Zoom

Do you need help with Zoom meetings? Since Covid has come into our lives and as a consequence of the need to avoid in-person groups, most classes have been canceled or postponed. I have been "piloting" online classes for some instructors for the past several months. Some of my clients include Corina Tettinger, Jelveh Jaferian, and Terry Henry. If you are interested in my services, contact me.

If you are new to the Zoom platform, here are some tips to make your experience a good one.

Zoom Etiquette

  1. Join early: Be ready 5 minutes before the meeting start time

  2. Mute yourself upon entering a meeting (if you are not already muted). Remain muted unless you would like to speak. Background noises can overtake the audio, and this also ensures that conversation in your physical location does not make its way into the Zoom meeting.

  3. Tag yourself: Please enter your name/location in the Participants panel to create a friendly, welcome environment. You can change your name by hovering around the corner of the video window to access the three-dot menu and then selecting ‘rename’.

  4. Allow space for other voices: Try to avoid talking over/at the same time as other participants. Try to avoid being the most heard voice in the room. Give quieter participants a chance to speak. Perhaps ask them questions.

  5. Make non-verbal cues visible: Turn on your video when speaking, if possible, so participants can read non-verbal cues. Or, if you have video disabled, be aware that your audience has only your voice and tone as opposed to expressions and gestures. Try to look in the direction of your webcam; this will help others feel connected to you in the Zoom session.

  6. Toggle video on and off to meet your needs: It is always helpful for the presenter when your video is on so they can see your reactions, raised hands, or other non-verbal cues. However, if your connection seems to lag, turn the video off.

  7. Avoid distractions: Try to give the Zoom meeting your full attention. Turn off email, text, and other instant notifications to avoid distraction. If you are moving around the room, wrestling with your cat, or need to step away for a second, turn off your video to avoid distracting others. Make sure your mic is muted when you are not speaking.

  8. Contribute however you can: If your audio is working (i.e., you can hear everyone in the meeting), but your microphone is not, use the “chat” feature to offer questions or comments. Regardless of hardware issues, the chat feature is a great way to share questions and comments if you don’t feel able to interject them verbally at the moment.

  9. Food and drink: Although a drink is fine (if muted), please refrain from eating or chewing gum. If you must do so, mute and turn off your video.