zoom presentation tips and tricks

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15 Tips for Engaging Zoom Presentations + Examples

Your next Zoom presentation is a week away. And your mind is racing.

What presentation software should you use?

What if the other attendees can hear your neighbor’s loud music?

Will they find your presentation boring?

Relax and take a deep breath.

You don’t have to figure out the answers to these questions by yourself. This guide will cover everything you need to know about planning and delivering engaging Zoom presentations without stress and anxiety!

After reading this article, you’ll be brimming with confidence and competence on your next Zoom presentation.

Table of contents :

The science behind your Zoom presentation anxiety

• Downloadable Zoom presentation checklist

Part 1: Tips on how to plan and prepare for your Zoom presentation

Part 2: tips during your zoom presentation.

• How to share your Piktochart slide deck on Zoom
• Present with ease on Zoom using Piktochart presentations

Before we get into all the other Zoom presentation tips, perhaps the most important is to deal with your Zoom presentation anxiety. And you’re not alone – anxiety over Zoom presentations is more common than you think . 

A  2021 paper  on why students have difficulties learning during synchronous presentations over Zoom found that 80 percent of the students polled experienced anxiety and trouble focusing during their virtual classes. But what causes this worry? In a peer-reviewed article, Professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the  Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab , highlighted the  results of their research  and cited four primary reasons behind Zoom fatigue, stress, and anxiety:

• Your brain interprets excessive amounts of close-up eye contact during video chats as an “intense situation.”
• Like looking at the mirror, you become more critical of yourself as you see yourself on camera.
• Limited movements while you’re chained in your chair and table.
• Video chats require a higher cognitive load than face-to-face presentations. 

“You’ve got to make sure that your head is framed within the center of the video. If you want to show someone that you agree with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up. That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate,” shares Bailenson.

Finally, you have to consider tech troubles and presentation software fiascos, as well as dealing with the pressure of public speaking.

15 Zoom presentation tips and tricks to help you own the room like a pro

Now that you understand why Zoom presentations give you sweaty palms, let’s go through 15 actionable steps to prepare for the slides.

We created a checklist of the Zoom presentation tips so you can cross off each task.

Prefer video learning instead? Watch the video below.

The success of your Zoom presentation is the result of thoughtful planning and preparation.

Get ready for your online class, product webinar, or job interview on Zoom with the following pre-presentation tips:

1. Decide on the scope of your Zoom presentation

Before presenting on Zoom, ask yourself — what one particular idea or insight would you want your audience to learn from you?

“Defining the scope is the most critical step. What are the boundaries, what are the deliverables, what is the topic that you are covering?”, recommends Linda Parry Murphy , CEO of Product Launchers, Inc.

Trying to cover every subject will only make you more nervous.

Remember the Stanford study earlier about too much cognitive load as one of the reasons behind Zoom presentation anxiety?

Limiting the scope of your presentation can significantly reduce your cognitive load while keeping your audience focused on the key points.

2. Plan for the structure of your online presentation

It’s important to master the sequence and structure of your presentation as part of your preparation. Creating a framework guides the meeting participants so they understand what the data means, why it’s important, and what the implications are in this situation.

A solid structure in place also makes it easier to go back to what you’re saying. As a result, you will feel more confident because you can keep track of your talking points with a quick glance at your outline if you lose your train of thought.

Matt Abrahams, a lecturer in Organizational Behavior and author of Speaking Up Without Freaking Out , recommends the following examples of presentation structures that you can use:

• Past-Present-Future – review a process or share a timeline
• Comparison-Contrast – show the benefits of a certain idea, insight, product, or service
• Cause-Effect – explain the rationale behind a decision
• Problem-Solution-Benefit – motivate or convince your audience
• What?-So What?-Now What? – convince people to do a specific action after your presentation

Another simple presentation structure you can work on is to start with an introduction, the meat of your presentation where you can highlight 3 points, and wrap up with the summary and call-to-action.

3. Prepare your presentation visuals

Plenty of research and evidence shows that including images is more effective in getting your message across than written text or oral communications alone.

For instance, a captivating visual is  four times more effective  in conveying information than words alone. People remember 80 percent of what they see and do, compared to 20 percent through reading and 10 percent through hearing, respectively.

If your goal is to convince your audience during your Zoom presentation, you’ll also be delighted to know that using visuals can help you become more persuasive.

A Wharton School of Business research found that around a third of the audiences they polled felt that presenters who used visuals were more persuasive.

So remember that well-chosen images, even stock photos, can do wonders to augment your slides.

When making visuals for your presentation, use these questions as your guide:

• Is there an icon, illustration, or image that could represent your point in a more meaningful way?
• What types of diagrams , such as a timeline, flowchart, pie chart, arrows, or graphs, will help get your point across to your audience?
• Who are my target audiences? When choosing visuals for my presentation, are there certain cultural taboos or inappropriate humor that I should be aware of?

One more thing – consider using bullet points if you find slides with walls of text. They’ll be easier to digest without taking the focus away from you.

4. Eliminate clutter in your surroundings

Staying in one place with no room to maneuver probably doesn’t spark joy for anyone. KonMari your environment by eliminating clutter on your desk and in the space around you. This means extra keyboards, unused notebooks, pens, food boxes, and books can go.

Eliminating clutter gives your brain the impression that there’s more room for you to move around during your Zoom event.

If the space you’re presenting in makes it difficult to clear off clutter, you could find a plain wall to present against. And if that’s not an option, you can use a clean virtual Zoom background . Keeping your surroundings out of sight means it’s out of mind for you and your audience; one less thing to worry about while presenting.

5. Do a tech prep

Presenting in Zoom while you’re at home or traveling is a technological wonder in itself. But technology can be frustrating at times too.

Spending some time optimizing your Zoom settings by clicking in the toolbar while you’re in a Zoom meeting. Under video settings, you’ll find a few options that can help with the visuals, such as focus assist.

Before your presentation, double-check the following:

• Make sure that your laptop, computer, lighting, headset, webcam, microphone, and internet connection are working. Have backup equipment if possible.
• Familiarize yourself with the Zoom app and other relevant software you’re going to use during the presentation.
• Close unnecessary browsers, applications, or software before the presentation. Turn off your laptop or desktop notifications. The goal is to optimize and speed up the device to have a smooth presentation.
• Prepare a PDF version of your presentation slides and have an extra copy of your presenter notes in case of technical mishaps with your slides. It also makes sense to have a short link to your presentation that you can share with the audience.
• Position your notes in the right spot so you know where to find them while presenting.
• Check Zoom settings and do a quick audio and video check.

6. Rehearse your presentation

After taking care of your surroundings and equipment, the next step is to prepare yourself.

Practicing your Zoom presentation in advance can help boost your confidence. Here are some tips to help you rehearse well for your presentation:

• Screen record yourself. Afterward, check your recorded video for technical issues, your body language, and whether or not your voice is audible or not.
• Practice with a family member or friend who can give feedback on any distracting nonverbal communication habits like too many hand gestures.
• Rehearse in the same room where you’ll be presenting. Use the same lighting, computer setup, and everything.
• Practice speaking to the camera, not your computer screen.

If you’re not used to face-to-face presentations, you could record your presentation and watch it back. I know, I know – it can feel so uncomfortable watching yourself. But a quick analysis will reveal if you use too many hand gestures, that can be distracting, and also if you need to reposition your camera so it shows your upper body while presenting.

The time has come for presentation day! You already know the ins and outs of your presentation, and you’ve practiced your Zoom presentation skills to a T. A couple of checks you can do before you start are:

• Make sure you’re in a quiet area to minimize any potential interruptions.
• Do a test call with a friend to check the internet connection and if you’ll stay connected.

Take note of the following tips and hacks to make your Zoom presentation engaging and anxiety-free during your webinar or talk:

7. Dress the part

Wear clothes that are appropriate for your presentation and audience. It also helps to be more mindful of your accessories and hairstyle. The outfits and accessories you wear during your Zoom meeting will speak volumes about you as a person.

For example, if you’re presenting to your coworkers, wear work clothes. If you’re pitching to a group of angel investors, wearing a tie can help convey that you’re serious and trustworthy. However, this may not be a good idea if you’re presenting to a group that is more open to change and tends to be more relaxed when it comes to conventional standards.

Another benefit of dressing the part is what you wear actually impacts how you think. Wearing formal clothes can improve abstract thinking and give you a broader sense of perspective, which is influential in helping you make better decisions.

8. Ditch the chair

Standing up when presenting in Zoom rather than sitting down helps you become more confident because you’re not hunched down on your chair.

Standing straight with your shoulders back also enables you to breathe easily, making your voice sound more powerful and confident. Finally, it allows you to move more and make explanatory gestures which is a charisma boost.

The more confident you appear in your presentation, the more confident you’re likely to feel.

“When your mind starts to feel more confident and powerful — it starts to see those challenging situations not as threats but as opportunities,” shares Harvard psychologist professor Amy Cuddy.

If you can’t stand up during your presentation, try to sit straight in your chair and back up your camera a little to show your upper body and not just your face.

9. Have a memorable introduction

National best-selling author and founder at Science of People Vanessa Van Edwards specifically recommends opening your presentation with IISSAAQQ to make it more memorable. IISSAAQQ stands for: 

• I cebreaker
• I llustration
• S hort story
• S tatistic or surprising fact
• A nalogy or metaphor

Bonus points if you can weave in humor with some background information with a relevant fact. Research found that more popular talks used humor 12.92 times, whereas less popular talks used humor only 3.92 times on average.

You don’t have to force a joke – humor could just be a play on words or surprising the audience with a funny image or meme that contrasts with a statement. Nothing breaks the ice better than laughter.

10. Look your audience in the eye (or rather your webcam)

Looking your audience in the eye is easier during face-to presentations than Zoom presentations. It can be a little tricky during online meetings because we tend to look at people’s faces on the computer screen. Maintain eye contact by looking into your webcam.

“A good idea is to lower the monitor camera a little so that you don’t have to tilt your head back to gaze up at it. If you can’t help looking at someone’s face on the screen instead of their camera, it helps to move the Zoom window to the part of the screen nearest to the camera so at least you’re looking at approximately the right place when you’re looking at their face,” shares Carol Kinsey Goman , Ph.D., executive coach and international keynote speaker.

You could treat the camera as if you were doing a face-to-face presentation. This way, it’ll be a bit simpler to hold eye contact with your audience when you’re not looking at your notes.

11. Think happy thoughts

Find ways to boost your mood before your presentation. Aside from helping you feel good (which in turn can boost your confidence), you’re also likely to smile often with happy thoughts. 

When you smile at your audience, they will also likely “mirror” your action and think happy thoughts. 

“Mirroring is relevant to our tendency to be empathetic. When I see you smiling, my mirror neurons for smiling fire up, and I get your state of mind right away. I feel it as you feel it. We need that mirroring in order to create a full empathic response to other people,” describes Marco Iacoboni , author of  Mirroring People  and UCLA professor. 

When you’re having a good time and sharing enthusiasm with your audience, they’ll reciprocate through their nonverbal communication. This means fewer folded arms and blank stares and more nodding along and smiles.

12. Delegate the chatbox

Have someone else take care of Zoom chat or manage the waiting room to keep you from being distracted. This person could be the meeting host, a colleague, or someone you trust who has your back during your presentation.

13. Engage your audience

A boring presentation is when there’s no interaction, and you’re being spoken at (hello, university lectures). You’ll be able to tell from everyone’s body language in the meeting room.

Make your presentation a two-way street. Here are some ways to encourage interaction and participation amongst your audience during your Zoom meetings:

• Ask questions. For example, if you’re presenting a team productivity software in Zoom, ask your audience about their top productivity problems at work. You can also use this time as an opportunity to transition to your next presentation slide.
• If you have a small audience, remember each person’s name and address them using their first names.
• Use visuals like illustrations, infographics, or a short video clip in your slide show. Tool recommendation : Use Piktochart Video to transform a long video into short clips.
• Use interactive quizzes while presenting online to change the pace and keep your audience engaged.

14. Talk like a human and avoid too much jargon

Alright, what does talking like a human mean in Zoom presentations?

For a start, avoid talking too much jargon and corporate speak. It makes you more relatable, keep your audience’s attention longer because your points will be easier to understand, and also helps you stand out from other presenters.

Just because you’re presenting in virtual meetings doesn’t mean you’re not talking to people. The only difference is you’re sharing your presentation in front of your camera instead of in front of the lecture room.

Next, improve your visual storytelling skills . Your presentation will be more memorable if you briefly share a story and pair it with visuals. Sign up for our free visual storytelling course . Check out the teaser video below.

15. Slow down

When you’re anxious and not too confident about your Zoom presentation, you’ll tend to speak fast, which in turn will make you more nervous. It’s a vicious cycle.

When presenting in Zoom, be mindful of your pace. Slowing down will not only take the edge off your nerves but also make you appear more confident.

Don’t be scared of pauses or gaps between your statements. Sometimes, you might need a sip of water to hydrate your throat. Other times, you could use the pauses as extra emphasis to drive key points.

Slowing down and changing up your talking pace will help you deliver an impactful presentation because you’ll have more control and be better able to drive the point home.

5 presentation examples and templates

To make presenting your Zoom presentation easy, here are some presentation templates and examples for inspiration.

Quarterly finance update

Have a big meeting coming up where you need to share sales performance and revenue figures? We’ve got you covered with this template.

It’s equipped with graphs where you can easily drop your revenue figures in and share performance with customizable graphs. There are also template slides for customer feedback and if your team is planning to introduce new processes.

Marketing strategy plan template

This marketing strategy slide deck is perfect if you’re onboarding a new client and want to walk them through your research, analysis, and proposed actions.

Group project

Presenting your collaborative project in a Zoom meeting to your classmates? Take the worry off so you can focus on sharing the results by using this science group project template .

Despite the name, you can use it for any kind of school or university project because the structure works for any type of research presentation. The template has slides for:

• Group introduction
• Your hypothesis/basis for the project
• Your theory
• How you tested the theory
• Key takeaways

Buyer persona template

The customer buying journey is always evolving, and you might need to present a case study to leadership or your team on recent findings. Our template makes it simple to share your customer’s story, as the template has slides for:

• The customer profile
• Motivations/goals
• Personal insights
• Responsibilities

Team update in the all-hands meeting

It’s common for managers, or project leads to update the company with their results in company meetings. In these cases, you might just need a single slide to share your progress.

This work breakdown structure template does the job, giving you space to share what your team’s objectives were, what the key results were, who was involved, and what the shipping date was for these goals.

How to share your Piktochart slide deck on Zoom 

Step 1 : On the Piktochart editor, click Share to get the link to your presentation. 

By default, your presentation is not publicly visible.

Step 2 : Copy and paste the link into your browser bar. Then, click the Show Presentation button. This will launch in fullscreen presentation mode, and now you’re ready to shine. 

Step 3: Click Share Screen on your Zoom account and choose the browser with the Piktochart link.

For a visual demonstration, watch the short tutorial below with detailed instructions.

Ready to deliver your presentation? 

That’s it for our Zoom presentation tips; now over to you.

You have a brilliant idea or insight to present, and you need to share them with your audience in your next Zoom presentation. It’s high time you nail it with the virtual presentation tips we outlined in this guide. 

Take Piktochart for a test drive  today and create your next presentation slide minus the stress using our free presentation maker .

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11 Essential Tips for Presenting on Zoom

January 24, 2022 - Dom Barnard

A boss unwittingly disguised as a potato during Zoom meetings, cries of “you’re on mute!” and guest appearances by kids and pets, are among the hilarious anecdotes attached to this hugely popular app.

However, it becomes serious when you need to make a good impression in a virtual meeting, job interview or presentation.

Zoom became a massively popular communications tool for business, education and social meetings during the Pandemic. In 2020, there were  485 million Zoom downloads , which is 30 times more than the year before!

Of course, some of the top Zoom presentations tips apply equally well to in-person or online delivery. Such as establishing your end goals, preparing a flowing framework and strong content, then practising your speech more than once. However, there are particular advantages and disadvantages to Zoom, to get the right results for presenting online.

These Zoom presentation tips will help grow your competence, confidence and success.

1. Put some trousers on!

One of the great things about Zoom presentations is there is a degree of informality and comfort.

You can dress just your top half smartly, have a hot beverage just off-screen, and do your best public speaking in familiar surroundings.

One of the worst things about Zoom presentations is …there is a degree of informality and comfort!

You can find yourself easily distracted, lacking in focus and slower in your responses.

The best way to present well on Zoom – when the stakes are high – is to create a wholly business-like environment and attitude. Use a space in your home or field location that’s as bland and clinical as possible, with no potential noise disturbance. Dress smartly from head to toe to create the best mindset.

Site your technology in front of you and imagine it’s a lectern and a set of multi-media tools in a meeting room or lecture theatre.

2. Use the superpower of data

While you’re using technology to communicate or collaborate, it’s common sense to optimise ways to enhance your presentations.

As part of your extensive preparation for important Zoom meetings, consider what documents, images and graphics to share, to add credibility and professionalism to your pitch. Or, simply to hold the attention of a Zoom audience from start to finish.

Familiarise yourself with the Share Screen option on Zoom, and the best ways of displaying videos during a Zoom call, including advanced share methods for online presentations.

There are good Zoom share screen tips here, including how to add a video to presentations on Zoom.

Zoom presentations with visual content are  43% more persuasive . Also, 90% of the information we process comes from visual input. So your Zoom presentation materials could be what gets you that job, funding or agreement.

3. Non-verbal communications tips for Zoom

Don’t assume that online presentations release you from many of the body language pitfalls and best practices. The opposite is true, as you need to focus on non-verbal cues even more.

If you deliver your Zoom presentation in a rigid, static and clinical way, you are missing out on some of the best ways to be successful in communications.

