Virtual meetings are essential to remote work—but they can also be tedious. If Zoom is your video conferencing platform of choice, there are plenty of hidden features you can use to make meetings more efficient for hosts and engaging for participants. Here are the best tips and tricks for getting the most out of Zoom.
Use self-selected breakout rooms to create virtual networking events
Virtual networking is already awkward, and potentially even more so if you send people into random breakout rooms to force them to interact. While meeting participants are usually automatically assigned breakout rooms, Zoom has a feature that allows individuals to choose their own breakout and move between rooms at their own pace. This creates a more flexible experience that simulates in-person networking – if you’re the host, you can name breakout rooms so participants can self-select based on interests or topics.
Click breakout roomSelect the number of rooms you want to create Let participants choose the roomand click create. Then, click on the option or gear icon and check Allow participants to choose room And Allow participants to return to the main session at any time. Once the breakout room starts, you will see change name Option in the Breakout Rooms window, which you can use to add a name to each space.
To join the breakout room, participants will click breakout roomHover over the number in the list and click Join > Join. They can follow the same process to move between rooms or return to the main session. Note that auto-selection is only available on desktop and mobile apps—apps on the web client will need to be manually moved by the host.
Upload a CSV to pre-populate breakout rooms for larger meetings
Alternatively, there are plenty of situations in which you’ll need to assign meeting attendees to specific breakout rooms rather than letting them choose or using Zoom’s random assignment feature – for example, when you want to make sure all team members go to the same room. This can be done manually after the meeting starts, but with larger groups, it’s much easier to do it in advance, and all you need is a CSV file. there is Template on Zoom’s support page: All you’ll need is the breakout room name in one column and the participants’ email addresses in another column. When you schedule a meeting, go Optioncheck Breakout Room Pre-Assign > Import from CSV And drag and drop your file into the pop-up window. Zoom allows pre-assignment for up to 100 rooms and 1,000 participants.
Set your slides as a virtual background to simulate a personal presentation
When you’re presenting to an audience in person, you’re probably standing in front of projected slides, so they can see both you and your content simultaneously. Zoom’s Virtual Background feature simulates this by superimposing your video onto your screen share, so attendees can see your expressions and gestures and follow your slides without needing to look back and forth. (Note that this is compatible with PowerPoint or Keynote.) Click Share > Screen choose more Microsoft Powerpoint from under application windows. You can then choose the overlay type where your video will appear—Front Displays you on your shared slides. You can resize your video and drag it around the screen. then click share.
Share your computer’s audio for ambient sound during breaks
If you want to maintain a specific vibe during a meeting break – or use music as a cue to return from a break – you can share your computer audio for ambient sound. This works whether you’re sharing your screen or not, so you can leave a slide with information for participants while music plays in the background. To share audio without sharing your screen, click Share Screen > Advanced > Computer Audio > Share. You can play audio from anywhere on your device, including music streaming services and YouTube. If you also want to share your screen then click share screenSelect the program or desktop you want to share, and choose Share Sound > Share.
Spotlight multiple speakers to simulate an individual panel
Zoom’s default is to highlight the video or icon for the current speaker. Depending on your view, this can be distracting as videos move around your screen – especially during Q&A when many participants are unmuting and interacting with the presenters. To prevent chaos, Zoom hosts can spotlight up to nine people as primary speakers to appear in participants’ primary speaker view. (This is different from pinning a participant, which only sets people as the primary speaker on your device.)
Spotlighting essentially simulates an in-person panel, allowing participants to view all primary speakers on an equal footing. The remaining attendees will be visible via the scroll at the top of the meeting screen. To spotlight, hover over a participant’s video and click Three Points > Spotlight for All. Repeat this process while selecting add spotlight For up to nine speakers.
Add an amazing view of real-life meeting places
Virtual meetings are often boring, but Zoom’s immersive view makes a presentation, class or group a little more interesting by placing participants in real-life scenes. Instead of floating heads in little boxes, you can get attendees to “sit” at classroom desks, on chairs behind the podium on the stage, or even on logs around a campfire. Zoom has pre-made scenes, or you can upload an image of your actual office or outdoor location. These virtual backgrounds can include up to 25 participants. As a host, click View > ImmersiveChoose whether to add participants to your scene automatically or manually, and select the scene. Press Start To bring people into the deeper scene. For custom immersive views, you have to manually move participants around.
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Separate audio files for recording podcasts or instructional content
Because any Zoom meeting can be recorded, it’s a convenient platform for creating and saving collaborative or conversation-based content like podcasts, instructional videos, board meetings, and more. However, having multiple people on the mic at once can make it difficult to hear back – if people are talking over each other or there is background noise while one participant is speaking. In these cases, you can record separate audio files and edit them together later for a better experience. As the host, on the Zoom desktop app, click your Profile picture > Settings > Records and enable Record a separate audio file for each participant. This will record and save each file locally under the participant’s name.
Set up a second device as a “co-host” to manage participants and the chat
Running a meeting in which you have to share a presentation, view chat, and keep track of attendees who want to participate – it’s a lot, especially if you’re trying to do it all on the same small screen. The solution is to sign in on a second device and use one for screen sharing and the other to manage participants and chat activity. Join the meeting on both devices—on your primary device with host privileges, click participantsHover over your other profile in the list, then click More > Create Co-Host > Confirm. (Even if you’re not the main meeting host, you can be assigned co-host privileges.)
With a paid Zoom account, you can be logged in on two devices of the same type simultaneously, or on one computer with a phone or tablet. Alternatively, one can log in on another device under a different account or as a guest. If you’re logged in under the same profile, make sure to mute all audio on the other device to avoid feedback.
Customize your waiting room to share live agendas and interact with attendees
If you want a more sophisticated (or interesting) waiting room experience than the standard Zoom landing page that says “Waiting for the host to start the meeting,” you can customize what you want participants to see. The simplest option is a text title for the waiting room, but you can also add an image, upload a branded logo with a message or meeting details, or include a looping video (with or without sound) – which can be used to display the meeting agenda, meeting rules, and a welcome message. enable waiting room When scheduling your meeting, go to Waiting Room Options > Customize Waiting Room > Save Once you’ve added your customizations.
Zoom Waiting Rooms also has a chat feature, allowing hosts to send messages to everyone in the waiting room or communicate privately with individuals. Click to talk and select person or waiting room participants To talk to everyone.
Use an AI Companion to Get a Recap When You’re Late to a Meeting
AI Companion is Zoom’s generative AI tool with productivity capabilities like taking notes, creating meeting summaries, and identifying action items. If enabled for a meeting, it can also answer participants’ questions in real time – meaning if you join late, you can get a summary of everything you missed without drawing attention to your lateness. Predetermined questions included “Hold me,” “Was my name mentioned?” and “What are the action items?” However you can also ask custom questions. Tap the AI Companion icon in the top right corner of the meeting and select a provided question or write your own. Note that the meeting questions feature is only available on Workplace and Enterprise accounts and must be enabled by the host.
