Due to Covid-19 and self-isolating efforts, more and more businesses are turning to Zoom, an online software, for video conferencing, webinars and more. Whether your account is free or paid, there are some tips and tricks to using Zoom that make for a better user experience overall. Here are our favourite when hosting team meetings.
1. Turn on Gallery View – By default, Zoom will show the screen of users who are speaking, which can be detrimental when hosting larger chats. In the top right corner of your video screen, click on ‘Gallery View’. This will ensure that you can see everyone in your meeting at the same time, allowing all members to feel like they are being included.
2. Learn Keyboard Shortcuts – Did you know that there are a ton of keyboard shortcuts that can help you navigate your meetings better? For example, you can mute and unmute your meeting just by tapping your spacebar! Zoom has an entire webpage dedicated to these shortcuts.
3. Share Your Screen – Screen sharing is a great way to keep people involved when discussing topics, and you can choose how much or how little of your screen you want to show. We highly recommend doing this when sharing content. At the bottom of the meeting screen, you will see a ‘share screen’ icon, where you can select your preferred shared screen format.
4. Use Mute when Possible – When you’re not contributing or if you’re just listening in, use the mute function. This eliminates unnecessary background noise that can distract other participants and effects the overall video quality.
5. Record the Meeting to Your Computer – Free or paid, you can actually record your meetings as they happen and download them for later. This is a great idea because it eliminates anyone having to take notes and potentially falling behind in the meeting. You can reference these videos later or even distribute them to team members who could not participate. Simply go to settings > record > on. Yes, it’s that simple!
6. Use the Whiteboard Feature – This is a fun feature that can get everyone involved. Part of the ‘screensharing’ settings, you can simulate a whiteboard that your team members can write on.
7. Use the Schedule Function – Schedule your zoom meetings by syncing them to your calendar. This simple trick will allow you to never forget a meeting, and keep your team members from doing the same.
Happy Zoom’ing!