People respond to people. Effective communication requires warmth, authenticity and establishing a strong personal connection with your audience. Being robotic when presenting online won’t help you to succeed.

If this is an intense online meeting, then showing empathy can also increase the engagement and openness you achieve.

How do you communicate non-verbally on Zoom?

Without going over the top, be purposeful and slightly exaggerated in your body language. Sit straight and lean subtly towards the screen. Never away from it and certainly no slumping, crossed arms or chin/elbow leaning!

Smile, nod and keep strong eye contact, including showing your attention passing from person to person across a split-screen. Use hand gestures and show subtle movement in your upper body to add emphasis to key points.

4. Verbal communications skills

Zoom presentations also make it too easy to slip into a monotone voice or race through a presentation. You may even find the process of talking to technology – not live people – causes you to ramble, or get lost in your ad-libs or Q&A responses.

Make sure you articulate clearly, add emphasis when needed, and generally modify your tone regularly but logically.

Don’t be afraid to leave small pauses to drive a point home, or to take a deep breath while you construct your next point. If you look directly at the screen and hold eye contact, this ‘white space’ is perfectly acceptable.

5. Is everyone listening?

One of the most important presentation skills, in general, is reading the room. Is your potential boss or buyer looking bored? Are the panel of decision-makers getting confused? In contentious presentations, being able to spot your biggest dissenter from their non-verbal communication can help you shift your focus to winning them over.

It’s challenging to gain that sort of body language intel from online meetings. So, the best Zoom presentations compensate for that.

It can be as simple as adding more direct questions to your content and literally pausing regularly to ask your audience about queries or concerns. Make your questions open-ended, not a yes or no response.

“Let’s take a minute. What else do you need to know about that part of my presentation?”

Also, keep Zoom presentations succinct, flowing and animated. Your audience will drift away subconsciously if your delivery is pedestrian or you talk for too long without involving them.

Remember, attention spans are even shorter on technology!

Practice your video presentation and get feedback on your performance with  VirtualSpeech .

6. Opening Zoom presentations with pizazz

No, this doesn’t refer to grabbing your audience’s attention with a juggling trick or wearing your most colourful or glamourous finery.

How you start a Zoom presentation sets the tone. If you instantly engage their interest with a compelling opening, the attention and engagement last.

This should primarily be 100% clarity on the purpose of your presentation and the desired outcome. As well as establishing your credibility and methods to achieve the end goal.

Vague introductions and slowly revealing your key points drains your time and your audience’s attention.

What makes a good opening for Zoom presentations?

7. Icebreakers

You can’t shake their hand, but you can issue a quick, warm greeting and a short, relevant fact about yourself that helps them to warm to you.

8. Storytelling techniques

These work for a myriad of business communication tasks. Give a short (that word again) anecdote or illustration, to give context to your Zoom presentation. That could be about you, your product or the outcome you are requesting, for example.

9. Meaningful quotes in presentations

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw.

Good quotes can work!

10. High impact fact

Another great opening for Zoom presentations is a little known fact or ‘behind the scenes’ secret that grabs attention. Did you know,  one-third of adults still sleep with a ‘comforter’  like a soft toy or blanket? (Not relevant to many presentations but it’s a memorable statistic that caught OUR attention.)

Wake your audience up with something they want to remember – and share with others – and they will be alert and ready to listen.

11. End Zoom presentations correctly

One last piece of advice on Zoom presentations. Don’t get so relieved when you get to the end, that you forget your call to action.

All communication should include an invitation of some kind, in clear language. What would you like your audience to do, now your Zoom time is over? Tell them that and thank them for your attention, with one last warm smile.

Productivity

19 Zoom tips and tricks for better video meetings

Before, during, and after a zoom meeting—here's everything you need to be a pro zoomer..

For better or worse, Zoom has infiltrated almost every aspect of my life. From work meetings and conferences to night classes and virtual workouts, I Zoom all the time. You'd never know it, though, by the way people constantly have to remind me, "Jess, you're on mute," and then patiently wait while I fumble around for the unmute button. 

But no more. I've found the foolproof trick to quickly mute and unmute myself. Plus, I've rounded up 18 other tips to make me—and you—look like pro Zoomers.

To make things even easier, I've listed the tips in order of how they're likely to be used (before, during, and after a Zoom meeting). 

Before a Zoom meeting 

During a Zoom meeting 

After a Zoom meeting 

Note: Some of the tips include Zap templates (what we call our pre-built workflows at Zapier). Simply click on the Zap template to get started. You'll need a Zapier account if you don't already have one. 

Zoom web portal vs. Zoom desktop client 

Let me clarify one thing: The Zoom web portal refers to your web account (e.g., CompanyName.zoom.us), which is mainly used for customizing your profile and updating your meeting settings. The Zoom desktop client refers to the Zoom app. 

For reasons unbeknown to me, the Zoom desktop client and mobile app have different features than the Zoom web portal. Additionally, you need to select Save for any edits made in the web portal whereas Zoom automatically saves most changes made in the Zoom desktop client or the mobile app. 

Here's hoping that by this time next year, Zoom makes it so you can update all your settings directly from the web portal or Zoom desktop client. But until then, let's dive in!

1. Add a profile picture

Log in to your Zoom web portal. 

Click Profile . 

In the main section with your name, click the pencil icon in the picture frame.

Click Choose Files to upload your picture. 

Click Save.

2. Mute Zoom audio when joining a meeting 

Log in to your Zoom desktop client.

Click the gear icon to open your Zoom settings. 

Select Audio > click the Mute my mic when joining a meeting checkbox.

3. Turn your Zoom video off by default 

Despite my best efforts, I always remember to check for food in my teeth after I've joined a meeting. If, like me, you regularly need an extra moment before you're camera ready, here's how to join Zoom meetings with your camera automatically turned off.

Select Video > click the Stop my video when joining a meeting checkbox.

4. Give attendees a waiting room

When I teach, it might be considered poor form for my students to be waiting in our virtual classroom without me there. That's why I give them a waiting room so they can hang out until I let them into the main room. You can also automatically move attendees to the waiting room if the host is unexpectedly disconnected from the meeting. 

You can create a waiting room by selecting the Waiting Room checkbox when scheduling a meeting. 

You can also enable or disable waiting rooms during a meeting by selecting Participants > More > Enable Waiting Room (or Disable Waiting Room ).

5. Automatically schedule meetings—and let people know about them

Create zoom meetings for new calendly events.

Create detailed Google Calendar events from new Zoom meetings

Update Google calendar events with Zoom meeting links when new bookings are made via OnceHub

Get Slack notifications for new Zoom meetings

6. Schedule recurring meetings with the same URL

To minimize last-minute messages of "Where's the meeting link?", Zoom lets you schedule recurring meetings with the same URL. Here's how. 

Log in to your Zoom web portal.

Select Meetings > Schedule a Meeting. Edit the meeting options as needed.

In the Time Zone field, check the Recurring meeting box. 

Edit the recurrence, including the number of times the meeting occurs and how often it occurs. 

Click Save.  

If you export the meeting to your Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, or Yahoo Calendar, the recurrence pattern and meeting URL are automatically included in the calendar event. Plus, the meeting settings remain locked in, so you don't have to update it for every meeting. 

Additionally, if you meet with the same group but on an irregular schedule, you can also set your recurrence to No Fixed Time. This lets you use the same settings and meeting URL no matter when you get together. When I teach, I use this option to host open office hours for student meetings. 

Note: You can't schedule recurring meetings with your Personal Meeting ID (PMI) since this ID is reserved for you and the link never changes. Also, meeting IDs expire after one year, so you'll have to generate a new one then. 

7. Let someone else schedule your meetings 

If someone else manages your calendar and bookings, here's how to give them Zoom privileges, so they can schedule meetings on your behalf. 

Select Settings.

Under the Meeting tab, select Other.

Under Schedule Privilege, click Add. 

Add your scheduling assistants by inputting their email addresses, and then click Save.  

Once done, your assigned scheduling assistant must log out of their Zoom desktop client and log back in for the feature to take effect. 

Requirements: The primary Zoom account holder and everyone who receives scheduling privileges must share the same account or have linked accounts. Everyone must also be Licensed or On-Prem. And for webinars, everyone must have the webinar add-on. 

8. Collect information from attendees

For any number of reasons, you may want to ask attendees to share a few details about themselves prior to joining the call. For example, you might want to require that attendees provide their name, company affiliation, or industry. 

Here's how to collect this information.

Log in to the Zoom web portal. 

Select Meetings > Schedule a Meeting. 

In the Registration section, select Edit.

In the Registration window, select the Questions tab. Here you can add standard fields, such as name and organization, by selecting the checkbox to the left of the field name. To make specific fields mandatory, select the Required checkbox to the right of the field name. You can also create your own questions under the Custom Questions tab. 

Click Save All.  

If you're using Zoom to run a digital event like a webinar, however, you might want to let attendees register using a form on your website or an event management app. Here are some handy Zaps that automatically register all attendees, regardless of where they sign up.

Add new Eventbrite attendees as Zoom webinar registrants

Create Zoom registrants from new contact activities on ClickFunnels

Add new Leadpages leads as Zoom registrants

Generate Zoom registrants for new Gravity Forms form submissions

Enroll new Mailchimp subscribers as Zoom webinar registrants

You can make this automation even more powerful by making sure that any registrant information collected is also added to your CRM or email marketing tool, so you can easily follow up with potential leads or customers.

Add new Zoom registrants to Mailchimp as subscribers

Update activecampaign contacts from new zoom registrants.

Add new Zoom webinar registrants to Keap Max Classic as contacts

Requirements: To require attendee information in Zoom, the host must have a Pro account. Additionally, the meeting cannot be your Personal Meeting ID.

To enable registration for Zoom meetings, you must 1) be the host, and 2) have a Pro, Business, Education, or Enterprise account. Additionally, the meeting cannot be created using your Personal Meeting ID and it cannot be a No Fixed Time recurring meeting.

9. Learn a few of the most useful Zoom keyboard shortcuts 

M is for mute. Press Cmd + Ctrl + M (macOS) or Alt + M (Windows) when you are the meeting host and want to mute everyone else on the line. If using windows, press Alt+M again to unmute. For mac, press Cmd+Ctrl+U (macOS).

S is for share. Press Cmd + Shift + S (macOS) or Alt + Shift + S (Windows) to share your screen.

10. Record a Zoom meeting as a video 

When you record, you must choose whether to use the local or cloud option. Here's the difference: 

Local means you store the video file yourself, whether locally on your computer or in another storage space that you provide. 

Cloud means Zoom stores the video for you in its cloud storage. One major convenience of the cloud option is that people can stream the video in a web browser once it's ready. This option is available for paying users only. The amount of available cloud storage will vary depending on the account type. 

If you record meeting attendees' video or audio, it's common courtesy—and in some places a requirement—to inform them before you do. Once you begin recording, Zoom will also notify all participants that the meeting is being recorded. 

Requirements : To record videos, you need Zoom on macOS, Windows, or Linux. If you don't have the option to record, edit your recording settings in your Zoom web portal or have your account administrator enable it. 

If you need to share the recording later, try one of these Zaps to automatically share once the recording has finished.

Send Slack channel messages for new Zoom recordings

Send gmail emails for new zoom recordings.

Send emails from Microsoft Outlook with new Zoom recordings

11. Use live transcription 

Let's nerd out on a few terms for a second: 

Transcript: Text that's been converted from another medium, such as speech or audio.

Caption: A text form of audio information, including speech and non-speech, in video and animations. In some regions of the world, " captions " and " subtitles " are used to mean the same thing. For the purposes of this article, I also use these terms interchangeably. 

Closed caption: Captions that can be hidden or shown as selected by the people watching the video. 

Caption frames: Chunks of text from the transcript that run synchronously with the audio of a video.  

Tip: Whether you're hosting a meeting for two or 200, don't wait for someone to request closed captioning. Always enable Zoom's live transcript. While this feature isn't 100% accurate, it's a positive step towards making meetings more accessible. 

If you're hosting a meeting, you can turn on closed captioning by selecting Live Transcript from the Zoom control bar > Enable. If you don't see it, you may need to click More first. 

If you're participating in a meeting, you can view closed captioning by selecting Live Transcript > Show Subtitles. This will populate caption frames. As closed captions can be visually distracting, you can also view a running transcript on the side of your screen by selecting Live Transcript > View Full Transcript. 

12. Co-host calls 

Double the hosts, double the fun! That's a saying right? Here's how to co-host a Zoom meeting with another person.

Ensure this feature is enabled in your meeting settings in your Zoom web portal. Look for Co-host under the In Meeting (Basic) section. If the toggle is gray, click the toggle to turn the feature on. 

Once your co-host has joined the meeting, select Participants from the meeting controls > name of your co-host> More > Make Co-Host . Alternatively, you can hover over their video box, click the menu (...), and select Make Co-Host. 

Then, when you start a meeting, wait for your co-host to join, and add the person by clicking the three dots that appear when you hover over their video box. 

Requirements : To use co-hosting, you need a Pro, Business, Education, or API Partner account with Zoom, and you need to run on macOS, Windows, Android, or iOS. 

13. Pin participants' videos

If you join a meeting with your camera on and your dog in the background, I will privately message you to ask your dog's name, nicknames, and quirks. That is to say, I'm very easily distracted. But when I need to reign in my focus, I pin the speaker's window, so everyone else is hidden. Here's how. 

During a Zoom meeting, hover over the video of the participant you want to pin.

Click the menu ( … ) > Pin. You can pin up to 9 total videos. 

14. Turn on Zoom gallery view

Let's say you're teaching a class or taking a class—it can be helpful to see everyone in the meeting. Here's how to turn on the gallery view in Zoom.

During a Zoom meeting, click View in the top-right corner. 

Select Gallery . If the meeting has 49 or fewer attendees, you may need to adjust the size of your window to see all windows displayed on one page. If your meeting has more than 49 attendees, you'll have the option to navigate through multiple pages. 

Ninety-nine percent of the time, my gallery view is on, but apparently it's creepy when I meet someone in real life and say, "Tell me more about the posters I saw displayed in your office that one time on Zoom"?

15. Mute and unmute with the space bar 

I have no problem playing favorites, and this Zoom tip is inexplicably my favorite.  

If you're on mute and need to speak, press and hold your spacebar while in the Zoom app to quickly unmute. Be sure to hold the spacebar down while you're talking.

Note: This push-to-talk feature won't work if you're actively using another application (which is great if you're multitasking!).

16. Raise your hand (and give other non-verbal feedback)

In the control bar, select Reactions > Raise Hand . This will pin a 🖐🏼 to the top of your video and move your thumbnail to the top of the gallery, which will hopefully catch the attention of the speaker. To lower your hand, select Reactions > Lower Hand.

17. Have a collaborative annotation session

When screen sharing, it can be immensely helpful to point participants to specific areas of your screen or to let everyone draw on visual materials, such as mockups or graphic designs. To do this, try using one of Zoom's handy annotation tools, which can be found in the Zoom control bar during a screen share. 

Spotlight: Turn the host's cursor into a red dot (only available if you started a screen share or whiteboard).

Arrow: Turn your cursor into a small arrow with your name on it. Click anywhere on the screen to "stick" your arrow. Any subsequent clicks will remove the previous arrow placed. 

Vanishing pen: Mark up a shared screen or whiteboard. The markings will fade away within a few seconds, so you don't have to erase or undo your previous drawings (only available if you started a screen share or whiteboard).

To disable attendee annotation altogether, select More (...) from the control bar > Disable Annotation for Others . 

18. Brainstorm ideas on a Zoom Whiteboard 

Zoom's annotation tools are useful for a simple collaborative experience. But if you need more advanced capabilities—like sticky notes, flowchart builders, and the ability to upload images directly to your shared screen—try using Zoom Whiteboard. 

Click Whiteboards in the Zoom control bar. 

Click New to create a whiteboard from scratch. Or click Templates to choose from Zoom's library of prebuilt templates. From basic flow charts to project retros with sticky notes, there's a template for almost everything. If you go with the template option, click the template you want to use, and then click Use Template . 

Click the way you want to share the board (allow meeting participants to edit the board or view only). Then click Create . 

Zoom will automatically share your screen, showing only the whiteboard and editing tools. You can even add a timer to the screen, which is helpful if you want to give participants a time limit to contribute ideas. 

To add more pages to your whiteboard, click the Page icon in the whiteboard toolbar in the bottom-right corner, and then click Add Page . Note: You can only add blank whiteboard pages—not templated ones. 

19. Check who attended a Zoom meeting

Say you're using Zoom to hold a mandatory event, like a university lecture or a training session. You probably want to know who attends. You can get that information from a report once the meeting is finished. Here's how.

Select Reports > Usage Reports > Meeting .

Edit the Meeting Report fields, including the date of the meeting and type of report you want to create (registration). You can search for a meeting using your meeting ID. 

From the list of available reports, click Generate for the report you want. 

Requirements : To generate an attendee list, you need to be 1) the host of the meeting, 2) in a role with Usage Reports enabled, or 3) an account administrator or owner. You also need a Pro, API Partner, Business, or Education plan.

Not enough for you? For more inspiration on how to use Zoom effectively, here's every other tip we have:

Working with sound 

Updating your background or display

Facilitating meetings 

This article was originally published in November 2018. The most recent update was in August 2023.

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Jessica Lau

Jessica Lau is a senior content specialist at Zapier. Outside of writing, she likes to snuggle her dogs, and provide unsolicited podcast and book recommendations.

• Video conferencing
• Video & audio
• Remote work
• Event management

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The Ultimate Guide to Giving Virtual Presentations on Zoom

An irreverent and shockingly-actionable companion for anyone who wants to communicate to invisible audiences through a laptop screen.

I read a lot of “ultimate guides to X.” Most are not ultimate. Most aren’t even very readable. This is different. Oli Gardner has put together an extraordinary resource for both newcomers and experienced speakers. If you apply the tactics in this guide, I promise you’ll be among the best presenters online (or off) at your next engagement.

