Love it or hate it Zoom is here to stay!
We now all spend so much time on Zoom that we forget some of the basics. Here are some usefull tips on how to make your meetings more professional.
- Protocols for Zoom meetings.
Do not share the room code or password to any one
Sign into your own Zoom account before accessing the meeting.
When you join a meeting, you will normally enter the waiting room until the Room opens. Be on time so the presenter does not have to stop and let you in.
Turn on your video (unless your wifi is weak.)
Your mic will usually be muted until the room is open for questions.
At any time, you can ask a question or comment in the Text Box.
To show your reaction 👍= Yes | 👎= No | 👏Thank You (Jazz Hands)
Remember that you are always seen during the meeting.
- Tips to improve your Visual Presentation
1. Prepare! Do reconnaissance on your audience so you know who they are and what they care about. As you build the content, include topics that are meaningful to them and work on building engagement triggers into the content.
2. Leverage tools in Zoom to build engagement such as screen sharing, annotation, polling, Q/A, chat, attention indicator, hand raise, video breakout sessions, and more. Have your audience “Think, Pair, Share” – give them something to think about, have them pair up in breakouts to discuss the topic, and then have them rejoin the main meeting to share back with the whole group.
3. Use language carefully. For example, use engaging words like “you,” “us,” “we,” and audience member names. Start sentences with “Imagine…” or “What if…” to get your audience members thinking.
- Look & sound your best
As part of your pre-meeting prep, optimize your settings and lighting so you can feel confident that you look and sound your best.
Open your settings in the Zoom client.
Click Video to test your video settings. Adjust your lighting as needed, making sure your light source is coming from behind your camera. Use Touch up my appearance and Adjust for low light, if you prefer.
Check out your video preview and clear any clutter in camera view, or make sure you have an appropriate virtual background selected (and that you don’t have a cat filter on!). For a personal touch, use your prospect’s brand in the background.
Under Audio, test your speaker and microphone and use the “Suppress background noise” feature. Frandsen also suggests using an external microphone that blocks out background noise.
- Polling your Audiance
Have you ever needed an icebreaker or wanted to take the pulse of your meeting audience? Polling is a popular Zoom Webinar feature that has now made its way to Zoom Video Meetings!
Poll questions are a great way to get an audience engaged. Set aside a couple minutes for each poll in your meeting. These little breaks keep the content dynamic while giving everyone a chance to participate, and refocus. Just remember the golden rule – make this about them, not you. You should be able to say “By answering this question, you will benefit in the following way…”
Examples of Useful Poll Questions
1. Create an icebreaker and get the interaction started
Ask a fun question about what’s for lunch, how’s the weather where they are, or what is their favorite sport. This may seem silly, but it’s a great way to break the ice and get people interacting. It also helps to get everyone to turn on their video.
2. Let your audience pick the content
If you’re giving a presentation, try letting your audience choose which content you’ll present. You’ll have to be ready to tweak your content to meet their needs – but your audience will be much more engaged. This can be a great idea for a quarterly update or all-hands meeting where you have a lot of information and a limited amount of time.
Or if you’re a sales person presenting to a group of influencers and decision makers, you can tailor your presentation to their needs and top concerns. (Tip – build a “poll” slide into your presentation deck so you don’t forget to launch the poll.)
3. Get input on the meeting
Want to know what they thought about the meeting? Put up a quick poll with a scale that lets them rate the content and presentation. You’ll have instant feedback and know if you need to step up your game next time, or if you’re doing a great job. And your participants don’t need to worry as their responses are anonymous.
Tip: Create each type of question for your PMI: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362843-What-is-Personal-Meeting-ID-PMI-and-Personal-Vanity-URL-PVU-) and they’ll be ready for any recurring meeting you have with your PMI.
- There’s more to screen sharing than PowerPoint presentations
Zoom’s screen-sharing feature is extremely deep, letting you share your entire desktop or specific apps. But did you know it has a built-in whiteboard? Sure, it’s useful for mapping out complex ideas and communicating visuals, but we suggest using it as a delightfully low-tech way to play Friday-afternoon games like Pictionary and Hangman.
- Create a custom emoji
Got a favorite GIF or image that’s a whole mood? Right-click it in the chat window then select “Add to emoji.” To use it, click the smiley face emoji icon and select the heart to access your saved emojis. You can even upload an image from this window by clicking “Edit” in the lower right corner.
- Stickers + Filters
Change your look with Filters that subtly change the color scheme. This will help if the lighting in your room is poor. You can also use the Stickers feature to add fun and hilarious filters that change your appearance in your video feed, such as giving you rabbit ears, a top hat, and much, much more! These features are perfect for casual get-togethers or to add some flair to a classroom reading session. Learn more HERE
- Studio Effects
Create a fun and unique look for your meetings with the Studio Effects feature, which allows you to add customized eyebrows, facial hair, and lip color to your video feed. Perfect for happy hours, family get-togethers, or even a fun classroom activity, this feature can be accessed by clicking on the menu next to the video icon, selecting “Choose video filter,” and clicking the “Studio Effects” button in the lower right corner of the pop-up window. These changes won’t carry over to your next meeting. But, if you want to keep your unique look for the next meeting, simply click the “Apply to all future meetings” checkbox. Learn more HERE
If you need to host a Zoom meeting and are not familiar with the process – we can Host and Moderate the meeting for you. Contact email for more information - Rhona.OConnor@gmail.com
