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You are here: Home / Services provided / Taking control of Zoom

Taking control of Zoom

Don’t let technology control your events – don’t let Zoom get between you and your audience

There are many features, tricks and extra tools (as well as limitations) that people don’t know about.
“Hang on a second” … or … “I don’t know why you can’t see that” … or … “we can’t do that on Zoom” (yes! … you can!)


SUBSCRIBE TO regular tips and tricks BONUS: Free Help pages on how to use Zoom effectively

 

Short online training sessions

“I can wholeheartedly recommend Massimo to anyone who needs tech support. He has knowledge, integrity and the ability to inspire your courage and confidence to meet the tech challenges of today.”
  • Short, 2 hour, focused sessions
  • Small groups (max 6 for most)
  • From the Basics to using Advanced features of Zoom
  • Hands-on, practise – BEFORE you try it live with your own audience!
  • Taught by an expert in Zoom and experienced teacher
  • Create smooth, professional and engaging Zoom events
  • Excellent, detailed notes provided afterwards
  • Only pay if you find it useful

Have a question? Want to discuss which sessions might be right for you? Email or call me on 01364 716299 or 07795 257849

I also offer personalised, one-to-one training

I charge my time for this work at £40/hour. Email or call me on 01364 716299 or 07795 257849 for a free consultation and we can discuss how I might be able to help you.

 

Massimo photoFrom an expert in Zoom and it’s uses

I am a professional IT trainer (with more patience than you’ll need 😉), with experience in groupwork, communication skills and coaching.

I’ve supported many people and organisations using Zoom in practical as well as creative ways to get the job done.

My joy is finding creative ways to add extra value, interest and interaction in what can otherwise be rather boring online events.

 

Click on a session to see what you’ll get and who it is aimed at …

Intro to Zoom + make meetings more interesting, connected & fun
Who this is aimed at
Suitable if you’re fairly new to Zoom. And relevant for informal zoom meetings with family and/or friends (rather than work related sessions)
What you'll get

Get familiar and comfortable with Zoom + ways to make meetings more interesting, connected and fun

Reduced fee – pay between £5 and £10 for this session

Learn the basics of Zoom and understand how you can control your experience of meetings:

Controlling your view of everyone else:  Speaker view and Gallery view  ●  Turn off self-view (so you don’t have to see yourself, but others still can)

Communicating with others:  Using Chat  ●  Mute and Unmute yourself  ●  Use the ‘Reaction’ buttons  ●  How to get yourself heard

Your privacy: Mute and Unmute yourself  ●  Turn on/off your video  ●  When is it okay to do these?  ●  When should you do these?  ●  How to know if someone is recording the event  ●  How secure is Zoom and what are the risks.

Fixing problems:  People’s videos are freezing – is it you or them?  ●  Your microphone isn’t working  ●  You can’t hear anyone  ●  Your video isn’t working  ●  Your connection is poor/slow

Fed up with the same old family/friend Zoom gatherings? Any of these familiar? …

uncomfortable silences – one or two people dominating –  lots of small chat – feels like a free-for-all – people look bored – end feeling unconnected – “must do that again”

With a few tools and concepts, you can create more connection, more interest, more interaction and more fun.

I’ll provide structure, plenty of suggestions and tips and answer as many questions as I can. Anything unanswered by the end, I will provide answers or resources afterwards. You’ll share experiences and situations, ask questions, discuss ideas.

This session will not be limited to 6.

What this session is NOT

This is NOT about HOSTING or LEADING a Zoom event (see other sessions for this)

Important: there will NOT be time in this session to teach you how to do some of the more advanced things we may mention (e.g. Breakout Rooms, Screen Sharing). For that you may need to attend the relevant session(s) below.

What's really possible with Zoom? - a tour by an expert
Who this is aimed at
Aimed at people using Zoom for their work, hosting or managing events

See what’s really possible with Zoom when you know how – a ‘Whistle-Stop Tour’ of Zoom and its features

You’ll get to see what’s possible using Zoom: it’s features, ways of working with it, plus some 3rd party programs/apps you can use with it.

I’ll talk about and demonstrate: working with groups of different sizes  ●  handling discussions, decisions and interactions  ●  using Co-Hosts  ●  Chat  ●  Polls  ●  Breakout Rooms  ●  Screen Sharing  ●  Annotation  ●  PowerPoint  ●  using Google Docs  ●  Recording events  ●  Live Streaming   ●  Security.

Important: as we only have 2 hours, while I will be showing you what is possible, I will not be showing you how to do it.
For that you can join the other relevant session(s) below.

This session will not be limited to 6 people.

Schedule, Invite, Host & Manage meetings - the Basics

Who this is aimed at
People using Zoom for their work, hosting or managing events

Schedule, Invite, Host & Manage meetings – the Basics

If you haven’t before, you’ll get to set up and (briefly) host your own meeting.

