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Conducting Zoom Meetings

Zoom is a full video and content-sharing tool that allows City staff to connect via a smartphone, the web, or other video-enabled devices.

Zoom Logo

 

Create Your Zoom Account

Please note: You do not need a Zoom account, or the application installed to attend most meetings. You can simply join the meeting from within your web browser. See the JOIN A MEETING FROM A WEB BROWSER section below.

  1. Go to the Zoom sign up page: https://zoom.us/signup
  2. Enter your date of birth, then click CONTINUE.
  3. Enter your work email address, then click SIGN UP.
  4. You will receive an email from Zoom called “Please activate your Zoom account.”
  5. In the email click ACTIVATE ACCOUNT.
  6. Click NO to the question “Are you signing up on behalf of a school?,” then click CONTINUE.
  7. Enter your First and Last Name, then create a password and click CONTINUE.
  8. Enter email addresses of colleagues to invite them to use Zoom or click SKIP THIS STEP.

DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL ZOOM

On a City Computer

  1. Open Software Center.
  2. Under APPLICATIONS, click ZOOM MEETINGS CLIENT.
  3. Click INSTALL.
  4. Under APPLICATIONS, click ZOOM OUTLOOK PLUGIN.
  5. Click INSTALL.
  6. Open Zoom from desktop.
  7. Click SIGN IN.
  8. Enter your work email address and the password you created.
  9. Click SIGN IN.

On a Personal Device

  1. Go to the Zoom download page: https://zoom.us/download
  2. Under ZOOM CLIENT FOR MEETINGS, click DOWNLOAD.
  3. Once installed, Zoom will open automatically.
  4. Click SIGN IN.
  5. Enter your work email address and the password you created, then click SIGN IN.
  6. Go back to the Zoom download page: https://zoom.us/download
  7. Under ZOOM PLUGIN FOR MICROSOFT OUTLOOK, click DOWNLOAD.
  8. Once installed, restart Outlook.

On a City Smartphone

  1. If Zoom is not already installed, open the MS360 App Catalog.
  2. Under LATEST APPS, click ZOOM CLOUD MEETINGS.
  3. Click GET.
  4. Open Zoom.
  5. Click SIGN IN.
  6. Enter your work email address and the password you created, then click SIGN IN.

 

JOIN A ZOOM MEETING

From a Web Browser

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Go to your calendar and open the meeting invitation.
  3. In the meeting details section, click the link under JOIN ZOOM MEETING.
  4. A browser tab will open, then click CLICK HERE.
  5. Once it appears, click JOIN FROM YOUR BROWSER.
  6. Enter your name as you would like it to appear in the meeting.
  7. Check the box to indicate you’re not a robot.
  8. Click JOIN.
  9. Click JOIN AUDIO BY COMPUTER.
  10. If either your speaker or microphone are not working, try clicking the up-carrot next to the microphone icon to cycle through different speakers and microphones installed on your computer.

Watch the "Join a Zoom Meeting through a Web Browser" Video

From the Outlook App

  1. Open your Outlook desktop client.
  2. Go to your calendar and open the meeting invitation.
  3. In the meeting details section, click the link under JOIN ZOOM MEETING.
  4. A browser tab will open, then click OPEN ZOOM MEETINGS in the pop-up.
  5. In the JOIN AUDIO window, click TEST SPEAKER AND MICROPHONE to verify your speaker and microphone are working.
    1. If you cannot hear a ringtone, try adjusting your volume or changing the speaker from the drop-down list.
    2. If you can hear a ringtone, click YES.
    3. If you cannot hear a replay after speaking into your microphone, try changing the microphone from the drop-down list.
    4. If you hear a replay, click YES.
  6. Click JOIN WITH COMPUTER AUDIO.

Watch the "Join a Zoom Meeting through Outlook" Video

From the Zoom App on a Computer

  1. Open the Zoom app.
  2. Go to the MEETINGS tab.
  3. Click the meeting and then JOIN.
  4. In the JOIN AUDIO window, click TEST SPEAKER AND MICROPHONE to verify your speaker and microphone are working.
    1. If you cannot hear a ringtone, try adjusting your volume or changing the speaker from the drop-down list.
    2. If you can hear a ringtone, click YES.
    3. If you cannot hear a replay after speaking into your microphone, try changing the microphone from the drop-down list.
    4. If you hear a replay, click YES.
  5. Click JOIN WITH COMPUTER AUDIO.

