The rest of the workshop is about content—not audio drivers.
Before the first session with this client she used the free one-hour trial for two participants with her co-facilitator to validate mic, share and guest flow.
Frequently asked questions
Project room (12) fits committees; Workshop (25) matches a participatory workshop without cramming or splitting for technical reasons.
No. The path is browser-based with no install—decisive when laptops are locked down or mixed.
The waiting room lets the facilitator admit people in waves and start when audio is stable.
The free one-hour trial for two participants simulates the guest path and screen share with a co-facilitator.