Below you will find a number of tips for Zoom that Renske Holwerda of Content O’Clock shared on LinkedIn based on her experiences with Zoom in recent weeks:
When talking, look into the camera and not at your screen. At first feels awkward, but you make a connection so much better. The advantage of an Apple laptop or desktop: the camera is built into your screen, so you kill two birds with one stone.
Turn off your microphone when you are not speaking: The addition that if you host a meeting or webinar you can automatically mute new participants.
Make a note of Zoom’s shortcuts for mute / unmute and virtual raise. You can find the shortcuts for Zoom here.
Be on time: A simple remark but very important. And what is the difference with an offline meeting? There you are also just on time right?
Make sure you have a good internet connection is also an important tip. Last week we had a number of meetings where customers had to switch WiFi networks a number of times in order to have a normal working connection. That is quite frustrating I can tell you.
Tips for the host of Zoom meeting or webinar
Familiarize yourself in advance with the main functions of Zoom (tip: dive into the settings for all possibilities). And there are many. It is nice for the participants if you radiate confidence. No difference with an offline training here either!
Communicate in advance what you expect from people (eg use earphones, face clearly visible, install software). You can also process this directly in the invitation. This prevents you from having to explain this again at every meeting. Invest time in this once and all meetings will cost you 10 minutes less.
Start with an introduction round and ask what people want to get out of the meeting. No difference with an offline meeting, right?
Make a setup for the meeting with a time schedule: Also note which preparations you have to make (prepare a glass of water, etc.)
In addition to giving turn to those who raise their hands, involve the quieter participants in the conversation by actively questioning their opinion or vision.
Round off neatly;for example, ask what the participants learned from the meeting and what could be improved in the next online meeting.
Conclusion
What is our experience after 3 weeks of intensive use of Zoom? It is a great tool with a lot of possibilities such as, the office zoom background, which offers more than enough options for many companies as a replacement for an offline meeting.
A webinar or online training is also easy to organize with Zoom; it is really important that the host knows all the possibilities and is not faced with surprises during the meeting. Obviously there will be understanding at this time, but you don’t want to let go of your professionalism, we think. So really immerse yourself in the possibilities and list what you need for yourself.It’s still fun to use theZoom virtual background.
Don’t forget that you can also use Zoom to communicate with people who are lonely at the moment. Have your children (outside working hours of course ;-)) contact grandpa or grandma or arrange an online meeting with someone who cannot leave home. There is more to life than just your job.
If you have any tips that are not covered in the article? Let us know in a comment. And if you think someone will certainly benefit from these tips, share the article.
