Sheila Keane has provided the following guide to Breakout Rooms.

If you want more help you can contact her at sheilakeane57@gmail.com.

Click on Breakout Rooms. This option appears. Assign automatically for random allocation. Set number of groups so there are the right number of people in each group. Then click Create.

You have a number of options to choose for settings for the breakout rooms you are setting up. Select “Options” on the bottom left of the breakout rooms window. When options are as you want it and you’re ready for the groups to start, then click open all rooms (bottom right). NB: you can get the rooms all set up in advance during the meeting, and then wait for the cue to open all rooms later in the meeting.

If you choose to assign people manually, this window will pop up. You can add, rename or delete rooms.

You can assign participants to a room manually by hovering over the blue Assign text and then ticking the name(s) you want to be in that group. People who are not yet assigned will show up as options to be assigned – in this example, Elizabeth Hooten is not yet assigned. Tick her name and she will be assigned and will no longer show up as a person who can be assigned because she is already in a group.

You can also move people from one group to another - not pictured. Use drop down arrow on room number, select participant, move to another room (i.e. manually re-assign them to a different group)

Once the breakout session is closed, if you want another breakout group session you can re-create the groups. However, this will create the same groups as you had before. If you want different groupings you will need to assign participants manually or delete all rooms and start over.

 

Any Zoom account can have closed captions (i.e. automatically generated subtitles to help people who are hard of hearing or where connection is poor).

The instructions are here and are as follows:

To enable Closed captioning for all users in the account:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin with the privilege to edit account settings.
2. In the navigation menu, click Account Management then Account Settings.
3. Click the Meeting tab.
4. Under In Meeting (Advanced), click the Closed captioning toggle to enable or disable it.
5. If a verification dialog displays, click Enable or Disable to verify the change.
6. (Optional) If you want to make this setting mandatory for all users in your account, click the lock icon , and then click Lock to confirm the setting.
7. (Optional) Select the check boxes to enable additional features:
   • Allow use of caption API Token to integrate with 3rd-party Closed Captioning services
   • Enable live transcription service to transcribe meeting automatically
   • Allow viewing of full transcript in the in-meeting side panel: If disabled, participants cannot view the full transcript in the side panel. They can only view captions in the video window of the meeting or webinar. Participants also won't be able to save captions.
     Note: This feature requires Zoom version 5.7.0 or higher.

Skills

The following skills are needed by participants and hosts for a Meeting for Worship.

Participants

• sign in,
• Rename,
• mute/unmute,
• video on/off,
• gallery/speaker views,
• leave meeting.

Tech hosts

• Schedule New Meeting or Claim host,
• Mute all participants and ask to unmute,
• Turn off video of participants,
• Remove someone from the meeting,
• Create a waiting room and assign to/ admit from,
• Send a meeting invitation (with link),
• Assign co-host(s).

 

Suggestions and advice

Remote Participants

• Equipment: Zoom works best on computer but can be used as a participant with any device. Need camera & video to participate fully but can also join by phone. Headphones with inbuilt microphone recommended to reduce background noise and prevent echo. Go somewhere with less background noise or visual busyness; be sure vocal ministry is audible - need to unmute.

• Rename with correct name for that Zoom meeting.

• Virtual background is a bit of fun. Nothing too busy or to arresting an image. Blur works well as a simple background.

In the room

• camera & microphone so the Remote Participants can see and hear in the room.

• speaker & video screen so the room people can hear and see Remote Participants.

• Advise participants about the need to speak to a microphone and that they are 'on camera' and indicate where they can sit if they want to avoid it.

• Consider etiquette about audible vocal ministry in relation to where the microphone is. Considerations about whether or not to have people walk into view of camera or not for vocal ministry.

• To host a meeting, you must have a Zoom account. Most Host functions do not work from an iPad or phone – Zoom is designed for computers. If you are a Zoom account holder you can schedule a new meeting.

Scheduling a Meeting

• Passcode (required)

• Waiting Room (on/off)

• Only authenticated users can join: Sign in to Zoom (on/off)

• Host & Participants video and audio settings (on/off when entering the meeting)

• Dial in from United States (default) - Edit for Australia

• Calendar - Zoom will auto generate meeting to calendar selected

Advanced options

• Allow participants to join anytime

• Mute participants on entry

• Request permission to unmute participants

• Automatically record meeting but note warnings about doing that and get agreement from participants

• Approve or block entry for users from specific countries/regions

Hosts

The host can do the following

• Mute all participants and ask to unmute

• Turn off video of participants

• Remove someone from the meeting

• Create a waiting room and assign people to it/ admit them from it

• Send a meeting invitation (with link) to people who want to join but can’t find the link – select “Invite” from the Participant panel

• Assign co-host(s) or hand over host function to someone else in the meeting

• Turn chat off if needed. Do this from Chat settings on bottom of Zoom screen.
• Host or co-host should monitor for people with background audio/visual noise, as well as those speaking who need to unmute

• Go to the from participant panel, hover over name, select More  to assign co-host or host status

Claiming host

• If you do not have an account, the owner of an existing account can give you a “host key” (password) so you can “claim host” of a meeting which the account owner has already set up.
• In order to use the claim host function, the Zoom Meeting must be set up without waiting room and with “join anytime” enabled. Select “Claim host” from the Participant tab on bottom of Zoom screen, then type in the host key.