— Rand Fishkin. Co-founder & CEO, SparkToro.

What’s in the guide?

17 Chapters

29,584 words

84 Screenshots

Roughly speaking—and by that I mean super specific—the Ultimate Guide to Giving Virtual Presentations on Zoom contains six thematic parts, seventeen chapters, 29,584 words, eighty four precision-crafted interface screenshots to show you how to do cool things, high-production instructional videos full of fun, insights, marvellous techniques to marvel at, and did I mention that it’s twenty nine thousand, five hundred and eighty four words long?

Wait. If I add this paragraph to the number it’s actually 29,656. So, roughly speaking, it’s awesome.

This guide is actually free . I’m not asking for an email address. Helping you be a better presenter is my goal.

My only ask is that you consider sharing it with others, if you like the guide.

A few highlights from the guide

18 Zoom Features

Cool Zoom Features You Should Know About

Learn how to use the lesser-known features of Zoom for a more dynamic presentation.

7 Bad Techniques

Things to Avoid Doing in a Virtual Presentation

Learn the most common mistake in a virtual presentation and how to avoid making them.

13 Good Techniques

Definitely Do These Things When Presenting

With a few simple techniques you can drastically improve your chances of pulling off a successful virtual presentation on Zoom. And no, I don’t expect you to build an actual stage like I did, but you can at least put a plant in the background.

Your Talk’s Purpose

Create Experience Moments

A key trait of successful speakers is that they understand their personal brand. They know what they represent, how they want to be perceived, and what success looks for them. This leads directly into how we should be designing our talk experiences.

Presentation Structure, Story, & Flow

Learn how to craft a story arc by reducing your big idea to it’s simplest form and chunking it into structured elements.

40 Slide Design Tips

Slide Design Tips for Virtual Presentations

Take a deep dive into the art of presentation design in this incredibly actionable chapter that will elevate your skills overnight. And yes, there are forty tips in this chapter alone.

Real People

Virtual Audience Engagement

They may be invisible, but they’re still there, and they’re still real people who want to have a good time. Learn techniques for audience participation and five simple tricks to help maintain eye contact while presenting virtually.

Audio & Video

Create Professional Recordings of Your Talks

Learn the six elements of a great presentation recording. Plus techniques, tools, and lists of equipment you need to record professional high-resolution videos of your talks. It also covers editing in post-production, and how to add closed captions for enhanced accessibility.

6 Whoopsies

What to Do When Things Go Wrong

There are many things that can go wrong in a virtual presentation, most of them technical in nature. This chapter covers six serious issues, and offers creative solutions to turn a catastrophic and embarrassing moment, into a calm, collected, professional delivery.

5 Advanced Tips

Advanced & Creative Virtual Presentation Tips

Proxy hosts, shortlinks, customized meeting rooms, landing pages, and clickers, oh my. Enhance your expertise with these technical tips, and the best virtual speaking strategy of all—standing up.

23 Settings

Zoom Settings to Turn On or Off for a Successful Presentation

Zoom has a grand total of 301 settings—I counted them with my finger and brain—which can make it really hard to find a critical feature when it’s crunch time. This chapter breaks down the essentials and is your game-day checklist for success.

Intro Introduction to Virtual Presentations on Zoom

Chapter 1 18 Cool Zoom Features You Should Know About

Chapter 2 12 Things You Should Do in Your Zoom Presentation

Chapter 3 8 Things You Shouldn’t Do in Your Zoom Presentation

Chapter 4 Defining Your Presentation’s Purpose

Chapter 5 How to Define Your Talk’s Structure, Story, & Flow

Chapter 6 41 Slide Design Tips for Virtual Presentations

Chapter 7 6 Ways to Make Eye Contact With an Invisible Audience

Chapter 8 How to do Audience Participation in a Virtual Presentation

Chapter 9 How to Share Content during a Zoom Presentation

Chapter 10 How to Create a Stunning Video and Audio Recording

Chapter 11 Using Post-Production to Add Value to Your Zoom Recording

Chapter 12 How to Use Your Phone as a Beautiful Webcam

Chapter 13 What to Do When Things go Wrong in Your Presentation

Chapter 14 How to Ground Yourself and Get Ready to Present

Chapter 15 Advanced & Creative Zoom Presentation Techniques

Chapter 16 The Difference Between Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars

Chapter 17 23 Zoom Settings to Enable or Disable for a Smooth Presentation

Home Blog Business How to Ace Your Zoom Presentation: Tips for Successful Virtual Presenting

How to Ace Your Zoom Presentation: Tips for Successful Virtual Presenting

It’s your turn to speak during a Zoom social event in your company when your cat decides to make an impromptu appearance, climbing onto your keyboard and causing a flurry of emojis to flood the screen. Thankfully, everyone loved your feline co-worker and joked about the hilarious scene.

But what if it happens in a more meaningful setting, like a virtual sales pitch you’ve been looking forward to for weeks? You wouldn’t want to risk losing a client – and your job – just because a pet rains on your parade.

In this article, we will provide you with essential tips and tricks on how to ace your Zoom presentation like a pro. From preparing your visual aids and keeping your audience engaged to handling technical glitches with finesse, we’ve got you covered.

Table of Contents

Preparing Your Zoom Presentation

Tips for delivering a successful zoom presentation.

• How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom

Handling Technical Issues During a Zoom Presentation

Follow up after a zoom presentation.

Like in-person presentations, a successful Zoom presentation requires careful preparation to ensure you can send your audience the right message. Here are some tips to help you prepare presentations for Zoom.

Use Relevant Visuals

There are many ways you can present information besides plain boring texts. Sixty-five percent of humans are visual learners , so your audience might retain the information you share better if you present them in charts, graphs, images, or other visualizations.

You may use several types of visuals throughout your Zoom presentation, but make sure they are easy to understand in a virtual setting and are relevant to your subject.

For instance, if you present a new product, you may record a video demonstration highlighting its features. Using Zoom’s built-in video player, you can then embed the video into PowerPoint or play it during your presentation.

Use a Simple Presentation Template

A simple presentation template can help you create a cohesive and professional-looking presentation on Zoom. Choose a template that complements your content and aligns with your branding, but avoid overly complex designs that may distract your audience.

You may use a roadmap PowerPoint template or include an agenda slide to set the timeline of your presentation and provide an overview of the topics you will cover. Aside from it keeps the presentation flowing smoothly, it helps your audience orient their thoughts on what will happen in the meeting.

Make It Interactive

Just because you are the presenter doesn’t mean you have to do all the talking – you can let your audience speak too! One of the key aspects of delivering a successful Zoom presentation is to make it interactive and engage your audience.

Think of some icebreakers that will keep your audience involved. It can be a simple open-ended question or a poll to stimulate discussion. You can also use breakout rooms to facilitate small group interactions or collaborative activities.

Interactive presentations help to break the monotony of one-way communication and make your Zoom presentation more dynamic and engaging. Having no activities encouraging interaction makes losing your audience’s interest during virtual meetings easier.

Practice the Presentation and Timing

Aside from the content of your presentation, you also have to worry about the technicalities of presenting on Zoom, so having a dry run before the real thing is important to ensure a smooth delivery.

Practice your presentation multiple times before the event to ensure you are comfortable with the content, pacing, and timing. This will familiarize you with the Zoom platform and its features, such as screen sharing, chat, and breakout rooms.

You have a killer Zoom PowerPoint. Now it’s time to focus on delivering it effectively. Here are some Zoom presentation tips:

Use a Neutral Background

Your background in a Zoom presentation can impact how your audience perceives your professionalism and credibility. Choose a neutral background that is free from distractions and clutter.

If you have an office space at home, that will work even better. Pick from Zoom’s virtual backgrounds, preferably plain and clean. Make your background boring so your audience’s attention is drawn to you. Stay away from bed!

Dress Appropriately

Even though you may be presenting from the comfort of your home, it’s important to dress professionally for your Zoom presentation. It’s not bad to wear your usual duds when attending a casual game night with your team. But if it’s a formal setup, like a business proposal, you must suit up to invite success.

Dressing up smartly may improve your mood and confidence. In a 2014 study , two groups of male subjects were asked to put on business suits and sweatpants before engaging in a negotiation task. Those who dressed up obtained more profitable negotiations than the other group.

As a rule of thumb, avoid wearing loud colors or busy patterns that may distract your audience.

Keep an Eye Contact

Maintaining eye contact is essential in any presentation, whether in person or on Zoom. Making eye contact helps you connect with your audience and convey your message more effectively.

The common advice you’ll get to achieve this on Zoom is to look directly into the camera to create the impression of eye contact with your audience. We agree with these, but as the speaker, you also have to read the facial expressions of your audience and see how they react to what you are saying.

If you are using a desktop or laptop, the simplest solution to achieving these two is to reduce Zoom to a smaller window and place it directly below your webcam. This way, you can glance at their faces occasionally while keeping the illusion of eye contact.

Keep Your Notes Minimal

If you are an expert in the topic you are presenting, it would be best to ditch your notes during Zoom events. Constantly looking down at your notes can be distracting for your audience.

But if the need calls for it, make sure to keep your notes minimal and stick them in the right place. You can use a second screen or a tablet, or position your notes close to the camera to refer to them without breaking eye contact. This way, you can stay focused on engaging with your audience and delivering your presentation smoothly.

How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom (Step by Step)

How to present on Zoom? Once you understand what Zoom presentations are and the tips for Zoom presentations, it is time to give the presentation using Zoom. Let’s see this step by step:

Step 1. Open the PowerPoint file you want to present.

Step 2. Join the Zoom meeting and click on the Share Screen icon in the meeting control panel at the bottom of your screen.

[Optional] You can customize who can share their screen in the Zoom meeting. Click on the small arrow in the corner of the Share Screen icon and select Advanced Sharing Options.

Select Hosts Only or All Participants.

Step 3. Select the window you want to share – in this case, the one that contains the PowerPoint slide – and click on Share.

If you are playing audio or video within your presentation, make sure to tick Share sound and Optimize for video clip.

Step 4. Click on the Slide Show tab in the PowerPoint window and begin the presentation by selecting Play from Start or Play from Current Slide.

Step 5. To stop screen sharing of PowerPoint, hover over the meeting controls at the top of your screen and select Stop Share.

It’s not uncommon for technicalities to derail a live Zoom presentation – video, Wi-Fi, or audio may fail. But there are things you can do to prevent them, or at least minimize their impact on your presentation when they happen.

First, test your equipment before your presentation and make sure everything is in place. You can join a meeting test on Zoom to check your internet connection, camera, audio, and microphone.

You may also send a PDF copy of your presentation to the attendees before the meeting if sharing your screen won’t work. This will allow you to carry on as you or your technical team figures out the problem.

If the technical issues persist, you should have a good Plan B and be prepared to continue on a different platform like Google Meet. Send the alternative link with the meeting invitation and give clear action steps when technical difficulties happen.

Following up after a Zoom presentation is a crucial step in maintaining momentum and maximizing the impact of your presentation. For example, if you are selling a product, you can use a follow-up email to make the final push of your sales pitch.

Start your email by expressing appreciation for their participation and summarizing the key points of your presentation. Include any additional resources, such as presentation slides or a video presentation recording, to reinforce your message. Offer yourself as a resource for further questions or discussions, and encourage feedback or comments from your audience.

Here’s an example of a well-executed follow-up email for a Zoom workshop event:

Conducting a virtual presentation sounds overwhelming as you must consider technical aspects in addition to delivering your message and keeping it engaging.

Remember, there’s no such thing as overpreparing when you have bosses or potential clients to impress. Follow the tips in this article to nail your next Zoom presentation!

Like this article? Please share

Business Presentations, Video Filed under Business

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The complete Zoom guide: From basic help to advanced tips and tricks

Zoom  is a video communications platform that many of us at ZDNet consider to be a valuable digital tool today. One of Zoom's key strengths is its simplicity, but the platform also has a variety of advanced features that remote workers will find useful for improving their productivity. 

Below, we'll show you how to get started, and also offer some tips and tricks that experienced users may be missing out on. 

Let's get started: Zoom basics

Zdnet recommends, the best video conferencing software.

Which video conferencing platform is right for your business? We've gathered details about 10 leading services.

First of all, head over to Zoom in your browser. The platform is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. The layout will be slightly different depending on whether you are on desktop or mobile. 

There are four plans available; the most popular now likely being the free tier, in which virtual meetings can be held with up to 100 participants, 1-on-1 meetings (30 minute time limits), and meetings with multiple participants can be held for up to 40 minutes. (When your time is up, you can simply restart a meeting if need be.)

The free option also includes private and group chats. Participants can join via their PC or a telephone line, and both desktops and apps can be shared.

Zoom's Pro, Business, and Enterprise packages come with additional features, including an increase in meeting duration limits, cloud recording and storage, Skype for Business interoperability, single sign-on options, transcript recordings, and company branding.   

It is possible to join a meeting just from your browser, but in the interests of longevity and avoiding browser limitations, we recommend you download the application. 

Also:  Remote working jobs: 5 problems we need to solve in 2022

To start using Zoom, make your choice (browser or a direct download) and then sign up. You will be prompted to type in your email or sign in through either Google or Facebook. 

Businesses can also provide you with a single sign-on key (SSO) to attend meetings, although you will also need to know the company's .zoom.us domain. Alternatively, you can look up the domain by performing a search based on your company email address. 

At the next sign up prompt, Zoom will ask for permission to send resources including product videos and how-to guides your way. Either click "confirm" or "Set Preferences;" the latter option being to receive emails once a week, once a month, or never. Make your selection. 

By now, a confirmation email should have landed in your inbox. Open the message, click "Activate Account" or paste the included confirmation link into your browser, and then at the next prompt, you will need to complete account creation with your name and a strong password . 

If you wish, on the next screen, you can invite your colleagues to also create an account. If not, click "Skip this step."

Now you can choose to create a test meeting if you like, as well as add Zoom as an extension. There are various plugins available including a Google Chrome extension, Zoom for GSuite, a Mozilla Firefox extension, a Microsoft Outlook plugin, and an IBM Notes plugin. If you will be using Zoom for the foreseeable future for work purposes, you may want to select and install appropriate add-ons now. 

You can choose to launch a test meeting, which contains the meeting's URL and the option to invite others. We will go through the core features of the meeting system in a moment, but for now, let's head over to the web portal, zoom.us , to make sure that the correct settings are enabled and that you know how to create and launch a meeting. 

The web portal

On the Zoom website , head to " Your Account " in the top-right to manage your profile.

You can change details under the " Profile " tab such as your name, picture, default meeting ID, password and time zone. 

Next, head to " Settings ." Here, you can adjust settings implemented by default, including whether or not video is automatically enabled when you -- or participants -- join a meeting; and whether or not participants can join a scheduled meeting before the host arrives. 

Also:  The modern workplace: Will remote tech workers tolerate being monitored?

In the interests of security and to prevent scammers from hijacking a meeting , you should make sure you use strong passwords. 

Passwords were not always enabled by default, but after Zoom  apologized for "falling short of the community's -- and our own -- privacy and security expectations," a rush of security changes were made, including the enabling, by default, of passcodes for scheduled, instant, and personal meetings.

The security tab is now extensive and includes options to allow or restrict public and private chats when you host a meeting; you can give permission for files to be transferred, select who can screen share, enable end-to-end encryption (but you will need to verify your phone number first to select this option), and you can even impose blocks on users coming from specific countries or regions. 

The Zoom desktop app has a similar layout, with "preferences" accessible from the top-right corner. The options you can access here are related to your PC, such as whether or not you want to use dual monitors or automatically enter a full-screen mode when a meeting starts. 

You can also test your microphone and speaker setup, choose a color theme, select a default location for recordings, and tweak accessibility controls, among other functions. 

With your basic preferences in place, let's go to the " Meetings " tab in your profile. 

Scheduling and hosting a meeting 

The first screen you will see reveals any scheduled meetings in your diary. Click "schedule a new meeting" and a new screen will appear, in which you can name your meeting, add a description if you want, and choose the date and timezone.  

If this is to be a continual meet up with colleagues, there is a handy " recurring meeting " checkbox under the timezone tab. If you select it, you can then choose how often the meeting needs to be repeated -- whether daily, weekly, or monthly, and how many times during a day you want the meeting to repeat. 

Once you have input these details, scroll down and click "save." 

The meeting is set, but how do you invite others? 

The short answer is: you must do so manually. There are two ways to do this: through calendar invites, or via your own email account. 

If you wish to invite others through a calendar, links to Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and Yahoo Calendar are displayed once your meeting has been saved. 

Alternatively, next to the "join URL" link on this screen, there is an option to "copy this invitation."

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Clicking on this page element brings up a screen with all of the important information required for the meeting, including the URL, of which the meeting ID is already embedded. Copy this to your clipboard, open your email client, paste the details into a new message, and invite away. 

So, in short, all participants need is the meeting URL , date and time , and a passcode . 

If you want to try out features before bringing other people in, create a test meeting at this stage and select "Start this meeting." Alternatively, you can do exactly the same within the first page of the Zoom desktop app:

The first prompt, in either case, will ask you to join with computer audio if you are on PC, and will also give you the option to test your speaker and microphone. At the top right of the meeting window, you can choose to go full screen. 

We are now going to go over the basic settings you need to know about in meetings for management purposes.

Two fundamental options can be found in the bottom-left part of the black menu tab: the option to mute/unmute your microphone and either start/stop your camera. If you are using an external microphone, speaker, or camera, open up the arrow tabs next to these options to choose which equipment you want to use (external or inbuilt). 

Moving on, the " Manage Participants " tab is particularly important. Under this tab, you can find " invite ," which is useful if you've forgotten to bring someone into a session. 

