Zoom Video Meetings Follow

Using Zoom for remote teams

Zoom is a video conferencing programme for communicating and collaborating with your colleagues, clients, friends and family. It has a range of plans to suit anything from individuals to enterprises. 

Zoom can be used for video conference calls and online meetings, webinars and live streaming events.

Logistics

Your team members will need a device with a webcam/camera and microphone, and access to a good internet connection to be able to participate in a Zoom meeting. It is recommended that team members also obtain or have access to a computer headset to reduce feedback and background noise, and improve voice quality.

To be able to join meetings: team members (or participants) will need to create a Zoom account (they can sign up for a free Zoom account) and install the Zoom mobile app, or Zoom desktop application on a computer or device.

A host license will be required for someone on your team to create group meetings that are expected to run longer than 40 minutes. There are also additional features including user management, admin feature controls, and cloud recording.

For resources on getting started and using Zoom check out Getting Started on the Zoom website.

Security

While Zoom is a great platform for remote communication and collaboration, given that it is used in an online environment there are additional security and privacy implications that are not present in face-to-face meetings. 

If you’re new to Zoom, check out Zoom’s useful guide for how to avoid “Zoom pirates” and “zoombombing”: How to Keep Uninvited Guests Out of Your Zoom Event

If you are using Zoom for public or semi-public events, it’s important to configure your Zoom meetings appropriately for safety and security. If you are using Zoom to host events or stream webinars for those outside your team, check out Zoombombing Self-Defense: A Technical Guide

Tips for effectively using Zoom with your remote team

Recording

Use the Zoom record feature in your team meetings so employees who are unable to attend can watch it later. Recording key meetings or interviews can also be helpful if you don’t want to slow down and take notes during the meeting. 

Share Screen

Use the share screen feature so team members can see the document or web page you are talking about. Just remember to close any confidential documents, emails, or non-work related documents before sharing your screen. 

Mute 

If team members have excessive background noise, ask them to mute themselves until they are speaking. 

Chat

The built-in chat feature can be a good way of jotting down thoughts or ideas to discuss without interrupting the current speaker. 

Scheduling recurring meetings

If you have a daily or weekly check-in meeting and want to use Zoom, you can schedule a recurring meeting. This has two benefits - you can save the call settings and recurring meetings use the same join URL so you don’t need to send out new links to team members for each meeting. See Zoom’s guide for Scheduling Recurring Meetings