Skills

The following skills are needed by participants and hosts for Small business meetings.

tech hosts

• Share screen
• Chat settings
• Usual controls: mute all, video off, waiting room, remove from meeting, invite, assign co-host

 

Suggestions and advice

Participants

• Same skills & equipment requirements for remote and In the Room participants as in MfW
• For larger meetings, participants need to know how to raise hand so they can be recognised to speak during the business session. Do this from the reactions button at the bottom of the zoom screen

Host functions

• Same host functions as in MfW: mute/request unmute. Video off/ request on. Remove from meeting. Send invitation. Chat settings. Put people in waiting room.
• Share screen/ allow others to share screen or not

• Share ‘desktop’ vs sharing one app (privacy issue)

• Share setting to optimise for audio/ video

• There are changes to view when screen share is on. Turn off share screen to enable more visual interaction of participants

• Screen share Google docs (not a Zoom function but often used by RM clerks) allows remote person(s) to serve as recording clerk(s)

• Assign a tech co-host for larger meetings, say 8 to 12 people. Enable chat for participants to ask tech co-host for help

• Tech co-host to monitor chat. They will be attending to technical matters and won’t be able to participate in the business of the meeting.

• Tech host video off & mute minimises intrusion

• Tech co-host to monitor for people with background audio/visual noise, as well as those speaking who need to unmute. May also remove people (e.g. if someone signs on using two devices)

 

 

Skills

The following skills are needed by participants and hosts for Workshops, Courses and Larger meetings.

participants

• Raise hand
• Reactions (emoji’s)
• Use chat

tech hosts

• Breakout groups (random, manual, self-select)
• Share screen
• Chat settings
• lower hand
• Usual controls: mute all, video off, waiting room, remove from meeting, invite, assign co-host
• Polls (optional)

 

Suggestions and advice

Screen share (screen/apps/video/audio)

• Show Powerpoint slides, video/ audio presentations, draft minutes on host computer file or on shared Google Docs, create a brochure together online… etc

Breakout groups

• Small group discussions (random, manual assign, or self-select options). Private place for leaders to meet while others remain in the main meeting room. Extra room for individuals with high tech support needs or for meeting with an Elder if in need
• Group participant has option to ask for help – host gets notification
• Host can join any room and move from one room to another. Self-select breakouts can also move from one room to another.
• If not in a breakout room, you remain in the main meeting room.
• Leave breakout room to return to main meeting room. Different from leaving meeting.

Chat permissions

• No chat;
• host/ co-host only (for tech support);
• enable chat for all (public) – allows people to sign in, add ideas or say goodbye without interrupting the presentation, offer suggestions & resources, give feedback. Can be distracting;
• Private chat allows people to talk with one another privately. Is a bit like whispering in class – not recommended.

Raise hand (participant) & lower hand (host/co-host)

• Useful to manage large numbers (say, >15 people) in classes or business sessions. Host lowers hand when the question has been addressed.

Waiting room

• Allows presenters to get ready before letting folks in the to meeting. Admit from waiting room prevents distraction of multiple/ late entries – can be done by cost or co-hosts
• Can set up waiting room in advance or activate during meeting.
• Set sound tone for host/ co-host only or it’s very disruptive.

Record session/ save chat

• To have a record or a resource for future use. Must have permission. There is an auto setting for getting permission, or you can announce at start of the recording that you are recording, and for what purpose, and give opportunity for non-consenting people to leave.
• Can record to local computer (limited subsequent access) or cloud (access by permission but limited storage)
• Save chat is a good way to collect an attendance record, answers to questions, get feedback (not anonymous), shared resources, etc
• All chat is saved, even private chat.

Pin video

• Gives one image that people see – e.g. flowers rather than speaker view where active speaker appears (including a cough). Useful when recording a talk with slides if you want to avoid recording person(s)

Follow host video order

• For going around the circle, everyone sees the same screen order. Release order to allow you and others to change the screen order by drag & drop on your own screen

 

Skills

The following skills are needed by participants and hosts for Socialising on Zoom.

participants

• Spend your Zoom time creatively
• Basic Zoom skills: sign in, rename, mute/unmute, video on/off, gallery/speaker views, leave meeting
• Move between breakout groups & main room

tech host

• Claim host
• Breakout groups (random, manual, self-select)
• Play with virtual backgrounds & filters, Reactions (emoji’s)
• Usual controls: mute all, video off, waiting room, remove from meeting, invite, assign co-host

 

Suggestions and advice

• All need to be comfortable with basic Zoom skills: sign in, rename, mute/unmute, video on/off, gallery/speaker views, leave meeting
• Play with virtual backgrounds & filters, Reactions (emoji’s)
• Participants self-select breakout groups
• It’s all about what you do…free discussion works for small/ familiar groups. Show off a piano piece. Everyone take turns displaying their favourite mug/ show & tell item. Walk away from the computer then come back (make sure you turn video off/ mute before you go). Make dinner while you’re talking to your friends. Read a poem aloud, or share your poetry. Sneak off into a private breakout room (self-select option enabled). Host to divide the larger group into pairs (randomly assigned breakout rooms).
• If you want to sing, only unmute one voice. Otherwise it doesn’t synch. However, trying (and failing) to synch can be amusing. There are non-Zoom apps that enable you to synch but I don’t know what they are. Look them up!

Skills

The following skills are needed by participants and hosts for AYM Sessions.

• Breakout groups (random, manual, self-select)
• Share screen
• Chat settings
• lower hand
• Usual controls: mute all, video off, waiting room, remove from meeting, invite, assign co-host
• Polls (optional)
• Pin video (optional)

 

Suggestions and advice

Participants

• Need basic Zoom skills plus how to Raise your Hand, & use Reactions

Clerks/ co-clerks

• Need to feel comfortable in a Zoom environment, have sufficient tech support lined up.

Tech support crew, Multiple co-hosts

• Monitor background noise and mute people where disruptive
• Monitor chat for tech support, respond to tech problems. Be available on phone to talk someone through a problem
• Monitor raised hands to let clerk know who’s next on the list. Lower hand when called.
• Manage screen sharing of Google docs
• Emergency backup(s) for above