Clicking this option will bring up a box with everyone connected to the meeting. If you hover over a name, you can mute/unmute them, and at the bottom, there are options for doing the same for every participant. In the interests of privacy, however, hosts and other participants cannot control individual camera feeds. 

A handy feature to note here under " Security " is " lock ," which stops anyone else from joining an active session. 

Different views : You can pick one of four view options -- but this only impacts how you view a meeting, and not others. By default, Active Speaker is the default video layout -- in which the person talking is ramped up to a larger screen -- but there is also a gallery layout that brings in every participant on one screen through a grid, an " immersive " view that puts participants in the same 'room' through a virtual background, and a floating thumbnail option.

The " Share Screen " tab allows you to share your PC screen with others, including your full desktop, browser, or open applications, and also permit others to share their own screens simultaneously.

Now, let's talk about messaging. The " Chat " tab on the main bar is designed for users to type out questions and messages, as well as share files either hosted by cloud storage providers or stored directly on your PC, as long as the "Send files via meeting chat" option in Account Settings has been enabled. 

As a host, you can also select the "..." button to save a chat session and control who participants can talk to -- no one, the host alone, everyone publicly, or everyone publicly and privately. 

The final tab of note is the " Record " option, which you may want to use if you are discussing work matters and want to save the session in order to email a copy of it to others later. By default, no one except the host can record a session unless the host gives permission to do so.

Participants will be warned that the meeting is being recorded through an automatic audio message. 

Finally, the " End Meeting " tab finishes the session. If the host needs to leave but the meeting should carry on, they can assign the host status to another participant -- but enabling co-hosts has to be selected first in the "Meetings" tab and can only be selected by subscription holders. Alternatively, you can leave the meeting or end the meeting for all. 

Advanced tips and tricks

Now that the basics have been covered, there is a range of settings and features that more experienced users might want to use. 

Let's head back over to the web portal to run through a few options. If you are using the  desktop application , you can quickly access this area by going to "Settings".

You can find features including:

• Breakout room: split meeting participants into separate, smaller rooms. This can also be done before a meeting begins to prevent logistical problems
• Virtual backgrounds: enabling/disabling 
• Encryption: By default, Zoom requires encryption for all data transferred between the Zoom cloud, Zoom client, and Zoom Room. You can also require encryption for 3rd party endpoints (SIP/H.323).
• Waiting room: a feature to keep participants in a 'waiting area' until the host is ready for them -- particularly handy for remote interviews or office hours. This feature is now on as default.
• Private chat: Allow or restrict direct messages by participants
• Auto-save chat: You can enable chat records to be automatically saved
• Feedback: You can enable an end-of-meeting experience feedback survey to display
• Report to Zoom: You can allow users to report others for inappropriate behavior during meetings
• Far end camera control: You can allow others to seize control of your camera during meetings

If you have a Pro, Business, or Enterprise plan, you can take advantage of the webinars option . Webinars can be set up that broadcast to up to 50,000 view-only attendees at a time. Screens, video, and audio can be shared; chat sessions between attendees and panelists can be hosted, and webinars can be run on either a pre-registration or open basis. 

Language interpreters

In 2022, Zoom introduced the option for enabling language interpretation . Up to 20 participants can be designated as interpreters during a Zoom session, and they can create their own audio channels for participants to select in their preferred language. 

Virtual Backgrounds

Virtual backgrounds can be used to hide the chaos and clutter of your home. There are specific hardware requirements, which can be accessed here . Most modern PC setups should be able to manage -- but the virtual background, either made up of images or video, works best with a green screen and uniform lighting. There is also "studio effects," a beta service for adding filters. 

To set up a virtual background, go to the desktop app, "Settings," and choose "Virtual Background." You can try out different screens or add your own image/video instead. You may see a warning that says your hardware isn't good enough -- but give it a go, anyway. 

Whiteboards, annotations

This is a useful option if you are canvassing ideas or soliciting feedback and it comes with different annotation options, including text boxes, arrows, and more. The "spotlight" is a form of highlighter which can be used to bring user attention to a particular area or point. This can be enabled under in-meeting settings. Notes can be added to a virtual whiteboard and shared screens.

What about Zoom gatecrashers?

When software is popular, scammers come out of the woodwork to try and find a way to capitalize. Zoom is no different ; the appearance of scammers jumping into unprotected meetings and posting malicious links and pornography has given rise to the phrase "Zoom-bombing."

Zoom has  published a guide on how to prevent gatecrashers from disrupting your meetings, including pointers such as:

• Keep your meeting links off social media
• Choose "only host" for screen sharing control during a meeting
• Taking advantage of Zoom's extensive security options
• Use the "lock" feature to prevent random users from joining in after a meeting has begun
• If you are gatecrashed, hover over the user's name in the Participants menu to bring up a "remove" option.

Zoom Rooms  is a more advanced software offering available on a subscription basis. Zoom Rooms, an option for business owners, combines audio conferencing, video conferencing, and wireless screen sharing. A PC running Zoom Rooms is the bare minimum requirement, but iPads, TV displays, external speakers, cameras, and microphones can all be integrated within one room. 

You can find the Rooms client and controller software (iOS, Android, or Windows) in the Zoom  Download Center . 

App Marketplace

Zoom's App Marketplace is worth investigating if you're looking to implement more features in Zoom Meetings or Zoom Rooms. Apps can be integrated including the Otter.ai transcription service, Google Workspace, Adaptive Shield, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Okta. 

Additional points

• When screen sharing, the " optimize option " is especially useful when sharing YouTube and other online videos as it can prevent distortion, lagging, and buffering issues. 
• Hot Keys and keyboard shortcuts are available for Mac and Windows machines. A full list can be found here . 
• Meeting times: If you are experiencing connection issues at peak times, consider scheduling a meeting at times other than on-the-hour or on a half-hour. 
• Zoom now offers the "Events" service, a solution for live events and both in-person and virtual attendance. 
• Need training for specific purposes, such as for education? Zoom offers over 30 live training sessions per week. 
• If you need additional technical support, Zoom has an online help center . 

Zoom's best practices

• Double-check meeting default settings
• Test your audio and video as you join
• Use a USB-connected headset
• Mute your microphone when not speaking
• Position your webcam properly
• If hosting, connect from a large screen
• For best results, use the app and not a browser
• Use a stable/wired connection
• Join meetings in quiet areas

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How to Be Effective and Keep Participants Engaged When Presenting Remotely

Posted august 23, 2021 by eleanor hecks.

Whether you’re doing a more traditional presentation via Zoom , giving a live interview, or conducting a webinar, the experience is very different from doing so in person. There won’t be a physical audience in front of you, and sometimes timing is extremely challenging to sync up — people often try to talk over others during conference calls. What’s more, it can be just as difficult to convey the appropriate emotions and body language, especially when just the top half of you — or sometimes even just your head — is visible.

It makes one wonder: What are some things you can do to prepare for the presentation or conference? Are there any tips you should keep in mind during the live event? What else should you know?

How to prepare your Zoom presentation

The planning phase is one of the most critical, as it’s where you’ll decide your topics, your major discussion beats, and where you’ll elaborate. You may not be using a teleprompter, but you will be creating a loose script. In addition, you’ll need to create the media that will go along with your presentation, which should be error-free, captivating, and on point.

Here are some tips to improve planning and design:

1. Design for everyone

While creating your media — the slides — understand that you are creating for a wide audience who will likely be tuning in from multiple devices and platforms. The media is going to look very different on a large, HD-ready computer monitor than it will on a smartphone or tablet. Design the content, images, and layouts so that they are compatible and friendly for all. Someone browsing on their phone should be able to see precisely the same information as someone on a laptop or computer.

Be sure to test out your presentation on different devices and resolutions. Also, try to remember that too much screen time can cause focus and stimulation problems in both children and adults. Try to limit the total presentation time, so that it’s accommodating for everyone.

2. Tone down the visuals

Yes, every presentation needs captivating visual content to go along with the text and audio. But you don’t want it to take away from the meat of the experience. It’s okay to use maps, charts, graphs, videos, photos, including stock images, GIFs, memes, and more.

Just don’t overdo it on a single slide. Try to keep it relatively confined so your audience doesn’t go into a stimulation overload. If they’re trying to read a ton of text, listen to you speak, and process several images — especially animated ones — things can get really hectic.

3. Get your area ready

On a live stream, everything around you is as much the star of the show as you. Figurines, pictures on the wall, and even clutter will all feature prominently unless you alter the background — which Zoom allows you to do. Be sure to tidy up your space before the event and remove anything from the frame that you don’t want your audience to see.

4. Brighten up the room

Webcams, even UHD cams, tend to work much better in bright conditions. If you haven’t already, open your blinds to let in some natural light. Test out the camera conditions beforehand to see whether it’s too bright, or not enough. If you’re using a laptop, you can move around your home to find the best spot.

Audiences should have a clear view of your face. Most importantly, they should be able to see when you’re speaking and what gestures you’re making.

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5. Test your equipment

You can make a test call to a friend or family member, or just test out the equipment locally, but make sure everything is working. Check your audio and your microphone, be sure the video is clear and bright, check your internet signal and speeds, and ensure all equipment is plugged in and not running on battery power. You should be doing this as close to the conference or event as possible. It doesn’t help if you check out your equipment days in advance and then run into issues the day of.

People do not like to encounter technical errors. For instance, when a page’s load speed increases by just 1-3 seconds, the bounce rate also increases by 32% . A 5-second increase boosts that bounce rate to 90%. So, the longer it takes to set up your presentation and get things moving, the more likely it is that people will tune you out or leave altogether.

6. Rehearse

Practice in front of a mirror, or hop on a call with friends and family and allow them to provide feedback. Never go into a presentation unprepared, especially if you’ve never given one before via Zoom or anywhere.

7. Create a checklist

A checklist is always a good way to review what you need to get done before an event or activity. Professionals use them to avoid costly mistakes , and you should be taking inspiration from that.

Try to remember every small detail or requirement that you need to complete before the presentation. You can even create a multi-tier checklist that deals with before, during, and after the big event.

Hosting the Zoom presentation

So, you’re all ready for the big event? Now, it’s time to make sure everything goes smoothly during your presentation. Here are some helpful tips.

1. Speak plainly

It helps if you write the script or guidelines similar to how you will be presenting, however, you should speak plainly and enunciate as much as possible. Unless the subject matter explicitly calls for it, try to avoid industry or specialized jargon. That will also mitigate how much you need to explain or move off-topic. Furthermore, it ensures your entire audience can follow along, regardless of skill level or expertise.

2. Minimize potential interruptions

You can’t control what happens on the other end of that presentation, but you can certainly control things on your side. Try to mitigate potential distractions as much as possible. Put your phone on silent. Wear headphones so there’s no audio echo or distortion. Close your door or isolate yourself so no one comes in to interrupt. You might also consider turning on Do Not Disturb mode on your computer to pause notifications during the meeting.

3. Keep your materials handy

Two points. First, you want to keep your notes or script handy so that if you get stuck you can continue with little to no pause. Second, those materials should be in a place that has you facing the camera. If you have a document up on a monitor, for example, you don’t want to be glancing sideways all the time to read what’s next.

Situate the screen and camera so they’re at the same angle, so you’re constantly looking at the camera while you read. It’s a lot easier to do with a laptop because the camera is usually in the top bezel. With a desktop, you might have to move your display(s) around, or reposition your webcam. If you’re using a phone or tablet, you should have those propped up on a stand or tripod to keep them stable.

4. Dress to impress

Dress just as you would if you were paying a visit to the office or making a presentation in public. Put on the whole outfit too, and not just the shirt, because you never know what’s going to happen. If the camera falls, you don’t want it to expose that you’re just wearing underpants along with that collared shirt.

5. Have your media ready

It’s a simple tip, but a crucial one. Have your slides and other media ready to go and queued up for sharing. Don’t wait until the presentation to get things in order. You should be able to swap to the necessary screen, share the content, and go. Have all hyperlinks, videos, and interactive elements prepared beforehand, as well.

6. Pause for effect and questions

After each major beat, pause for a moment to allow your audience to ask questions, raise concerns, or ask for you to reiterate the message. This is much more difficult when you’re dealing with a large audience, but most Zoom meetings are relatively intimate with a local group.

7. Pay attention to chat

Alongside every Zoom event or meeting, there is a live chat window that can sometimes be forgotten if you’re busy focusing on your presentation. Don’t neglect it. Your audience may be asking more questions, providing valuable feedback, or even pointing out something wrong — like your mic cutting out.

8. Record your presentation

Make sure you’re recording the presentation to reference later, not just for everyone else but for yourself too. It allows you to rewatch the feed to review questions and commentary, and also to perceive your mannerisms and dynamic content. You can use that information to build a better presentation later.

9. Leverage the Zoom tools

There’s a host of tools you can use with Zoom , including screen sharing, annotations, live polling, and much more. Incorporate them into your presentation whenever possible, and don’t forget they exist! They can help make the experience more fun, engaging, and memorable.

10. Keep it interesting

It’s easy when you’re talking, especially about dull subjects, to lose your audience. One way to keep them invested and interested is to add the occasional “boom” moment. It’s an impactful instant, like a shocking statistic, joke, or alarming point, that ties together everything you’ve been talking about up until that moment.

The follow-up

After the presentation is completed, don’t make the mistake of thinking your work is all done. The first thing to do is make the media and the recording of the presentation available so that anyone who wants to can go back and review the experience.

Next, you need channels in place to collect feedback. People will have follow-up questions and concerns, and they may want you to clarify certain points. Also, you’ll want people to share their experiences. What did they enjoy? What did they dislike? How could you have improved as a presenter? Don’t be too scared to ask these questions, as they’ll help improve your Zoom presentation skills.

Finally, consider wrapping it all up with a nice bow by giving away free content or materials to those who attended the event, like a free e-book written by you or your colleagues, or a promo code to your storefront.

With these ideas in mind, you’ll be ready to knock your next Zoom presentation or remote meeting out of the park!

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Eleanor Hecks

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Zoom presentation tips to bring human connection into virtual meetings

Get your team on prezi – watch this on demand video.

Līva Luriņa November 01, 2021

Gartner has acknowledged Zoom as a leader in meeting solutions for the sixth year in a row. That’s well deserved, as it’s pretty challenging to find a person in the digital world who’s never joined a Zoom meeting.

In a sea of countless Zoom presentations , it’s crucial to stand out in order to succeed. But what’s the best way to tell your story, engage your audience, and avoid virtual meeting fatigue ? Through personal connection.

Read on to learn the nine best Zoom presentation tips to help you build a human connection in the era of virtual meetings and discover 11 handy Zoom hacks to advance your Zoom presentation skills.

1. Do your homework

The most important Zoom presentation tip is to think about your audience before thinking about the slides. You need to understand their expectations to bring value and build a real connection.

Consider things about your audience such as:

• What do they need or want from your Zoom presentation?
• Challenges or fears they face
• Tone of voice or vocabulary that is the most appropriate to use
• Examples or stories can they relate to

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can design your presentation accordingly. It’s a good idea to modify your presentation each time you face a new group of people.

2. Tell a story

There’s no better way to create an emotional connection with the audience than telling a story. Including storytelling in presentations will also help them better understand and remember information that’s important both in business and education.

But how do you actually include a story in your presentation? To really unlock all the potential, the storyline has to be connected to your main goal and, following the best Zoom presentation tips, carried throughout the whole presentation.

First, clarify what emotion you want to evoke, whether it’s surprise, joy, desire, anger, or anything else. Think of relatable examples, statistics, jokes, or experiences that will resonate with your audience. When you see people nodding their heads, that’s usually a sign that you’re nailing the presentation, and you’ve made an emotional connection with your audience (or they’re practicing active listening skills :)).

Elena Valentine, CEO of Skillscout, uses Prezi Video to show the importance of storytelling in presentation and shares some tips to help you hone in on using story as the ultimate attention grabber. Learn all about it in here video.

3. Visual vs. textual information 

Zoom presentations with visual aids are 43% more persuasive than those without. The human brain loves visuals – they make it easier to quickly process the message compared to slides with text. Also, ideas presented graphically are easier to comprehend and remember than those presented through text alone.

To bring the human connection to your Zoom presentation, you need all eyes on you. If your audience is focused on reading lines or bulleted lists on the screen, they are more likely not paying attention to what you’re saying.

That’s why it’s important to include visual information in your slides. Here are some Zoom presentation tips about types of visuals for your slides:

• Data visualizations. Charts and graphs are your best friends if you want to communicate data and numbers. Prezi’s data visualization tools can help you with that – easily create designs to support your story and make your presentation more delicious.

• Maps . Turn geographical data and insights into interactive maps for cities, regions, or even whole continents – our brains love the data associated with reality.
• Images and videos. These visual assets are a must-have in presentations to explain how things work, emphasize the idea, or draw attention to your message. Your choice of images will impact the emotional connection with the audience, so choose them wisely.
• Graphic elements. Flowcharts, diagrams, icon blocks, notes, and other features are excellent ways to communicate processes, plans, or ongoing situations. Combine your story with these elements, and you can be sure your message will be apparent to everyone.
• GIFs and stickers. Sometimes one GIF can express more than words could say. They are super helpful if you want to create an exact image in the audience’s head. For example, imagine a presentation about monthly sales performance and this GIF on the first slide:

This celebratory GIF is a great way to kick things off and get your team excited to hear the rest of your presentation. 

4. Let your audience hear and see you

Another Zoom presentation tip regards what your audience can see and hear. It’s best to come off as professional as possible.

Good lighting conditions don’t mean spotlights all around you. Natural light is the best tool to look good in a virtual presentation . Make sure you sit near the window but avoid having it behind your back as it will create a shadow. If the natural lighting isn’t an option, play around with your lamps – even a cheap ring light can make a huge difference. Watch this video to learn how to create the best video lighting and more.

