Tips for a positive experience with Zoom

The following can improve the experience for you and your fellow Zoomers.

Turn off other apps and notifications on your device so you don’t get alerted to texts and emails coming in during your study or discussion group.

Log in early and test your microphone and video.

Mute your own audio when you are not speaking to minimize feedback and allow for stronger signal strength.

Stop your video if your broadband signal is low or if you do not want everyone to see you in your PJs.

• Control audio/video in lower left of screen; microphone icon = audio; camera icon = video.

Select Full Screen size to see better on any device.

Select "Gallery View" instead of “Speaker View” to see everyone in the meeting. This toggle is in upper right corner of screen. You’ll see everyone who has their video on "present" this way.

• Speaker View shows the active speaker in full screen, not everyone else present.
• Gallery View displays everyone’s smiling or inquisitive faces.

Raise your hand when you have a question or comment. This indicates to the moderator that you wish to speak and will flash a digital blue hand in the left-hand corner of your personal tile.

• To do this, click on the icon labeled "Reactions" at the bottom right of your PC or Mac.
• Choose the button labeled "Raise Hand."
• The moderator will see everyone with a raised hand and will hopefully call upon them accordingly.
• Wait until you are acknowledged before un-muting your microphone to ask your question.

Use the chat feature, if enabled, to prevent yourself from interfering with the speaker

Use a neutral background. If you do not have one, go to Zoom | Preferences and select a Virtual Background from the tab on the left. You can also upload your own images if you prefer. It may also be a good idea to select "Touch up my appearance" under "My Video" in this area.