Watch the "Join a Zoom Meeting through the Zoom App" Video

From the Zoom App on a Smartphone

  1. Open the Zoom app.
  2. Go to the MEETINGS tab.
  3. Click the meeting and then JOIN.
  4. In the JOIN AUDIO window, click TEST SPEAKER AND MICROPHONE to verify your speaker and microphone are working.
    1. If you cannot hear a ringtone, try adjusting your volume or changing the speaker from the drop-down list.
    2. If you can hear a ringtone, click YES.
    3. If you cannot hear a replay after speaking into your microphone, try changing the microphone from the drop-down list.
    4. If you hear a replay, click YES.
  5. Click JOIN WITH COMPUTER AUDIO.

 

HOST A ZOOM MEETING

Schedule a Meeting From the Outlook App

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Under the HOME tab and in the ZOOM group, click SCHEDULE A MEETING.
  3. The SCHEDULE MEETING window pops up.
  4. Choose whether you want to require a password.
  5. Click ADVANCED OPTIONS and additional options appear.
    1. ENABLE WAITING ROOM is checked by default, which means the host must admit each participant before they can join the meeting. Uncheck the box if you want participants to be able to join the meeting without any additional action by you.
    2. ENABLE JOIN BEFORE HOST is unchecked by default, which means the meeting cannot start until the host joins. Check the box if you want participants to be able to join the meeting before the host.
  6. Click CONTINUE.
  7. Enter meeting details and invite participants.
  8. Click SEND.

Watch the "Schedule a Zoom Meeting through Outlook" Video

Schedule a Meeting From the Zoom App on a Computer

  1. Open the Zoom app.
  2. Click SCHEDULE.
  3. The SCHEDULE MEETING window pops up.
  4. Choose whether you want to require a password.
  5. Click ADVANCED OPTIONS and additional options appear.
    1. ENABLE WAITING ROOM is checked by default, which means the host must admit each participant before they can join the meeting. Uncheck the box if you want participants to be able to join the meeting without any additional action by you.
    2. ENABLE JOIN BEFORE HOST is unchecked by default, which means the meeting cannot start until the host joins. Check the box if you want participants to be able to join the meeting before the host.
  6. Click SCHEDULE.
  7. Enter meeting details and invite participants.
  8. Click SEND.

Watch the "Schedule a Zoom Meeting through the Zoom App" Video

Schedule a Meeting From the Zoom App on a Smartphone

  1. Open the Zoom app.
  2. Click SCHEDULE.
  3. The SCHEDULE MEETING window pops up.
  4. Choose whether you want to require a password.
  5. Click ADVANCED OPTIONS and additional options appear.
    1. ENABLE WAITING ROOM is checked by default, which means the host must admit each participant before they can join the meeting. Uncheck the box if you want participants to be able to join the meeting without any additional action by you.
    2. ALLOW JOIN BEFORE HOST is unchecked by default, which means the meeting cannot start until the host joins. Check the box if you want participants to be able to join the meeting before the host.
  6. Click DONE.
  7. Enter meeting details, then click ADD.
  8. Go to the MEETINGS tab and click on the meeting.
  9. Click ADD INVITEES.

 

Start the Meeting From the Outlook App

  1. At least 5 minutes prior to your meeting, open Outlook.
  2. Go to your calendar and select your upcoming meeting.
  3. Click the link under JOIN ZOOM MEETING.
  4. Wait for others to join you.
  5. If the ENABLE WAITING ROOM option was checked when you created the meeting, click MANAGE PARTICIPANTS to either ADMIT participants or SEE WAITING ROOM.

Watch the "Start a Zoom Meeting through Outlook" Video

Start the Meeting From the Zoom App on a Computer

  1. At least 5 minutes prior to your meeting, open the Zoom app.
  2. Go to the MEETINGS tab and select your upcoming meeting.
  3. Click START.
  4. Wait for others to join you.
  5. If the ENABLE WAITING ROOM option was checked when you created the meeting, click MANAGE PARTICIPANTS to either ADMIT participants or SEE WAITING ROOM.