Now, when your audience can see you, make sure they can hear you as well. There’s nothing worse than watching a Zoom presentation when the speaker has disruptive noise in the background or a squeaky mic.

In the video below, we explain the best ways to make a crisp and clear sound when you’re presenting. Even more, Zoom has several ways you can improve your audio – look for more Zoom presentation tips and hacks at the end of this article.

5. Make sure your Zoom presentation flows

This Zoom presentation tip works well with storytelling. Everything you say and show should have a good segue – both your story and your presentation slides.

Rather than transitioning through slides linearly, use Prezi’s presentation templates to have a more conversational presentation. You can create various flows and zoom in on a topic to go deeper. Or, let the conversation guide you and jump straight into the most relevant topics that your audience is interested in.

In his video, Brian Fanzo, Digital Futurist and keynote speaker, covers how to avoid coming off as scripted in an online presentation. Watch his video here for more: 

6. Body language is worth a thousand words

Body language has an enormous impact on how your audience perceives your Zoom presentation. Jessica Chen, Founder and CEO of Soulcast Media in her Prezi video explains that body language determines up to 60% of how we receive the information presented, whereas the choice of words makes only 7% and tone of voice only 33%. 

There are many ways you can mindfully use your body language during presentations. One of the top Zoom presentation tips is to stick something eye-catching next to your laptop camera so you can hold eye contact with the audience. To look confident and persuasive, move slowly, fluidly, create space between your shoulders and ears, and keep your head straight. And most importantly – use your hands, especially at the start of your video call. It will create a warm and safe place both for you and your audience.

7. Don’t hide behind the slides

It’s hard to make your presentation personal if you’re just a small rectangle in the corner of the Zoom window. All your audience can see on their screen is a giant slide with information and data. 

Using your body language is a key Zoom presentation tip, that’s why you should forget about sharing your screen and display your content right next to you. This makes a more memorable experience and impactful presentation. Prezi Video is the right tool for that – easily drag and drop the content you’d like to show or use our templates to build presentations that will amaze your audience.

8. Activate your audience

Another great Zoom presentation tip to keep your audience engaged is through conversational presenting with interactions. Once in a while, stop presenting to talk with your audience and allow them to ask questions or clarify something. Encourage them to use the Zoom chat or respond to a poll .

Zoom breakout rooms are an excellent choice for online workshops or training sessions. Participants can discuss the topics from your presentation in greater detail and express their ideas, enabling collaborative learning and knowledge sharing.

However, not everyone feels comfortable speaking up. Using Prezi Video during online meetings allows your audience to share instant reactions – images, GIFs , text, or stickers. By organizing that kind of interactivity in your Zoom meeting, everyone can participate and raise the level of energy in the meeting.

For more tips on activating your audience on Zoom, watch this Prezi video by Rich Mulholland, founder of the presentation company Missing Link: 

9. Create, rehearse, present

You can agree on or not with Malcolm’s Gladwell “ 10,000-hour rule “, but one thing is clear – the more you present, the better you become at it.

Once you’ve created your presentation content, rehearse it. You can use Prezi Video to record yourself before going live to Zoom so that you can see yourself in action. Practice where you’ll add pauses, ask the audience a question, or make a joke. Think about what tone of voice you should use to keep the audience focused and what your body language is saying.

You can even record your presentation and review it later to gauge how you can improve it. Practice makes perfect.

Selling on video expert, Julie Hansen, shares Zoom presentation tips for more effective sales meetings in her video here: 

11 Zoom presentation hacks for even better meetings

Add prezi virtual camera.

Download Prezi Video desktop app and connect Prezi Virtual Camera with your Zoom . After that, you can instantly share your content and ideas with you on screen, making everything from internal updates, trainings, and sales pitches more interesting.

Change your Zoom virtual background

To jazz up your Zoom presentation, you can create and upload your own virtual background image . Surprise coworkers with your office’s picture in the background, join a meeting from a sunny beach in Spain, or create a professional-looking background as your business card. Use one of our virtual background templates to get started.

Test the sound

It’s always a good idea to test your mic before joining a Zoom meeting. Go Zoom Settings > Audio and test both your microphone and speakers. This way, you can avoid that awkward “Can you hear me?” moment at the start of your meeting.

Spacebar to mute/unmute

Forget about those awkward moments when you’re trying to find the mic to unmute yourself and say something quickly. One nifty Zoom presentation tip: hit the spacebar and hold it to unmute yourself as you speak.

Turn off video and audio by default

Avoid that “first look tension” when joining a Zoom meeting. Go to Settings > Audio and mute your mic when joining a meeting to control the first sound. Under the Settings > Video settings, check the “ Stop my video when joining the meeting ” so that you can always greet your team with a smile and a wave.

Hide non-video participants

During large team meetings or all-hands, it’s nice to see other coworkers in your Zoom window. To avoid a cluttered screen with static images and videos, you can hide meeting participants without video from the gallery view. Go to Settings > Video and click Hide non-video participants . Now you can enjoy live reactions and people around you all meeting long.

Hide your self-view during Zoom presentations

In Zoom meetings, we tend to pay too much attention to how we look. It can be a real distraction and steal the focus of the presenter. To avoid that, press the three dots button on your video and choose Hide Self View . This will create a more natural feeling, as you most likely wouldn’t look in the mirror during a face-to-face meeting.

Share your screen with confidence

Eliminate notifications like messages or ads popping out when you’re sharing your screen. If you’re using a Mac, we recommend turning on Do Not Disturb mode , and for Windows users, use Focus Assist to avoid unnecessary pop-ups.

Mute all participants

It’s common for someone to have their mic on by accident, which can cause unwelcome distractions like background conversations, traffic sounds, or a barking dog. Skip these moments and mute everyone: hit Command+Control+M on Mac or Alt+M on PC.

Ensure the best visual quality

To ensure the best presentation quality, always go on Fullscreen mode . It’s especially important when presenting data during a meeting or explaining complicated graphs with small text.

Use reactions to interact

Small things matter, especially when you want your virtual presentation to have more human connection. Though Zoom allows you to use reactions like applause, love, thumbs up, and others, you can unlock even more interactivity with Prezi Video. Encourage your audience to share comments, GIFs, or any image during your presentation, allowing them to react and give feedback without unmuting or affecting meeting time.

Put these Zoom presentation tips into action

With more presentations happening online than ever before, it’s important to understand the basics of Zoom and how it affects your presentations. Learn more Zoom presentation tips when you visit the Prezi Video Gallery or get started by creating your first Zoom presentation today.  

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20 Tips and Tricks for Zoom – Before, During, and After Meetings

7. Use filters like a pro during Zoom video conferencing

16. keep all meetings secure as they happen, 20. get feedback from zoom meeting attendees, enjoyed these zoom tips.

Spread the word

What if I told you you’re not using Zoom to its full capacity?

Zoom’s popularity is widespread as the app has been named the “Preferred Video App” by Okta for two years straight. Hundreds of millions of people use Zoom on a daily basis. And it’s not just professional teams. Your friends, family, neighbors, and even your kids are familiar with it. 

All of these people are using their Zoom client differently. 

The pitfall is that once you get the hang of the basics, you won’t be interested in learning more about the Zoom advanced features that can make your calls more productive and comprehensive. The biggest issues that could appear are security-related with people popping in a meeting just because they got hold of a link to it.

In this tried-and-tested guide, you’ll find out how to choose the right privacy settings, use advanced screen sharing options, and loads of other advanced Zoom tips you can apply straight away. 

Note that all previous meeting etiquette tips apply in order to guarantee a successful meeting be it with your team, partners, clients, or potential candidates. 

We’ve divided the following Zoom tips according to when you should consider: before, during, or after a call.

Before a Zoom call

1. start a meeting on mute every time.

Stop the initial buzzing or people tuning in late and distracting the others by having everyone on mute at the start. When scheduling new video calls, simply go to your Advanced Options and check the Mute participants upon entry feature.

Fun fact: Press and hold the spacebar to temporarily unmute your microphone during meetings.

2. Remove background noises completely

Struggling to hear your colleagues or can’t get your point across because your surroundings are bustling? Use Krisp to automatically mute all background sounds, chattering, construction work, barking, and everything else for both you and your listeners.

See Krisp in action:

Here’s how to set it up in less than one minute for any Zoom account.

3. Get your privacy settings right

Have you ever joined a meeting five minutes early only to find your host was still in another individual meeting?

Yup, happened to me.

Here’s everything you can do to prevent such blunders:

• Enable end-to-end encryption (E2EE): This automatically disables entry before the meeting host, live streaming, cloud recording, and more actions that could leak information.
• Don’t share your meeting link on social media or publicly: Unless you’re hosting a big industry event or webinar via Zoom, share links within other secured communication channels.
• Keep private Zoom meeting rooms separate from public ones: When hosting a public event, make sure you’re not using your Personal Meeting ID.
• Remove unwanted or spammy meeting participants: This is especially helpful if you’re hosting a live event where anyone can join. Remove them from the call or block their video/audio entirely. Limit their screen sharing capabilities or disable the chat, file sharing, and annotations options to avoid them sharing spam or dangerous content.
• Never allow people to join before a host: Head to your profile’s Settings and the Meeting tab to disable the Join before host option. You can also do this for every meeting from the advanced settings when scheduling a call from the desktop app.

Note that Zoom has taken extra caution measures and now makes it mandatory for a meeting to have one of the following: a passcode , a Waiting Room , or the Only authenticated users can join meetings feature turned on. You can add these manually but note that passwords are a must and you can’t completely remove them.

Don’t forget to stick to our full list of privacy tips to prevent hacking, information theft, and “Zoombombing”.

4. Create recurring meetings with a single URL

Whether it’s for a weekly standup meeting or one-on-one call, recurring meetings are a must for every team. Setting these up right off the bat ensures your team won’t forget about them and they’ll always have access to the same URL — so no more “Where’s the meeting link?” issues.

To do so, just schedule a meeting like you’d regularly do and make sure you select the Recurring meeting option. For advanced features, choose No Fixed Time when meeting up with your team or the same person as usual without having a set time. You’ll still use the same meeting settings and meeting link but can always edit the time.

5. Get accustomed to shortcuts you’ll use often

There’s a shortcut for almost everything you want but the most common ones you might want to use for a faster Zoom experience are:

• Alt: To hide or show your meeting controls.
• Alt+A: To mute and unmute your audio.
• Alt+C: To start or end cloud recording.
• Alt+N: To switch your camera when using multiple ones.
• Alt+F: To enter or leave the full-screen view.
• Alt+S: To start or stop screen sharing.
• Alt+Shift+T: To take a screenshot.

These are particularly helpful when you’ve already got multiple windows and browser tabs open and don’t want to switch back to the Zoom app. Keep in mind that you can edit these to suit any other shortcuts you’re using elsewhere.

6. Create your own Zoom background

Ditch the classic office or beach background by creating your own. Photoshop will work but a user-friendly version like Canva provides dozens of ready-made templates you can further customize—animated ones includes:

Executives, freelancers, customer support and sales teams, and more can customize the background to match the company’s branding. Depending on the occasion, you can add your contact information, fun or helpful announcements, product features, calls-to-action, general tips for conduct or reminders, or fun easter eggs.

Then, go to your desktop app’s Settings , choose Background & Filters , add your custom background from the plus sign on the right side of the meeting screen, and uncheck the Mirror my video option . 

Another one of the best Zoom tricks is to disable this last feature even when you don’t use a background if you often show things with text or imagery on camera. Note that checking “Mirror my video” only mirrors the display for you, but not for others on Zoom.

Filters for Zoom? Why not?

Go to the Zoom web app’s Settings , click on Video , and check the Touch up my appearance option under My Video .

Tip: Under the Touch up my appearance option you’ll find an adjustment for low light which is perfect for dark rooms or cloudy days when you just can’t get the light right.

During a Zoom meeting

8. use waiting rooms.

Zoom has A LOT of privacy settings. When not used correctly, people can get into your common meeting room even if it’s not their time yet. They can get information that’s supposed to be confidential or disturb your current meeting altogether.

The first thing on our list of Zoom tips is the safest privacy measure: to set up a waiting room from which the meeting host needs to approve every participant before they can join.

To enable Zoom meeting rooms at a user-level, go to your profile’s Settings , click on the Meeting tab, go to Security , and toggle the Waiting Room option.

Besides this quick hack, there’s loads of other Zoom privacy tips to use…

9. Raise a hand [two ways]

The worst part about virtual meetings is that it can be hard to signal when you want to say something. 

To aid Zoom meeting etiquette, hosts can enable non-verbal cues by going to their profile’s Settings , choosing the Meeting tab, scrolling to the In Meeting (Basic) section, and turning on the Non-verbal feedback capability.

Now, when a user goes to their Reactions option, a Raise hand button will appear, making it extra easy for anyone to get their ideas across.

A tiny hand icon will be displayed next to the participants who called it so hosts will be immediately notified. Alternatively, you can use the other emoji reactions to signal your thoughts or willingness to say something. For example, a Slow down reaction will tell the host to go through their explanation or demo at a slower pace while the No reaction implies disagreement so the host can get back to you to clarify a topic.

10. Try advanced screen sharing options for more accuracy

Ever seen these?

You should check Zoom’s Advanced screen sharing capabilities if you often prefer sharing only a part of your screen, want to use a second camera, or want to share a video. The PowerPoint presentation option is also super handy as it works for virtual backgrounds too:

Note: Krisp lets you set up and use your virtual backgrounds across multiple video communication tools. This way, in case Zoom crashes or someone calls for an unexpected meeting on a different video conferencing app, you can keep a consistent background without having to add it again.

Recording for a video or just want the best quality for the meeting? Use the camera from your phone as a webcam in Zoom:

If you want to later publish the video online, make sure the Optimize for video clip box is checked when choosing which screen to share.

11. Always use a mouse spotlight when sharing your screen

Once you start screen sharing your screen or a whiteboard, this bar will pop up once you hover your mouse at the top:

12. Record meetings

The option to record your meeting in an MP4 format is available for all plans, including the free one. You can record meetings to later upload them to YouTube, social media, or just use them as a reference when writing a case study or analyzing the usability of your website and user feedback. 

Besides the audio and video format, the text chat window will also be recorded since you wouldn’t be able to go through it again otherwise like you can with a live event on a social network.

Always ask for permission to record and publish online beforehand. The various recording layouts allow you to film only the speaker or the screen if you want to keep your audience’s identity secured.

Tip: With paid Zoom plans, you can save these directly in the cloud but they can’t be embedded on a website due to security concerns.

13. Use breakout rooms for users without a Zoom account

Breakout rooms help hosts divide a bigger audience into smaller groups so everyone can get to interact with one another. Add themes to rooms so participants can enter or leave as they wish. 

You’ll find the option to allow breakout rooms on your personal Settings , under the Meeting tab. Choose In Meeting (Advanced) and head below to Breakout room and enable the feature.

Once you’re in a meeting, the Breakout Rooms option will appear in your meeting controls and you’ll be able to create several such groups and assign hosts and participants for each one:

Large-scale events or business meetings can benefit from these so everyone can get the chance to contribute to the discussions. If you want to invite external collaborators or partners, keep in mind that users without a Zoom account can also join these rooms.

14. Bored of Slack? Try Zoom Chat!

I’ve always recommended using a single team communication tool to keep everyone in the loop with their tasks, files, and updates. But in Zoom, this feature is super easy to miss out on. You can find it on your Zoom home screen with the Chat icon at the top.

Just like with a regular team messaging app, you can create channels, set statuses, create polls where people can vote using emojis, and even add custom GIFs. External participants are welcome too.

15. Automatically transcribe your meetings

Transcribe your virtual presentations and meetings through Zoom to review them later or turn your talks into captions. The feature is only available with paid Business, Education, or Enterprise plans as you can only transcribe videos that were saved in the cloud. 

To transcribe your Zoom meetings for free, utilize Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant feature. It offers unlimited transcriptions with high quality, requiring minimal to no edits. Additionally, it provides extra features like generating automatic meeting summaries and action items. Check this resource for more details.

Zoom is constantly taking active steps towards more secure meetings. We’ve already talked about privacy options but note that during calls, you can find the Security icon on the left side of the main menu:

There’s various options you can quickly make use of in case of an emergency:

• Locking a virtual meeting in case you’re getting uninvited guests
• Hiding profile pictures to maintain the privacy of session participants [especially helpful for online events]
• Allowing certain meeting participants to share their screen, use the chat panel, or do other common actions
• Remove participants who are being rude or sharing spam content

After a Zoom session

17. review meeting effectiveness.

Take each call at a time to improve your online communication skills and provide an excellent video meeting experience with insights and analytics based on your team’s specific needs.

Want to get everyone on your team to participate? Krisp’s Talk Time gives you real-time insight into your meeting participation by displaying the exact amount of time you speak during a meeting. This lets you monitor your own engagement and know when it’s time to leave room for others to speak. Perfect for creating collaborative and inclusive meetings.

Feel like you’re wasting too much time in Zoom meetings? Keep track of call performance with Krisp’s Call Summary. You’ll know how long meetings usually last, how much time you spent speaking, and how much noise Krisp canceled. 

In the future, the tool will let you get noise insights and run an overall sentiment analysis to better understand your team and how meetings run.

18. See who attended a meeting or event

This is a big one if you’re hosting webinars via Zoom and need to keep track of attendees. Plus, it’s a must for mandatory online lectures or team training sessions.

The get this list, head over to the Reports section under Zoom Account Management available here . Pick Usage Reports > Meeting > select the event or meeting you had and choose the report type and date range to create the report.

Keep in mind you can only get this list if you were the host for the meeting, and you’ve got Usage Reports enabled. You can also be the account administrator/owner but this feature doesn’t work for free plans:

19. Run that update after the meeting

Zoom updates can take a while to be completed. So the general best practice is to log in at least an hour before an important session to check for updates and run them. However, in most cases, you’ll get a pop-up with the latest available update right before the actual call.

