How to Host a Zoom Call Like a Pro
By Adam Noyes
With Zoom becoming the go to solutions for streamers, both new and old, in this period of social distancing, CNBC has posted a great article detailing how to run your zoom calls like the pros.
Check out some highlights from that video below.
As coronavirus keeps people indoors, we’re all flocking to video chat services to stay in touch with colleagues, friends and family. Zoom’s video chat software has been surging in popularity. It’s not new — the company was founded in 2011 — but it’s new to a lot of people.
Zoom is free as long as you keep calls to under 40 minutes and fewer than 100 participants. Or, you can upgrade to an entry-level $14.99 monthly plan which lets you host up to 100 people for up to 24 hours. Additional people, rooms and cloud recording options cost more.
Fortunately, it’s easy to become a Zoom pro even with the free tier. I’ll show you how.
How to set up Zoom
- If you’re on a PC, download and install the app from Zoom’s website. (You can also get it for iPhone, Android and Mac.)
- Click the “sign in” button.
- Type in your credentials, or create an account if you don’t have one yet.
- When Zoom asks you for permission to access your computer’s microphone, choose yes.
Now you’re all set to begin in case someone sends you a link to join a video conference. But you might also want to host your own call.
How to start a Zoom call
- Hit the big orange camera icon that says “new meeting.”
- You’ll be asked for permission for access to the camera if you have one. Choose yes.
- A dialogue box will pop up and give you the options to “join with computer audio,” or “test speaker and microphone.” Run those tests to make sure your microphone and speakers work properly.
- Check the box that says “automatically join audio by computer when joining a meeting” so you can skip one step next time you want to get on a Zoom call.
- Click “join with computer audio.”
- Make sure you’re unmuted by selecting the box in the bottom left corner of the window.
- If you see “start video,” click that, too, just make sure you’re ready for people to see you. You can always stop video or mute yourself later.
- Click the “manage participants” button on the bottom of the video screen.
- Hit “more” in the bottom right corner.
- From here you can mute participants as they join your call or make Zoom play a sound when someone comes in or leaves. (Advanced settings, like turning on a waiting room for people to land in before you let them in to your call, are available on Zoom’s website.)
- Invite others to your meeting. Click the “invite” button on the bottom of the Zoom app window then click “copy URL.”
- Send that URL to people so they can join your meeting from any device they’re using.