  • Set up a basic Zoom meeting – one-off vs scheduled meetings *
  • FREE vs PAID Zoom in terms of hosting
  • Sending out INVITES *
  • Use of PASSWORDS
  • WAITING ROOM
  • RENAMING people *
  • Keeping an eye on PARTICIPANTS*
  • Using the CHAT
  • MUTE one or all participants *
  • Helping participants manage:
    • SPEAKER and GALLERY view (whatever device they are using)
    • CHAT

* topics that you’ll get to try out yourself on the session

Managing meetings (Advanced) & Security & handling disruptions

Who this is aimed at

People using Zoom for their work, hosting or managing events

IMPORTANT: You MUST already know how, and have experience of the following. If not you must attend the previous session first.

    • Setting up a one-off and a scheduled Zoom meeting as the Host
    • Sending out invites
    • Renaming & Muting participants
    • Using Chat

Not sure? Email or call me on 01364 716299 or 07795 257849

Managing meetings (advanced) & Security & handling disruptions

Topics covered in this session:

  • RECURRING meetings – for a series of events, an ongoing class etc
  • Advanced use of WAITING ROOM – for pre-meeting chat with speaker(s) and co-hosts, send a message
  • Helping participants get the best from the meeting – whatever device they are using
  • Some group participation and feedback basics – verbal and non-verbal, chat, yes/no responses, raised hands
  • How to support a guest speaker/presenter
  • Using CO-HOSTS to support you
  • RECORDING a meeting (and how to manage recording in Breakout Rooms) *
  • SAVING CHAT *
  • Zoom MEETING vs WEBINAR
  • SECURITY ISSUES:
    • What are the RISKS of using Zoom
    • Sending INVITES out – what to include and what not to
    • Use of the WAITING ROOM / LOCKING the meeting *
    • REMOVING people from a meeting or putting them on Hold *
    • Control what participants can do (e.g. Screen share, Recording the session, etc) *
    • Drawing up a risk assessment and what things to put into place to minimise these *

* topics that you’ll get to try out yourself on the session

Using Breakout Rooms effectively

Breakout Room Topics

Important: You cannot manage Breakout Rooms from an iPad, Tablet or smart phone
However, you can assign a Co-Host who has a computer/laptop. They can then manage the Breakout Rooms for you.

  • You’ll each get a chance to SET UP Breakout Rooms YOURSELF *
  • How to SWITCH ON Breakout Rooms so you can use them in meetings
  • BASICS of Breakout Rooms
    • ASSIGNING people to rooms *
    • using the SAME SET of Rooms again
    • creating a NEW SET of Rooms
    • ADD a new Room
    • MOVE someone to a different Room *
    • ensuring there’s a FACILITATOR IN EACH ROOM
  • Using FACILITATOR and CO-HOSTS
  • BROADCAST a message to every Room *
  • How people can ask the Host for HELP while they are in a Room
  • How to TAKE INFORMATION INTO Rooms (agenda, questions, topics, screen share etc.)
  • RECORDING Breakout Rooms
  • CLOSING DOWN Breakout Rooms *

* topics that you’ll get to try out yourself on the session

Screen Sharing - documents, pictures, videos & music

We look at how you can share your screen smoothly, and use it and other programs to encourage participation and involvement from your audience.

Screen Sharing – documents, pictures, videos & music

  • You’ll each get a chance to Screen Share YOURSELF *
  • How to share your screen *
  • The difference between sharing a ‘screen’ or a ‘window’
  • Share DOCUMENTS and IMAGES
  • Tricks to ensure people see the best and largest possible version – even on small screens like phones
  • Share AUDIO (music or in a video) – and how to improve audio quality – otherwise participants hear a distorted version (or even not audio at all)
  • Share background music without disturbing what people see – so everyone sees their normal Gallery / Speaker view
  • Share VIDEOS – and how to improve the visual quality – otherwise participants see a jerky, jumpy version
    • And with this feature, how to avoid participants seeing large grey blocks across their screens
  • Play a YOUTUBE video in “Full Screen” mode (so it looks great and there’s no text or other YouTube videos displayed) – and tricks to make this possible/easy
  • Using Zoom’s WHITEBOARD
  • How to “draw” over the top of ANY screen share to highlight things for people – using ANNOTATE – by the Host and by participants for engagement *
  • When you want to Screen Share two different things – how to move smoothly between them – rather than stopping one and starting the other
  • Understanding WHAT PARTICIPANTS SEE when you are screen sharing and helping them to manage what they are seeing *

* topics that you’ll get to try out yourself on the session

Screen Sharing - PowerPoint presentations

Screen Sharing – PowerPoint presentations

Screen Sharing a PowerPoint presentation can be challenging and there are a number of traps you can fall into without realising it.

This session explains it all and you get to practise sharing your PowerPoint presentation.

IMPORTANT: You MUST already know how, and have experience of, Screen Sharing.