Whatever you do, don’t accept the update just yet. Meetings will run fine without the most recent update installed. If you choose to update Zoom before a meeting, the upgrade could take too long and delay your meeting. Sure, there’s always short updates that take less than a minute, but you don’t want to risk showing up late for an interview or online event.

As the meeting organizer, you can run polls or ask your audience questions during the call, but if you want accurate feedback, opt for an anonymous survey you can send after the call. 

Classic questions to ask include:

• How would you rate the webinar?
• How would you rate the speakers?
• Were your expectations met?

But you can get into extra details that can help you improve future events, like:

• What topics would you like us to cover in the future?
• Any improvements that can be made to the webinar?
• How did you hear about this event?

Stick to one or two questions though to make sure people won’t be put off by the extensive length of the survey.

Here’s a complete guide on how to set up these surveys directly in Zoom or with your preferred third-party tool.

Two easy ways of sending these are:

• Sharing the survey invite link right at the end of the call
• Sending a follow-up email after the event with the feedback link in there

Share your own Zoom best practices with us and the community on Twitter by mentioning @ krispHQ .

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The best tips for using Zoom

Zoom allows you to virtually meet with friends, family members, and co-workers. With just a few clicks, people you want to see pop up on your screen, ready to collaborate or just enjoy a nice chat.

How to apply a background or filter in Zoom

How to use shortcuts in zoom, touch up your appearance in zoom, how to record and transcribe your zoom call, how to share your screen on zoom, how to schedule meetings in zoom, how to set up breakout rooms in zoom, how to always start a meeting with a muted mic, how to hold larger zoom meetings, how to set up a workstation for frequent zoom meetings.

Remote workers often use Zoom , but now it’s also known for connecting students, families, and offices. If you have never used Zoom before, here are a few tips and tricks to make using the videoconferencing app a lot easier.

• How to use Zoom
• How to change your Zoom background
• What is Zoom?

If your workspace at home isn’t quite so tidy,  you can apply a background to virtually clean up the real clutter. It’s like being a news anchor with a faux background. Zoom’s selection of landscapes can add a bit of whimsy to your meetings, too. The feature is simple to use, and the camera on your computer can apply the background even if you’re not sitting in front of a green screen. Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Launch Zoom on your computer.

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Step 2: Go to the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner of your display to launch the Settings menu.

Step 3: Select Background & Filters in the left menu pane.

Step 4: After you do that, under the Virtual Backgrounds tab, you can choose from a number of built-in backgrounds, like a scene from the beach, a view of San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge, or even aurora borealis. A live preview will show how you will look in front of the background (provided that your webcam is turned on while you try on different backgrounds).

Step 5: To choose your own custom background, click on the plus (+) icon next to Video Filters . The option will let you upload your own custom video or photo for use as a virtual background. If you have a video of an aquarium, you can conduct your meeting in front of what would appear as a live fish tank, for example.

Using a live background will reveal some artifacts (distortions) around the edges, which can look choppy if you’re moving around a lot during video calls. Additionally, virtual backgrounds shouldn’t be used if you’re planning on demonstrating or pointing to things with your hands — hands can look a bit distorted with the use of virtual backgrounds . The background will appear more smooth if you’re sitting in front of a green screen.

Step 6: If your video looks a little weird, you should try adjusting the brightness in the video settings. This can help your backgrounds look a little more natural and it can be done by opening the Settings menu, selecting Video , and then ticking the box next to Adjust for Low Light . A drop-down menu will appear. From the menu, select Manual . A slider will appear next to the drop-down menu, and you can drag it in either direction to increase or decrease the brightness of your video.

Step 7: You can also add fun filters to your video. Here’s how: Open the Settings menu, select Background & Filters , and then select the Video Filters tab. Within this tab, you can choose from a wide variety of image and color filters to add to your video. Certain filters, like the ones that can add fun effects to your face, will only appear if your webcam is on and enabled.

From years of experience using a computer, we all know  popular keyboard shortcuts for copy, paste, and undo. Zoom has its own set of popular shortcuts that help you quickly mute and unmute the microphone, start or stop your camera, and more. There are a number of shortcuts that you can enable and use, but here are some of the most popular shortcuts to get you started in Zoom.

• Mute or unmute audio: Alt + A (Command + Shift + A)
• Mute the entire group at once: Alt + M  (Command + Control + M)
• Start or stop video: Alt + V (Command + Shift + V)
• Pause or resume screen sharing: Alt + T (Command + Shift + T)
• Start recording a meeting: Alt + R (Command + Shift + R)
• Pause or resume screen recording: Alt + P (Command + Shift + P)
• Switch camera: Alt + N (Command + Shift + N )
• Raise or lower hand: Alt + Y (Option + Y)
• Open the invite window: Alt + I  (Command + I)

The shortcut commands above are listed for Windows PC and Mac users. Mac users will want to use the ones in bold parentheses.

A full list of keyboard shortcuts can be found by navigating to the Zoom Settings menu and choosing Keyboard Shortcuts on the left pane.

You may not be a newscaster on the evening news, but you’ll still want to look your best during your virtual meetings with colleagues. A feature borrowed from beauty mode in selfie cameras on many popular Android smartphones, Zoom’s “Touch Up My Appearance” helps to smooth out your skin, remove the dark bags under your eyes, and help you look your best.

Best of all, the results look fairly natural, so you don’t look like an over-sharpened blob of pixels when viewed on the screens of fellow collaborators.

Step 1 : Go to Zoom’s Settings menu.

Step 2 : Click on the Video option in the left panel.

Step 3 : Under My Video , select the option for Touch Up My Appearance . A slider bar will appear next to this option, and you can further customize the feature by sliding the bar left or right to increase or decrease its use in your video.

Pro tip: If you have the internet bandwidth at home, increase your stream by also selecting the HD option within the Camera section of the Video settings page. Additionally, if you’re meeting with a large team, you can increase the gallery view of your videoconferencing session by choosing the 49 Participants option underneath the phrase Maximum Participants Displayed per Screen in Gallery View. You’ll find this option within the Video settings page as well.

If your business subscribes to a more advanced Zoom plan with cloud recording, you can record your meeting’s audio to the cloud. Zoom can then help transcribe your meeting — complete with timestamps — and save the transcript as a .vtt text file. The meeting notes can also be edited, if needed.

When you review your meeting video, there’s even an option to display the transcription directly within the video, making it look like closed captioning.

Step 1: Open the Zoom web portal and sign in . Then select the Settings tab on the left side of the screen.

Step 2: Click on the Recording tab and enable the Cloud Recording option. You’ll need a premium Zoom account to use this feature, so you may have to inquire with your IT administrator or manager to see if your business is a subscriber.

Step 3: Enable Audio Transcript within Advanced Cloud Recording Settings , and save your changes.

Step 4: When you start a meeting, be sure to hit the Record button, and choose Record to the Cloud .

Step 5: After the conclusion of the meeting, you’ll receive emails alerting you that your cloud recording and your transcript are ready.

Even though you may not have access to a projector, you can still make presentations and show meeting attendees what’s on your screen. You can start a screen-share by hitting the Alt + S keyboard shortcut (or Command + Shift + S for Macs), which will cut from your webcam feed to display to all meeting participants what you see on your screen.

This is useful if you’re trying to show an important graphic in a meeting or want to display a PowerPoint deck. If you’re the speaker, you can enable additional settings to give an even more polished presentation.

Step 1 : From the Zoom Settings menu, navigate to Share Screen .

Step 2 : Enable Full Screen Mode .

Step 3 : If you want to show the video feeds of the meeting participants along with the shared screen, you can also enable Side-by-Side Mode .

Step 4 : Be sure to select the Silence System Notifications When Sharing Desktop option. This way, your presentation will not get interrupted by all your alerts and system chimes. Pro presenters may also want to enable Windows 10’s Focus Assist feature, which will help hide notification sounds and pop-ups from the system or from your email and calendar apps.

If you’re collaborating on a project, you can also use a digital whiteboard to work together. Once you’re in a meeting, you can click the Share Screen button and then choose Whiteboard and select Share . After that, annotation tools will appear, allowing you to draw and plan ideas and projects with collaborators. Whiteboard sessions can be saved as separate images or compiled into a single PDF. In the Whiteboard screen’s toolbar, hit the drop-down arrow within the Save button, and you can choose the format you desire.

Make sure to have what you’re trying to present queued up and ready to go before the meeting starts. This way, you can jump into the PowerPoint presentation, Excel spreadsheet, or web document immediately when you hit the Share Screen button.

And if you’re anything like us and have a cluttered desktop, you may want to use Windows 10’s Desktop feature (within Task View) to launch Zoom in a new, clean, clutter-free desktop space. This way, you’ll look more professional while presenting.

While impromptu meetings are sometimes needed for big changes, if you’re working on long-term projects, it may be useful to reserve some virtual time to have regular Zoom check-ins. This way, everyone will have a set time and virtual place to convene on a weekly basis. Here’s  how to schedule meetings in advance:

Step 1 : From the Zoom home screen, click Schedule .

Step 2 : Fill in the meeting details, including time, topic, and duration. You can also set this as a recurring meeting.

Step 3 : If you’re creating the meeting, you may also want to explore the Advanced Options . This way, you can do things like Mute Participants Upon Entry or Allow Participants to Join Anytime . Mute Participants Upon Entry can be particularly helpful in minimizing distracting background noise. When you’re happy with everything, click Save to schedule your meeting.

Useful for managing larger groups, breakout rooms let you split a team into smaller ones to tackle different areas of a big project simultaneously. For example, if you’re working on a new product launch, you can schedule a product launch meeting and then create a breakout room for the marketing team to come up with a marketing plan, a room for the finance team to run models and make sales projections, and a third room for sales to come up with a sales strategy.

Up to 50 separate breakout rooms can be created, and the host can pre-assign attendees to specific rooms. A total of 200 participants can be assigned during a meeting — between 50 rooms — and each room will function like a stand-alone Zoom meeting. The cap on the total number of participants assigned during a meeting can be increased beyond 200 , but only if you create the breakout rooms during the meeting, create fewer breakout rooms,  and have a large meeting add-on for your Zoom account . If you don’t have the add-on, your maximum number of participants is determined by your account’s usual meeting capacity, which may also be less than 200. Cloud recording, however, is limited to the main room.

Step 1 : Sign in to the Zoom web portal.

Step 2 : Click on Settings .

Step 3 : Under the Meeting tab, select In Meeting (Advanced) and then make sure that the Breakout Room option is enabled. You may want to select the Allow Host to Assign Participants to Breakout Rooms When Scheduling option as well to let meeting hosts have the ability to pre-assign participants to specific rooms before the meeting starts. Then click the Save button that appears.

Step 4: To create breakout rooms, first you’ll need to start either a scheduled meeting or an instant one. Once the meeting has started, click on the Breakout Rooms icon on the bottom of your screen.

Step 5: In the window that appears, enter the number of desired breakout rooms in the phrase Create [number of rooms] Breakout Room(s) and then select from three room assignment options for your participants: Assign Automatically , Assign Manually , or Let Participants Choose Room .

Step 6: Once you’ve selected your options, click the Create button to create your rooms.

In a Zoom session, the host will have access to the Breakout Rooms in their videoconferencing menu. The host will be able to jump between the different rooms to talk to the participants.

Whichever advanced features you enable in Zoom, remember to always follow  common best practices for videoconferencing to ensure all your team meetings run smoothly.

Zoom also allows you to change settings so that you always enter a meeting with a muted mic. This is a good protocol to follow and it’s polite to other users since entering with a live mic can cause sudden noises or bursts of static that can be disruptive.

Step 1 : If you’re in a meeting, select the upward-facing arrow within your Microphone button, and choose Audio Settings from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, if you’re not in a meeting, navigate to your Zoom Settings menu and then choose Audio from the left pane.

Step 2 : In the Audio Settings window that opens, scroll to the bottom, where you will find several features that can be enabled or disabled. Make sure that the option to Mute My Microphone When Joining a Meeting is enabled.

A typical free  Zoom meeting can hold up to 100 participants. However, for certain organizations or situations, this may not be enough. If your web conferencing group is larger than 100 and you still want to use Zoom for your meetings, then you need to increase the meeting cap. There are several ways that you can do this, depending on your circumstances — and how much you want to pay.

Upgrade to a (small) Business account : These accounts cost $20 per month per license, but one of the features is upgrading your cap to 300 participants.

Upgrade to 500 participants with the Large Meetings add-on : This costs $50 per month per host (when billed monthly), and you can greatly expand the number of participants that can join. Browse all add-ons in the billing section of your Zoom account after you sign in. You can also upgrade to the Enterprise account tier to unlock this option.

Upgrade to 1,000 participants : An alternative add-on lets you have meetings with up to 1,000 people for particularly large events. This increases the price to $90 per month per host when billed monthly.

Are you looking at a future filled with Zoom meetings? If they are becoming a regular feature in your work life and aren’t going away any time soon, you should consider customizing a workspace specifically for these meetings.

Zoom has a product to help with that: The DTEN Me from Zoom for Home. Available to buy for $599 in the U.S., it’s a super-thin, 27-inch computer monitor that comes with a three-camera array, an eight-microphone array to pick up sound as accurately as possible, and a touchscreen with built-in whiteboard and annotation capabilities that are built to work seamlessly with Zoom.

You may also want to check out our guide on how to work from home for more ideas about how to set up the right remote workstation.

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• Work From Home

Not everyone builds their home office around video calls. And if your home office also doubles as your bedroom, kitchen, or is tucked away in a cluttered corner of your basement, you'll be glad to know that Zoom lets you hide your surroundings from your co-workers. One way the software does this is by letting you change your Zoom background, allowing others in the chat to see you while swapping out your environment for something more professional.

Want to make use of the cool feature? In this guide, we'll go over how to change your Zoom background using both built-in images and custom images uploaded by the user. We also cover how to blur your Zoom background, in case you want something a bit more low-key, along with how to add filters for something more fun. Step 1: Access your Zoom settings

Virtual workspace tools like Slack and Teams can be incredibly handy, both for those working in the office who need to send a quick message or arrange a meeting, and especially for those working remotely who need to stay in contact with their co-workers. With the rise of remote work, more and more office workers are spending a significant chunk of their day on these tools. However, if you use these then you should be aware that what you do in these systems isn't private -- most likely it can be seen by your boss. Even private conversations may not be as private as you think. Slack

Apps like Slack, Teams, and other common business collaboration platforms are structured via admin permissions. In other words, with the right permissions, your boss can have a large amount of control over the platform and what’s happening on it. And if a manager goes to IT -- well, they can ask to see just about anything that happens on the app.

Cameras, even those in phones, brag about megapixels and lens specifications -- but laptops? Not so much. There’s a reason computer companies don’t say much about the webcams that come built into the bezels of their screens. Most of these cameras are low-quality, with tiny sensors and cheap lenses. Sure, they work for basic videoconferencing, but they aren’t very impressive and certainly leave us wanting something more.

While you could just buy a stand-alone webcam that connects over USB, to really take production value up a notch, you can opt for a DSLR or mirrorless camera. You’ll need a few workarounds to get this type of camera to be recognized as a webcam by your computer, but the trouble is worth it for the higher resolution, much better low-light performance, and cinematic background blur.

• Services & Software

Zoom Cheatsheet: 25 Tips and Tricks for Your Next Meeting

We'll walk you through our favorite Zoom hacks, from how to change your Zoom name, background, adding your pronouns and more.

• She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.

• National Silver Azbee Award for Impact/Investigative Journalism; National Gold Azbee Award for Online Single Topic Coverage by a Team; National Bronze Azbee Award for Web Feature Series

Zoom is rich with features, many of which you may have never heard about. No matter how long you've been using the video conferencing app, there are a number of helpful and fun tips, tricks and hidden features you can find to upgrade your video chatting experience. Here are 20 ways to become a Zoom master.

Read more : Ultimate Webcam Tips: How to Look and Sound Great Online  

1. Change your background 

Change your Zoom background to space, or a custom photo.

Virtually transport yourself to the beach, outer space or anywhere else you can imagine by customizing your Zoom background. You can read our step-by-step guide to changing your Zoom background on the desktop and mobile app, but basically you go to Settings > Virtual Background and select or upload the image you want from there. However, you do have to make sure that your system meets all of the requirements to do so. 

Read more :   10 free Zoom alternative apps for video chats

2. Change your name on Zoom

There are two ways to change how your name appears in Zoom meetings: Temporary and permanent. If you want to change your name for only the meeting you're currently in, after you enter the meeting, click the Participants button at the bottom of the screen. Hover over your name , and click More > Rename . Type in the name you want to appear, and click OK . 

If you want to change your name for every meeting going forward, go to the Zoom web portal and sign in to your account . Click Profile . In the top right corner across from your name, click Edit . Enter the name you'd like under Display name, and click Save changes . Your new name should appear in every meeting from now on, but you can still change it for individual meetings with the steps above if you'd like.

3. Add your pronouns on Zoom

Adding your pronouns to your name on Zoom is one way to make meetings more inclusive of transgender, gender nonconforming and gender nonbinary people. Including your pronouns can ensure you aren't assuming anyone's gender identity based on their appearance, as well as normalizing the use of pronouns in different settings. Similar to changing your name, you can add your pronouns either for every meeting going forward, or just for the meeting you're currently in. Read the  full instructions for adding your pronouns on Zoom .

4. Add a profile picture on Zoom

Zoom lets you change your name and add a profile picture that will appear if your camera is off.

To add a profile picture for an individual meeting, after you enter the meeting, click the Participants button at the bottom of the screen. Hover over your name , and click More > Add profile picture . Select the picture you want from your computer, and click Open . 