 

Start the Meeting From the Zoom App on a Smartphone

  1. At least 5 minutes prior to your meeting, open the Zoom app.
  2. Go to the MEETINGS tab and select your upcoming meeting.
  3. Click START.
  4. Wait for others to join you.
  5. If the ENABLE WAITING ROOM option was checked when you created the meeting, click PARTICIPANTS to ADMIT participants.

Prevent “Zoombombing”

It’s nearly impossible to prevent these attacks when an event is public by design such as a Town Hall meeting or an open lecture. However, there are a few steps you can take to make your meeting more secure.

Set a meeting password

A meeting password — which is automatically generated by Zoom — will prevent uninvited users from being able to join your event, even if they have the meeting link. Unfortunately, many Zoombombers swap and obtain meeting codes on social media. Be careful with where you share your meeting code, and if you can, wait to send it out until shortly before the event begins.

Setup a Waiting Room

One of the best ways to use Zoom for public events is to enable the Waiting Room feature. Just like it sounds, the Waiting Room is a virtual staging area that stops your guests from joining until you’re ready for them.

Meeting hosts can customize Waiting Room settings for additional control, and you can even personalize the message people see when they hit the Waiting Room so they know they’re in the right spot. This message is really a great spot to post any rules/guidelines for your event, like who it’s intended for.

  1. Sign in to your account in the Zoom Web Portal and access the Settings tab.
  2. Click on the In Meeting (Advanced) option.
  3. Search or scroll to find the Waiting Room option.
  4. Toggle the button next to the Waiting Room to enable this feature.
  5. After enabling the Waiting Room feature, you can choose to send all participants to the Waiting Room when they join or to send only guest participants (external accounts) to the Waiting Room. You can also allow other internal participants to admit guests from the Waiting Room if the host is not yet in the meeting.

Now, when you schedule a meeting, the Waiting Room is enabled for all future meetings.

Manage Screen Sharing

You do not want random people in your public event to take control of the screen and sharing unwanted content with the group. You can restrict this — before the meeting and during the meeting in the host control bar — so that you’re the only one who can screen-share.

To prevent participants from screen sharing during a call:

  1. Using your mouse, hover at the bottom of the screen to show the host controls.
  2. Click the arrow next to Share Screen and then Advanced Sharing Options.
  3. Under “Who can share?” choose “Only Host” and close the window. You can also lock the Screen Share by default for all your meetings in your web settings.

Manage your participants

Allow only signed-in users to join

If someone tries to join your event and isn’t logged into Zoom with the email they were invited with, they will receive this message:

This meeting is for authorized attendees only
Click "Sign In to Join" to sign into Zoom with an email address authorized for joining this meeting.

 

During the meeting

Zoom’s intuitive interface gives hosts and co-hosts complete control of meetings, which not only delivers a more efficient, effective meeting experience but also prevents uninvited users from accessing the session. These in-meeting security controls also ensure that hosts don’t accidentally share confidential information or personal information. Features include:

Lock Meeting — This feature allows the host and co-host to prevent anyone else from joining the

meeting, even if they have the meeting ID and password. This feature is ideal for meetings where the host wants to prevent interruptions or where sensitive information may be shared.

Remove Participants — Meeting hosts can remove participants from meetings, allowing them to remove anyone who does not belong in the meeting.

Identify Guest Participants — Zoom hosts and other users on the account can check the Participants list to see whether anyone outside of your Zoom account has joined the meeting. When the feature is enabled, any guest who is not signed in or signed in from a different email domain from the host will appear in the Participants list with a light orange background behind their names.

 

USEFUL TIPS

Set Zoom to Start with Windows

  1. Open Zoom.
  2. Click the gear in the top right corner.
  3. Click GENERAL.
  4. Check the box next to START ZOOM WHEN I START WINDOWS.
  5. Optionally, check the box next to SILENTLY START ZOOM WHEN I START WINDOWS and the program will start minimized in the taskbar.

Set Zoom to Send Meeting Notifications

  1. Open Zoom.
  2. Click the gear in the top right corner.
  3. Select GENERAL.
  4. Check the box next to “Remind me __ minutes before my upcoming meetings” and change the number of minutes to your preference.
  5. When you receive a meeting notification from Zoom, you can click JOIN to join the meeting directly from the notification.