  • PowerPoint ‘Full Screen’ vs ‘Window’ mode – which works best?
  • Ways and tricks to manage all the screens:
    • The PowerPoint presentation itself
    • The PowerPoint control/speaker notes
    • Zoom’s participants’ videos
    • Chat
  • Tips for moving between slides
  • Using two screens – how can I use a second screen and how will it help me?
  • Who should screen share – the speaker/presenter or the Host or a co-host?
  • Issues you should know about – and how to avoid them …
    • Using ‘Animated slides’
    • ‘Embedded’ videos
    • Participants can’t hear music or videos properly
    • Participants see grey areas on their screens
  • Understanding WHAT PARTICIPANTS SEE and helping them to manage what they are seeing
Interactive, Fun & Effective meetings + ways to gather feedback, ideas and make decisions

Interactive, Fun & Effective meetings + ways to gather feedback, ideas and make decisions

  • How to have participants feel more RELAXED IN MEETINGS
  • INVOLVING PARTICIPANTS – using ice-breakers, making people feel welcome, engaged and part of the group
  • Getting and managing FEEDBACK from participants – verbal and non-verbal, chat, yes/no responses, raised hands
  • Handling GO-ROUNDS/SHARING CIRCLES – people taking turns to speak
  • The importance of CO-HOSTS
  • Using Zoom Screen Share and Whiteboard
  • Using Zoom POLLS
  • Using GOOGLE DOCS
  • Using third-party programs to manage polls, Q&As, brainstorming etc. (e.g. Slido, Google Slides etc)
Recording your event - and what to do with it

Recording your event … and what to do with it

Topics covered in this session:

  • Limitations of Recordings (Breakout Rooms, Size)
  • The differences between Record on this Computer and Record to the Cloud
  • The differences between the different recordings you can make on the Cloud – Gallery, Speaker, Screen share, Audio
  • EDITING your recordings (using different programs)
  • SHARING your recordings with people (where to upload them)
  • Concepts of LIVE STREAMING

Because much of this session is “outside” of Zoom (and so relies on many different programs and Apps), there won’t be much chance to try things out during the session.

Bring your questions and ideas and try them out

‘Open Mic’ session – Bring your questions and ideas and try them out

Got something you are unsure of or would like to try out with a live audience?

With a maximum of 6 people you will get at least 15 minutes each to try out whatever you want with the group, ask questions, discuss ideas.

I will provide structure and answer as many questions as I can. Anything unanswered by the end I will provide answers or resources afterwards.

Important: there will NOT be time in this session to teach the whole group how to do things that we cover (e.g. Breakout Rooms, Screen Sharing). For that you may need to attend the relevant session(s) above.

Not sure which session(s) would be right for you? Email or call me on 07795 257849 and we’ll get clear

 


 

Below, you’ll find …

  • Upcoming dates
  • Costs
  • What’s included in each session
  • What people have said about these sessions

 


Final dates

These is the last time I’ll be running these sessions.

All sessions are two hours (from 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm)

A Zoom tour - what's really possible with ZoomThu 1 Apr
Intro to Zoom + tips for meetingsWed 31 Mar
Hosting / Managing meetings - the BasicsMon 12 Apr
Hosting / Managing meetings & Security – AdvancedWed 14 Apr
Using Breakout Rooms effectivelyTue 20 Apr
Screen Sharing - docs, pics, videos & musicTue 6 Apr
Screen Sharing a PowerPoint presentationThu 8 Apr
Interactive, fun, effective - feedback / decisionsTue 27 Apr
Recording your event - NEWThu 22 Apr
'Open Mic' session - practise & questions - NEWTue 4 May
Book a place or express interest

Cost

I’m asking people to “pay what you can” and based upon what you got out of each session. Suggested for each session you attend (based on your use of Zoom) …

  • private/personal use: £5 – £25
  • work/companies/commercial use £15 – £40

Either directly to my account (preferred – contact me for details) or via PayPal. I can also provide an invoice if required.

What each session includes

  • Two hours on a particular Zoom topic or feature
  • A chance to try out stuff yourself (wherever practical and possible)
  • Notes on the session (will be published on this website)
  • One-to-one help after the session (on the topics covered) at a special reduced rate of £20/hour (pro rata per minute)
Book a place or express interest

What people say about the sessions

“Massimo’s training has given me the confidence to have a go and work things out for myself.” – Jane

“The sessions have been so helpful and really enjoyable! 😊 ” – Gwen

“Your clarity, ease, patience, good suggestions … all add to a wonderful experience.” – Karin

“Thanks to you, I felt confident enough to cope with anything that might go wrong.” – Marie

“I’ve just hosted a large Zoom meeting! I was able to get people to self-select the Breakout Room they wanted, sent broadcast messages and even did a poll and shared the results.” – Jane

“Really good fun 😊” – Mo

“I loved how you navigated our disparate group with both lightness and focus. I am full of gratitude for the helpful tips on your emails and website.” – Jude

“Thanks so very much for all your excellent resources – your care and generosity are touching.” – Jeannie

“Thanks to your excellent teaching (and unlimited patience!) yesterday’s meeting went really well.” – Marie

“Hugely helpful. Especially where we disorganised my “over focus”, and I got a sense of a longer timeline, and a more spacious view of the screen.” – Isobel

“Brilliant zoom help pages! Definitely the best I have seen. Thank you so much for creating & sharing these.” – Kristina

Contact me

Have a question? Want to discuss which sessions might be right for you?
Email or call me on 01364 716299 or 07795 257849

 

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