To add a permanent profile picture to your Zoom meetings, go to the Zoom web portal and sign in to your account . Click Profile . In the top right corner across from your name, click Edit . Under the empty photo icon, click Change > Upload . Select the picture you'd like from your computer, and click Open . Readjust which part of the picture you'd like to appear, and click Save .

5. Mute your audio and turn off your camera by default

Diving for the mute audio and camera buttons as soon as you enter a meeting can get old. Keep your coworkers from seeing your bedhead or hearing your cat screeching by turning those off by default. To do it, select Settings > Audio > Mute microphone when joining a meeting , and then Settings > Video > Turn off my video when joining a meeting . 

6. Mute and unmute with the space bar

When you are called on to speak, stop scrambling to click the microphone button. You can press and hold the spacebar to quickly mute and unmute your mic, right from your keyboard. 

Read more : Zoom, Skype, FaceTime: 11 Tips for Your Video Chat Apps

7. Turn on the beauty filter

Zoom's Touch Up My Appearance feature aims to smooth over your appearance, making you look dewy and well-rested. If you've ever used beauty mode on your phone's selfie camera, you know what you're getting.

To turn it on, click the up arrow next to Start Video . Click Video Settings , and under My Video , check the box for Touch Up My Appearance . 

8. Set up a waiting room for added privacy

One way to help prevent unwanted guests from crashing your meeting, or Zoombombing , is by enabling the Waiting Room feature, so you can see who's attempting to join the meeting before allowing them access. To do so, go to Account Management > Account Settings . Click on Meeting , then click Waiting Room to enable the setting. (We've got more tips on how to prevent Zoombombing in your meetings here .)

9. Create Zoom breakout rooms for smaller group discussion

Split your big Zoom meeting into up to 100 separate smaller sessions with breakout rooms. To start a breakout room as the host, go to More > Breakout Rooms . 

The meeting host can choose to split meeting participants into separate sessions automatically or manually, or can let participants select and enter any breakout session they like. The host can switch between sessions at any point, rename rooms and set time limits for the breakout rooms to close. 

Zoom has lots of features to help your meetings run more smoothly.

10. Share your screen

Share your screen for a Zoom meeting (or to watch a movie or play a game) with other participants by clicking the Share screen icon on the toolbar at the bottom of the meeting screen. You'll have the option to share your entire desktop, or just one of the windows you have open. Click the red Stop Share button at the top of the screen to go back to being a normal participant in the meeting. 

11. React with emoji onscreen 

Zoom added a larger set of emoji reactions in an April update.

If you're muted in a meeting, you can still let others know your thoughts with emoji reactions. Send a thumbs-up, a clapping emoji or dozens of other options to communicate without interrupting the meeting.

To react during a meeting, click the Reactions tab at the bottom of the meeting screen (it's in the same panel as mute audio and video, to the right) and choose the one you want. The emoji will disappear after 10 seconds. 

If the meeting organizer enables the nonverbal feedback feature, participants can choose the Raise Hand emoji option and wait to be recognized. Every participant will be able to see each other's feedback. 

12. Learn handy keyboard shortcuts

For those who don't like clicking around their screen, Zoom has a ton of helpful keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate the app on your desktop without using your mouse.You can find commands to join a meeting, start or stop recording, enter full screen and share your screen (more on that below). Check out Zoom's full list of hot keys and keyboard shortcuts. 

13. Turn on gallery view

Gallery view lets you see everyone in the meeting at once, instead of just the person speaking. To turn that on, click the tab that says Gallery View in the top right corner . If the meeting has 49 or fewer attendees, you'll see all of their screens displayed on one page. If there are more, you'll have the option to move between multiple pages. Change it back by clicking Speaker View in that same top right corner.

14. Put yourself in the same virtual background as your coworkers with immersive view

Try out Zoom's immersive view feature to put yourself in the same virtual space as your fellow meeting participants.

Zoom's immersive view feature lets you put yourself in the same virtual background as your fellow video chat participants -- be it a conference room, classroom or anywhere else you can think of. If you're the meeting or webinar host, start the Zoom meeting on your desktop (it will be enabled by default for all free and single pro accounts using Zoom 5.6.3 or higher). In the top right corner, where you find Speaker or Gallery View , you'll see the option to enable Immersive View. Click Immersive View, and choose from one of Zoom's provided scenes, or upload your own. 

Your meeting participants or webinar hosts will now be placed in the same virtual background and will appear that way on every participant's screen.

15. Hide nonvideo participants

On a larger call, your screen can get cluttered with participants, which can be distracting, especially if some don't have their cameras on. Hide the participants who aren't using video by going to Settings > Video > Meetings , and check Hide non-video participants . Now you'll only be distracted by your co-workers' pets and children who appear on video. 

16. Use the vanishing pen to highlight without having to go back and erase

Zoom's vanishing pen feature lets you highlight text as you share your screen. 

Zoom's vanishing pen feature lets you draw on your shared screen to call attention to text or objects, but then fades away so you don't have to go back and erase your markings. To use it, share your screen, and click Annotate . On the menu that pops up, click Spotlight and click Vanishing Pen . 

17. Record the meeting to your computer

Both free and paid Zoom subscribers can record their meeting to their laptop or computer using the desktop app (you can't record on mobile at the moment, unless you have a paid account -- keep reading for more on that). Those recorded files can then be uploaded to a file storage service such as Google Drive or Dropbox, or a video streaming service such as YouTube or Vimeo. 

To enable local recording, go to Settings > Recording , and toggle it on . When you're hosting a Zoom meeting, click the Record icon on the bottom toolbar. 

18. Record a meeting to the cloud

If you have one of Zoom's paid plans (which start at $149.90 for the year ),  you can make a recording that will save directly to the cloud (or to your computer if you prefer). To use this feature, click Record at the bottom of the meeting screen. You can pause or stop your recording at any time. Zoom will notify you when the recording is ready. 

Here's what it'll look like when you start a new Whiteboard in Zoom.

19. Use the Whiteboard tool

The Whiteboard feature allows participants to collaborate on a sharable canvas that you can access even outside of meetings. To enable Whiteboard, make sure you've updated to the latest version of Zoom. Click Whiteboards in the bottom of the menu screen, choose New Whiteboard and click Open and Collaborate . You can choose if participants can view only or edit your board. Clicking Close Whiteboard will automatically save your Whiteboard for future use or viewing.

20. Host more than 100 people 

If you have a group of more than 100 people to host for work or school, you have to upgrade to a paid professional account. If you upgrade to the highest tier (Enterprise Plus), you can host up to 1,000 participants.

21. Turn off or limit chat 

Zoom's chat feature is another great way to communicate with others in the meeting. If the chat is going off the rails and becoming a distraction, the meeting host can turn off chat, limit participants to only message the host or turn off chat completely. To do so, click the More dots in the chat side window and choose between No One, Hosts and Co-hosts or Everyone.

 22. Turn on Live Transcript 

To turn on captions during your Zoom meeting, click Live Captions at the bottom of the screen. From there, you can assign someone to type, use a third-party app or click Enable to use Zoom's caption tool. Once you've turned on Live Transcript, you can repeat the previous steps and click View Full Transcript to read along with timestamps. Once the meeting is finished, you can click Save Transcript to keep a copy. 

You can put Zoom into dark mode and change the skin tone of your emoji in the same place.

23. Turn on dark mode

Dark mode is a great way to save yourself from eye strain during a long work day. To turn on dark mode in Zoom, click your profile icon in the top right corner to open Settings . From there, choose between Light, Dark or Use System Setting . 

Watch our video on how to make your webcam video look and sound great online and make sure to subscribe to the How to Do It All channel on YouTube for more how-to videos. 

24. Change emoji reaction skin tones

By default, most emoji in Zoom are yellow, but you can customize them. Click your profile icon in the top right corner to open Settings . Under the options to change your Zoom settings to dark mode, you should see six thumbs-up emoji. Select the skin tone you want to use and the changes will save automatically. Now any hand emoji reaction you use during meetings will be the tone you chose. 

You can choose from a number of animal avatars.

25. Use a fun avatar 

If unique backgrounds aren't enough fun, Zoom lets you use avatar filters during meetings. Go to Settings > Background & Effects and select Avatars . From there, you can choose from various animals to replace you in a meeting.

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16 Advanced Zoom Tips for Better Video Meetings

The best Zoom tips and tricks that you can use to master conference call communication.

Alex Turnbull

6 Min read · 1949 shares

As a 100% remote company, we rely on Zoom to communicate with our global team. Today, we’re sharing our favorite Zoom tips and tricks to help newly-remote teams get up to speed on video conferencing.

We build customer support software here at Groove.

We provide an inbox for customer service email collaboration, a knowledge base for self-service and training guides, and a reporting dashboard to help our customers scale appropriately.

And we do it all as an entirely remote team. 

While, we don’t have our meetings in a physical conference room, we do see each other every single day.

Our daily video meeting rhythm helps us to stay productive, happy and close-knit.

Each day, we huddle together via video chat, and the best tool that we’ve found for this so far is Zoom .

We spend hundreds of hours per year in Zoom. So time-saving hacks, even if they just save a few seconds, can make a meaningful difference in our productivity .

Even if you just use Zoom for the occasional meeting, the tips and tricks we’ve fallen in love with can still help you have a smoother, more pleasant experience.

Today, I’m sharing our favorite Zoom hacks, including keyboard shortcuts, non-obvious settings, integrations, and general video chat tips.

You’ll learn:

• How we save hours each year with shortcuts (e.g., invite someone to a meeting in less than 2 seconds)
• Little-known integrations that can make scheduling meetings seamless
• How to actually look better in your video meetings

Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts

Use these shortcuts to save time on common tasks in Zoom .

1) Quick Invite

When you’re in a meeting, type ⌘Cmd+I (PC: Alt+I) to open the Invite window.

From the Email tab, copy the URL, and send it to anyone who you want to invite to the meeting.

Or click on Contacts to directly invite a colleague if they’re on your contact list.

Note: See Tip #10 for an even faster way to invite others

2) Record Meeting

Recording is a tremendously useful feature in Zoom.

Want to save key meetings or employee one-on-one’s ? Record them for reference.

Doing an interview and don’t want to slow things down by taking notes? Record it and get it transcribed. We do this for all of our founder interviews .

Just type ⌘Cmd+Shift+R (PC: Alt+R) to start recording any meeting.

Type ⌘Cmd+Shift+P (PC: Alt+P) to pause/resume recording.

3) Share Screen

Screen sharing is one of the key features that Zoom does better than any other video conferencing platform we tried.

To start a screen share, type ⌘Cmd+Shift+S (PC: Alt+Shift+S).

To pause/resume a screen share, type ⌘Cmd+Shift+T (PC: Alt+T).

4) Mute Audio

Use ⌘Cmd+Shift+A (PC: Alt+A) to mute/unmute your audio.

5) Turn Off Video

To quickly turn video off/on, hit ⌘Cmd+Shift+V (PC: Alt+V).

6) Mute Everyone

Our daily huddles now involve 20 people.

Ambient or background noise can often get in the way of clear communication.

We found this trick where the meeting host can hit ⌘Cmd+Ctrl+M (PC: Alt+M) to mute everyone on the call at once .

This shortcut has single-handedly shaved minutes off of our daily meetings.

Zoom Settings

If you fix these settings once, they’ll reward you with optimized Zoom meetings forever …

7) Always Mute Microphone

This setting ensures you enter meetings quietly without bringing sudden noise to the call.

You can access Audio Settings directly from a Zoom call by clicking the arrow next to the microphone.

Check “Mute microphone when joining a meeting “.

The same setting exists (and as a rule, should always be used) on the mobile app.

8) Always Turn Video Off

Unless video is a necessity, we’ve found that turning it off can help increase the clarity of the call.

This particular setting allows you to turn it off when entering a call (you can always turn it on later)—which is another helpful way to reduce sudden interruptions.

You can access Video Settings directly from a Zoom call by clicking the arrow next to the camera.

Check “Turn off my video when joining a meeting” .

9) Display Names

This is less important when you’re chatting with people you know well, but if you use Zoom to do a lot of sales calls, then this setting will ensure you never accidentally forget the name of the person you’re talking to.

Go to Settings > Video and check “Always display participant’s name on their videos .”

10) Auto-copy Invite URL When Starting a Meeting

The Invite keyboard shortcut is great, but this setting takes things a step further.

Found in General settings, this option makes it super easy to invite people to any meeting, without even going through the process of manually copying the invite URL.

11) Enable Shortcuts Outside of Zoom

This setting will double the power of all of the keyboard shortcuts above, and that’s not an exaggeration.

Do you often have other windows open while in Zoom meetings?

Well, with this setting, you can use your Zoom keyboard shortcuts even when you’re in another window .

To turn it on, go to Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts  and select “Enable Global Shortcut .”

12) Meeting Reminder (Mobile)

When I’m on the go, I don’t always know when a meeting is about to start.

On my phone, calendar reminders often go ignored (there are so many of them that it’s just too noisy to keep up). So I set up Zoom reminders to ensure that I never miss an important scheduled meeting.

13) Disable Waiting Room

Zoom recently turned on a bunch of privacy-related settings by default. One of those is the waiting room , which requires you to admit each attendee individually.

Our calls are mostly internal anyway (and it can take a while to admit 10+ people individually), so we turned this setting off under Settings > In Meeting (Advanced) > Waiting room .

(Note: It takes a while to scroll through all the options on this page, so we suggest you CTRL+F “waiting room” to find it quickly.)

14) Touch Up My Appearance

This is more on the spectrum of “fun” than “useful,” but I love that it’s a feature.

In Settings > Video , check “Touch up my appearance,” and Zoom will soften the focus on your camera, theoretically minimizing any issues with your skin.

Zoom Integrations

Zoom works seamlessly with other products you may already use.

We meet in Zoom, but we live in Slack.

Which is why the Zoom/Slack integration is so helpful. You can use it to start Zoom meetings right from Slack. Just type “/zoom” in Slack to see all the options.

We also use Slack’s recurring reminder feature to remind our team when the daily huddle is about to start, both 5 minutes in advance and right as the meeting is starting.

To set this up, just type this into Slackbot: /remind #[roomname] every weekday at 9:55am that Daily Huddle is starting in 5 minutes! [zoom link]

Zapier connects Zoom with hundreds of other apps, but perhaps the most useful integration of all is scheduling tools.

When you schedule a meeting with someone, whether using Calendly or Google Calendar, rather than following up with that person to send them a Zoom meeting link, or manually updating the calendar invite with the link, you can have Zapier automatically add your Zoom link to the event, making meeting scheduling hands-free.

Note: Want more advice on all things remote work? Subscribe to our email list!

How to Apply This to Your Business

We love Zoom, and recommend it to anyone looking for a video meeting tool. I hope these tips help you get as much out of it as we do.

Soon enough, you’ll be able to meet just as easily as you did in person.

Share these tips with everyone in your organization so no one is left in the dark in this new remote world. We can all make the transition a bit easier by sharing what we know!

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For the last seven years, we've been a fully remote company. Here’s what I've learned about running a successful remote team.

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Zoom Meetings: 10 tips and tricks you should know about

Published on January 15, 2022

Zoom is all the rage these days. It allows people to stay connected with their colleagues while working from home due to the COVID-19 virus. We’ve already talked about exactly what Zoom is and how much it costs , how to set it up , and how it compares with the competition . In this post, we’ll talk about various tips and tricks you need to know about to take your Zoom game to the next level. Let’s get started.

Zoom tips and tricks

• Use a virtual background
• Touch up my appearance
• Mute someone
• Rename yourself

Turn on gallery view

• Hide non-vide participants
• Share part of your screen
• Turn off camera/mic before a call

Raise your hand

• Record to the cloud

Editor’s note: Steps on this article were put together using a custom PC running Windows 11. Some steps might be different depending on your device and software. 

Use a Zoom virtual background

If you don’t want your colleagues to see the inside of your apartment during a Zoom meeting, consider using a virtual background . You can select an image or video and set it as your background with just a few clicks. The feature isn’t perfect and works best if you have a green screen, but it’s still surprisingly good without one. I had a little fun with it and made a screenshot (above), so you can see what it looks like in action. You’re welcome!

We suggest that you set a virtual background before joining a meeting. That way, you won’t have to play around with the controls once the session starts.

Step-by-step instructions:

• Open the Zoom app on your PC.
• Click the gear icon under your profile image.
• Click on Background & Filters .
• Select the Virtual Background option.
• Select an image/video or upload your own.

Make yourself prettier

Want to look your best for that important meeting? Zoom has you covered. The tool offers a feature called Touch Up My Appearance , which is a filter that smooths out your skin. It’s not very aggressive, so the changes it makes aren’t super noticeable. But that’s a good thing if you ask me because your face still looks natural after applying the filter. Some filters can make you look like you’re a porcelain doll, and that’s not a good look for a business meeting either.

You can try it out as well as set it up before joining a meeting. It only takes a few clicks to get the job done.

• Select the Video option.
• Check the box next to Touch up my appearance .

Also: How to look your best for webcam meetings

Mute someone’s mic

There’s always that one guy who gets a call and answers it during a Zoom meeting or has children screaming in the background. Fortunately, you can turn off a participant’s mic with just a few clicks and eliminate the excessive noise that’s bothering others.

However, keep in mind that only a meeting host can use this feature. Participants don’t have this option, but they can turn off their own mics.

• Join or start a meeting.
• Click the Manage participants button in the taskbar.
• Hover your mouse over a participant’s name.
• Click the Mute button that shows up.

Related: The best USB microphones

Change your name

In Zoom, you’re not stuck with your name, or whatever the app chooses to name you. Changing your Zoom name is a breeze, and it might actually be fun for those less casual meetings. It could also help you look more professional to change your name to something more official. Whatever your reason may be, it’s a great feature to have.

