Author: Bruce Elgort

Here’s a list of things that you can do to make for a better Zoom online meeting experience. If you have any additional things you would recommend, please leave a comment.

In Zoom’s settings do the following:

Turn on:

• The Waiting Room feature
• Set up a meeting password
• The “Remove uninvited participant” feature

Turn off:

• The Private Chat feature. Direct people to use the Chat and Q&A for questions.
• Screen sharing by others. You can enable this during the meeting if necessary.

Additional recommendations:

• Do not post your Zoom link publicly
• Have another teacher or trusted participant set up as a Co-Host to manage comments and the meeting waiting room.
• Lock your meeting once all of the students have joined. You can do this using “Manage Participants” once the meeting has started.
• Practice and test your Zoom workflow with others.
• Mute digital assistants such as Alexa, Google Home, and Siri.
• Remove any visual distractions that may focus attention away from you in the background.
• Have good lighting in the room so that attendees can see you.
• Angle your webcam so it shows your face dead-on.
• Limit tapping, movement and other things that may cause audio distractions.
• Remove pets from the room.
• Remove pets from the room(s) next to the room you are in.
• If you will be sharing your computer screen, clean up your computer’s desktop.
• Try and not use WiFi. Use a wired network connection instead.
• Use a good quality headset with a microphone.
• Silence your smartphone and other devices.
• Turn off all the alerts on your smartphone, and other devices.
• Mute any digital assistants in your home.
• Check the batteries in your mouse/keyboard and make sure they aren’t running low.
• Close all of the other applications running on your computer.
• Turn off notifications or other pop-ups or anything else that may be disruptive.
• If you are in a bedroom, make sure that your bed is made and the room is neat.
• Have a test call with a friend prior to your meeting.

Here are some things to consider adding to your Zoom Meeting, or any other virtual meetings “Code of Conduct”. Do you have some that you would add? If you do, please let me know by leaving a comment. Hat tip to BDS Consulting in Seattle for allowing me to share some of their bullet points.

Expectations for Meeting Participants

• Participate with grace and humor.
• Ask for (and accept) help from others. You want this to work for everyone.
• Embrace the moment and the technology to the greatest extent possible.
• Try something new.
• Suspend judgment.

Suggested Norms and Guidelines to Follow

• Mute your audio when you are not speaking.
• Because this is an audio-based meeting, your voice acts as your physical presence. Be thoughtful of when you speak. Be courteous, and don’t interrupt the speaker.
• If you are not using your webcam for the meeting, cover it up.
• Be explicit and animated about non-verbal communication. Nodding; thumbs up; hand-raising.
• Minimize distractions and be present by putting away phones, closing unrelated work, closing the door, etc.
• Improve clarity by speaking deliberately, use good lighting (behind your camera), testing audio equipment.