Preparing for a Zoom Meeting
- Download and install Zoom well ahead of time and check-out the audio/visual connection.
- Enter your full name and a photo when configuring Zoom, so people know who you are.
- If possible, access Zoom via your desktop, not your smartphone or tablet.
- Do not access Zoom by audio phone only. It is important that you can be seen
Video/Audio Connection
You will be seen and will be interacting with many people, and it is critical that your video and audio quality are excellent.
You can see Zoom’s full system requirements here. And test your Internet upload and download speeds here. If you have at least 1.5 Mbps download and upload you should be OK.
Your regular PC or laptop should provide a sufficiently high-quality built-in webcam and mike but if need be:
- Buy a separate high-quality webcam.
- Use a headset or webcam with built-in mike.
Room Lighting
- Good lighting. If need be, buy a lamp.
- The light should be coming from in forint of you – not behind.
- Draw the curtains if need be.
- Position yourself and the webcam well so that you are in the centre of the screen and not too far away.
Joining the Meeting
- Try to join the meeting a little while before it starts so that you can check out your connection.
- If you arrive very early, I may not be online, or if I am still setting things up, you may be put in a “waiting room.” As soon as I am ready, I will let you into the meeting.
- If you arrive late, please join quietly and do not interrupt the conversation or the presentation that is going on at the time. I will have noticed you have joined and welcome you at an appropriate point.
During a Zoom Meeting
Audio Environment
To ensure the large group experience works well it is important to control the audio environment carefully. Excessive background noise and audio feedback can destroy the event.
- Ensure you are in a quiet environment.
- During the meeting turn off your phone or anything else that might distract you or the other participants.
- When you are not speaking mute your mike. There is a small blue toggle mute button in the top right-hand corner of your video window to control this.
- If you forget to mute your mike, I may do it for you. As host, I have this ability. This means that before speaking, you need to remember to unmute your mike.
Getting the host’s attention
To attract the host’s attention when in the large room you can physically waive your hand though it is better if you click the Chat button on the menu bar at the bottom of your video window – a chat panel will open up to the right of your screen.
At the bottom of this panel are two toggle buttons Mute Me/Unmute Me – another way of muting yourself and Raise Hand/Lower Hand.
The Raise Hand/Lower Hand toggle will raise a little blue hand icon on my screen to indicate that you wish to talk. You can take your hand down at any time by toggling the button.