• Enter a meeting.
• Click on the Participants button.
• Hover the cursor over your name. Click on More .
• Hit Rename .
• Type the new name in.
• Select Rename .

We recommend changing the layout to “Gallery View” so that you’ll be able to see all the participants on the page simultaneously. Zoom will show you a maximum of 49 participants on a single page. If there are more people in a meeting, you can click on the arrow to move to the next page. And, if you still want to pay attention to the meeting leader/main speaker, you can use Zoom’s “pin” tool to make sure you can always see who’s speaking.

• Select the View button in the top-right corner of the screen.
• Select Gallery .
• Click the arrow on the left/right side to move between pages if there are more than 49 participants in a meeting.

Also read: How to help others set up Zoom remotely

Hide non-video participants

Okay, so you’ve enabled Gallery View only to find out a lot of the people in the meeting have their cameras turned off, so all you see is a bunch of black windows containing names. In this case, you can declutter your screen by removing all the participants who don’t have their cameras turned on.

If you like this option and want to use it, we suggest enabling it by default before heading into a meeting.

• Click the Video option.
• Check the box next to Hide non-video participants .

Only share a part of your screen

When giving a presentation with Zoom, you often have to share your screen. The problem with this is that the people in the meeting will see the apps you have installed on your PC, the tabs you have open in your browser, as well as other data that you may not want to share. Luckily, Zoom has a solution.

Also read: How to use Whiteboard on Zoom

You can choose only to share a part of the screen, which provides you with a bit more privacy. For example, you can share the content in your browser but cut out the bottom and upper parts that reveal the apps in your taskbar and the tabs you have open.

• Click the Share Screen option in the taskbar.
• Click the Advanced tab up top.
• Select the Portion of Screen option and click Share .
• Resize the green window to your liking.

Turn off the camera/mic before a Zoom meeting

When you join a meeting, do you want your mic and camera to be turned on or off by default? This is something we recommend you set beforehand, so you don’t have to play around with the controls as soon as a meeting starts.

I keep mine off and only turn them on when needed. This prevents any possible background noise coming from my end because of my neighbors mowing their lawns or cars passing by.

• Check the box next to Turn off my video when joining meetings .
• Click the Audio option.
• Check the box next to Mute my microphone when joining a meeting .

Whenever you want to speak, you can signal it to the host by raising your hand virtually. The host will then give you the floor to talk or ask questions.

This is a great feature that prevents multiple people from talking at once. It’s also simple to use, as you can see in the instructions below.

• Join a meeting.
• Click on the Reactions button.
• Select Raise Hand .

More: The most common Zoom issues and how to fix them

Record a Zoom meeting to the cloud

When recording a meeting, we advise you to do it to the cloud. What that means is that the recording will be saved to Zoom’s server, after which you’ll be able to view it under the “Recordings” tab in your account. Just keep in mind that this feature isn’t available on free accounts.

Recording to the cloud is a good idea because you can share a recording with ease, allowing employees who missed a meeting to check it out later on. If you save a recording to your device, you’ll first have to upload it to Drive or a similar service before you can share it.

• Join a meeting, or create one.
• Click the Record button in the taskbar.
• Select the Record to the cloud option.
• Click Stop recording at the end of a meeting.
• Visit the Recordings page to see and share a recording.

Are you still not convinced by Zoom’s capabilities? There are plenty of other options. Check out our article comparing Zoom’s biggest competitors. You might like one of those alternatives better.

Next: Not sold on Zoom? These are the best alternatives

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5 Tips to Boost Your Presentation Skills and Wow Your Audience

• The Speaker Lab
• May 24, 2024

Table of Contents

Crafting an unforgettable presentation requires more than just compelling content. The way you deliver your message is just as important. No matter your role—CEO, entrepreneur, author, professor, coach, or consultant—honing your presentation skills is key to effectively communicating your ideas and making a memorable impact on your audience. It may not always be easy, but we’re here to help. To help you nail it every time, we’ve compiled 10 essential tips for honing your presentation skills . From knowing your audience to practicing confident body language, we have the guidance you need to give a presentation that’s effective and memorable.

5 Essential Tips for Delivering a Killer Presentation

You’ve probably sat through your fair share of presentations—some good, some not so good. The difference between an effective presentation and one that falls flat often comes down to a few key factors. If you want to improve your skills and deliver a presentation that engages your audience, here are some essential tips you need to keep in mind.

1. Understand Your Audience

Before you even start putting together your presentation, you need to take some time to understand who you’ll be speaking to. What are their needs, interests, and expectations? What level of knowledge do they have about your topic?

Tailoring your content and delivery style to your specific audience is crucial for making a real connection and delivering value. For instance, if you’re giving a presentation to a group of executives who are pressed for time, you’ll probably want to give them key takeaways upfront. By adapting your approach and leading with the most important points, you would be able to better hold your audience’s attention and make a strong impact.

2. Practice Makes Perfect

If you only go away with one tip today, then know that having the discipline to practice is an essential presentation skill. Rehearsing your talk multiple times helps you build confidence, refine your delivery, and ensure a smooth flow. Make sure to practice out loud, as if you’re in front of the actual audience. You can even record yourself and watch the video back to identify areas for improvement. It might feel awkward at first, but it can make a huge difference in your final delivery.

3. Engage with Eye Contact

Making eye contact with your audience is one of the most powerful ways to connect with them and keep them engaged. When you look people in the eye, it builds trust and shows that you’re confident in what you’re saying.

During your presentation, make a point to scan the room and make brief eye contact with individuals in different sections. It creates a sense of intimacy and makes people feel like you’re speaking directly to them. Just be sure to keep it natural and avoid staring anyone down.

4. Use Compelling Visuals

Visuals can be a game-changer when it comes to delivering an effective presentation. Well-designed slides, images, and videos help reinforce your message, break up text-heavy content, and keep your audience interested.

The key is to use visuals strategically, not just for the sake of having them. Every visual element should serve a clear purpose and enhance your overall message. And don’t forget about quality—blurry images or cluttered slides can be more distracting than helpful.

5. Tell a Story

Humans are wired to respond to stories. Integrating storytelling into your presentation is a fantastic way to make your content more engaging, memorable, and relatable.

Think about how you can structure your presentation as a narrative arc, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Use anecdotes, case studies, and examples to illustrate your points and create an emotional connection with your audience. Some of the best presentations are the ones that take the audience on a journey and leave them feeling inspired.

Find Out Exactly How Much You Could Make As a Paid Speaker

Use The Official Speaker Fee Calculator to tell you what you should charge for your first (or next) speaking gig — virtual or in-person! 

Master Your Body Language for Maximum Impact

Your body language can speak volumes during a presentation, often conveying just as much as your words. Mastering non-verbal communication is key to delivering a killer presentation that commands attention and leaves a lasting impression. Below are our tips for improving this presentation skill.

Maintain Confident Posture

How you carry yourself on stage can instantly impact your perceived confidence and credibility. Stand tall, keep your shoulders back, and maintain a stable, grounded stance. Avoid slouching, fidgeting, or shifting your weight from side to side, as these habits can make you appear nervous or unsure.

In addition, make a conscious effort to take up space and own the room. It’s not about being arrogant, but about projecting self-assurance and authority. Practice power poses beforehand to get in the right headspace and boost your confidence.

Use Gestures Purposefully

Incorporating hand gestures can add emphasis, clarity, and visual interest to your presentation. However, it’s important to use them purposefully and avoid overdoing it.

What’s our tip for improving this presentation skill? Use open, expansive gestures to convey confidence and inclusivity. Pointing can be effective for directing attention or making a strong point, but use it sparingly. Avoid crossing your arms or putting your hands in your pockets, as these positions can make you seem closed off or disengaged.

Vary Your Tone and Pace

Your voice is a powerful tool for engaging your audience and keeping them interested. Vary your tone, pitch, and pacing throughout your presentation to add dynamic energy and prevent monotony.

Speak with enthusiasm and conviction, allowing your passion for the topic to shine through. Use strategic pauses for emphasis or to give the audience a moment to process a key point. Adjust your volume and speed based on the room size and acoustics.

Avoid Distracting Mannerisms

Distracting mannerisms can quickly derail an otherwise great presentation. Be aware of any nervous tics or habits you might have, such as playing with your hair, clicking a pen, or saying “um” or “like” excessively.

Practice self-awareness and work on minimizing these behaviors. It can be helpful to video record yourself and watch it back to identify any distracting mannerisms you might not realize you have. Remember, the goal is to keep the focus on your message, not your quirks.

Overcoming Stage Fright and Nerves

Even the most seasoned presenters can experience stage fright and nerves. The key is to have strategies in place to manage those feelings and deliver a confident, impactful presentation.

Prepare Thoroughly

One of the best ways to combat stage fright is to be thoroughly prepared. When you know your material inside and out, it gives you a solid foundation to fall back on, even if nerves start to creep in.

For instance, you might create a detailed outline of your presentation, including key points, transitions, and any important data or examples. Using the outline, practice delivering the content out loud multiple times until it feels natural and conversational. When it’s time to actually present, you can fall back on the outline if you feel yourself start to get nervous.

Visualize Success

Visualization is a powerful tool for boosting confidence and calming nerves. In the days leading up to your presentation, take some time to close your eyes and imagine yourself delivering your talk with ease and conviction. Picture the audience responding positively, nodding along, and applauding at the end. Envision yourself feeling calm, confident, and in control. The more vividly you can imagine a successful outcome, the more likely you are to achieve it.

Breathe Deeply

Although tips on breathing exercises might seem unrelated, they’re actually an invaluable presentation skill. Think about it. When we’re nervous, our breathing tends to become shallow and rapid. This can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and make it harder to think clearly.

Before and during your presentation, focus on taking slow, deep breaths from your diaphragm. Inhale through your nose for a count of four, hold for four, then exhale through your mouth for a count of four. This simple technique can help calm your nerves and center your mind.

Focus on Your Message

When stage fright starts to take hold, it’s easy to get caught up in worries about how you’re coming across or what the audience might be thinking. Instead, try to shift your focus to your message and the value you’re providing.

Remind yourself of why your topic matters and how it can benefit your audience. Concentrate on delivering your content with clarity, conviction, and enthusiasm. When you’re passionate about what you’re saying, it shines through and connects with your listeners.

Crafting Memorable and Engaging Content

No matter how polished your delivery is, the foundation of a killer presentation is always the content itself. Crafting a memorable and engaging message is essential for making a lasting impact on your audience.

Start Strong

The opening moments of your presentation are crucial for capturing your audience’s attention and setting the tone for what’s to come. Don’t waste this opportunity with a generic introduction or a long-winded anecdote.

Instead, start with a bang. Use a surprising statistic, a thought-provoking question, or a bold statement that immediately grabs people’s interest. Make it clear why your topic matters and what your audience stands to gain from listening to you. Practice these tips and you’ll have this presentation skill mastered in no time.

Use Examples and Anecdotes

Abstract concepts and dry data can be difficult for audiences to grasp and remember. That’s where examples and anecdotes come in. These concrete illustrations help bring your ideas to life and make them more relatable.

When crafting your presentation, always look for opportunities to weave in real-world examples, case studies, or personal stories that reinforce your key points. Not only do these elements make the content more engaging, but they also help the audience see how the information applies to their own lives and experiences.

Incorporate Humor

Injecting humor into your presentation can be a great way to break the ice, lighten the mood, and keep your audience engaged. A well-timed joke or a witty observation can make your message more memorable and help you connect with your listeners on a human level.

Of course, it’s important to use humor judiciously and appropriately. Make sure your jokes are relevant to your topic and won’t offend or alienate anyone in the audience.

End with a Call to Action

Your presentation shouldn’t just be informative—it should also be actionable. As you near the end of your talk, be sure to include a clear and compelling call to action.

What do you want your audience to do with the information you’ve shared? Is there a specific step they can take to apply your ideas or further their learning? Make it explicit and easy for them to follow through.

You can also end your presentation with a challenge or a question that encourages the audience to reflect on how they can put the content into practice. It’s a powerful way to drive home your message and ensure that your words have a lasting impact.

Handling Questions and Audience Interaction

One of the most daunting aspects of giving a presentation can be handling questions from the audience. But with the right approach, this interaction can actually be an opportunity to reinforce your message and build credibility. Below are some tips on how to improve this presentation skill and close out your speech with confidence.

Anticipate Common Questions

Before your presentation, take some time to brainstorm the questions your audience is likely to ask. Consider their background, their level of knowledge on the topic, and any potential objections or concerns they might have.

Once you have a list of anticipated questions, practice answering them out loud. This will help you feel more prepared and confident when the time comes to address them in real-time.

Listen Attentively

When an audience member asks a question, give them your full attention. Make eye contact, nod to show you’re listening, and avoid interrupting or rushing to respond. If the question is lengthy or convoluted, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. Paraphrasing the question back to the asker can also help ensure that you’ve understood it correctly and give you a moment to gather your thoughts.

Respond Concisely

When answering questions, aim to be concise and to the point. Avoid rambling or getting sidetracked by tangential information. Stick to the key facts and insights that directly address the question at hand.

If a question requires a more in-depth response than time allows, offer to follow up with the individual after the presentation. You can also direct them to additional resources or materials that provide more detail on the topic.

Redirect Off-topic Queries

Occasionally, you may receive a question that is off-topic or not directly relevant to your presentation. In these cases, it’s important to acknowledge the question while gently redirecting the conversation back to your main points.

You might say something like, “That’s an interesting question, but it’s a bit outside the scope of what we’re focusing on today. Let’s talk more about [relevant topic] and how it relates to [your key message].”

Remember, your goal is to keep the discussion focused and productive, while still making the audience feel heard and valued.

Leveraging Technology for Impactful Presentations

In today’s digital age, technology can be a powerful tool for enhancing your presentations and engaging your audience. However, knowing how to use technology isn’t always straightforward. That’s why we’re offering you some tips on how to level up this presentation skill. Below are some insights on how to use technology strategically and not let it overshadow your message.

Keep Slides Simple

When it comes to presentation slides, less is often more. Avoid cluttering your slides with too much text, busy graphics, or distracting animations. Instead, keep them clean, concise, and visually appealing.

Use a consistent color scheme and font throughout your presentation to create a cohesive look. Stick to one main idea per slide, and use bullet points or short phrases rather than full sentences.

Remember, your slides should support and enhance your message, not compete with it. They’re meant to be a visual aid , not a crutch or a substitute for your own knowledge and expertise.

Use High-Quality Images

Incorporating relevant, high-quality images into your presentation can help illustrate your points, break up text, and keep your audience engaged. But be selective about the images you choose. Avoid generic stock photos or low-resolution graphics that can make your presentation look amateurish. Instead, opt for images that are clear, compelling, and directly related to your content.

If you’re using graphs or charts to present data, make sure they’re easy to read and interpret. Use colors and labels strategically to highlight key insights and trends.

Embed Videos Strategically

Videos can be a great way to add variety and interest to your presentation. They can help illustrate complex concepts, provide real-world examples, or evoke an emotional response from your audience.

However, it’s important to use videos judiciously and strategically. Avoid relying on them too heavily or using them as a crutch for weak content. Make sure any videos you include are high-quality, relevant, and add value to your overall message.

It’s also a good idea to test your videos beforehand to ensure they play smoothly and without technical glitches. Nothing derails a presentation faster than a video that won’t load or has poor audio quality.

Ensure Smooth Transitions

Smooth transitions between slides and sections of your presentation are key to maintaining a professional and polished look. Abrupt or jarring transitions can be distracting and disrupt the flow of your message.

Practice navigating through your slides beforehand to ensure that everything flows logically and seamlessly. Use consistent transition effects throughout your presentation, but avoid overusing flashy or gimmicky animations.

It’s also a good idea to have a backup plan in case of technical difficulties. Bring a printed copy of your slides or have them saved on a USB drive in case the technology fails. The show must go on, even if your fancy transitions don’t.

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Avoiding Common Presentation Mistakes

Even the most well-crafted presentation can fall flat if you make some common mistakes. Here are a few pitfalls to avoid to ensure your message lands with maximum impact.

Over-Reliance on Notes

While it’s fine to have some notes or a general outline to guide your presentation, relying too heavily on them can be a major distraction. Reading directly from your notes or slides can make you seem unprepared or disengaged from your audience.

Instead, aim to internalize your content so that you can deliver it naturally and conversationally. Use your notes as a gentle reminder of key points, but don’t let them become a crutch. If you do need to reference your notes, try to do so subtly and sparingly. Glance down briefly, then look back up and make eye contact with your audience as you speak.

Reading Slides Verbatim

One of the biggest mistakes presenters make is simply reading their slides word-for-word. Not only is this boring for your audience, but it also makes your slides redundant. If you’re just going to read them aloud, why bother having them at all?

Your slides should be a visual aid, not a script. Use them to highlight key points, provide visual examples, or reinforce your message with data or graphics. And remember that the bulk of your content should come from your own knowledge and expertise.

If you find yourself tempted to read directly from your slides, it’s a sign that you either have too much text on them or you haven’t practiced enough to feel confident delivering the content on your own.

Rushing Through Content

When you’re nervous or pressed for time, it can be tempting to rush through your presentation at breakneck speed. However, this can leave your audience feeling overwhelmed, confused, and disconnected from your message.

Remember, your audience needs time to process and absorb the information you’re sharing. Speak at a measured pace, pausing occasionally to let key points sink in or to allow for questions.

If you find yourself running short on time, resist the urge to speed up. Instead, prioritize your most important points and cut out any extraneous information.

With a few tips, anyone can improve their presentation skills. By understanding your audience, crafting compelling content, and mastering your delivery, you’ll be well on your way to giving presentations that truly resonate.

Remember, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about being authentic, engaging, and delivering value to your audience. So take these tips, make them your own, and go out there and wow your audience. You’ve got this!

• Last Updated: May 24, 2024

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