Tips on making Zoom meetings Better

1. Check your video feed in advance

Checking your video feed in advance means you can make sure you look presentable and avoid a
scramble to get in the right position and at the right angle when a call actually starts. Most video apps
will let you do this quite easily, but you can also use QuickTime Player on a Mac or the Camera app on
Windows to see what your webcam is seeing.

2. Make sure your mic is working

You don’t want to waste the first five minutes of your video call asking if everyone can hear you OK.
Fortunately, your video-calling software of choice should allow you to do this if you check the options.
There are also testing tools built into macOS (Sound then Input in System Preferences) and Windows
(System then Sound in Settings).

3. Think about lighting

You don’t need to have your home office lit like a movie set, but you should think about light. A sunny
window or bright bulb behind you is going to put you in shadow, so place a light source in front of you so
people can see your face. A lamp might be enough, rather than the usual overhead room light—modern-
day webcams are often better at shooting darker scenes than you might have realized.

4. Pick the right angle

If you’re on a laptop, then you might have a webcam pointed up your nose. This is bad, so try and
position the camera at eye level for the sake of everyone who has to look at you. Keep background
clutter and distractions to a minimum, too—the video preview advice we’ve already talked about should
be able to help you.
 5. Use headphones and the mute button

Headphones are best for video conference calls, especially when you’re in a group with a lot of people,
otherwise the audio from other feeds tends to loop back through your own device’s microphone. Make
sure you know where the mute button is, too, and use it when needed, otherwise your sighing, coughing
and fidgeting could be very distracting.

6. Shut down other apps

Even if you’ve got a relatively speedy internet connection, it’s a good idea to limit the other demands on
your web link while you’re making a video call—maybe don’t have YouTube streaming in the
background, press pause on major app updates, and (if you’re at home) discourage your family
members from starting an online gaming session at the same time.

7. Set up some breakout rooms in Zoom

Breakout rooms are a great way of encouraging discussion and cutting through the noise on Zoom,
particularly if there are dozens and dozens of people on the same video call. If you’re a host, you can
create them by clicking Breakout Rooms on the toolbar, and even preassign people into rooms before a
call in your main Zoom dashboard

8. Screen sharing in Zoom

Screen sharing is a really useful feature in Zoom. Hosts and participants can both do it (unless the host
has disabled the feature), and other users can get involved by adding annotations (again if allowed by
the host). To share a screen or a blank whiteboard, pick Share Screen on the toolbar on the desktop, or
Share Mobile if you’re on a mobile device.

9. Record your Sessions

This is a good way for students to access a recorded lecture if they were absent for that particular Zoom
meeting. To avoid taking too much of your local hard drive space, please record to cloud .