Tips to know to use Google’s video conferencing service effectively.
Google meet formerly known as Hangouts Meet, is Google Cloud’s video conferencing service that makes it easy for businesses to create meetings. It is part of G Suite, Google’s suite of productivity tools and software for professionals.
To meet the constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic, Google has opened its platform: it is possible to launch or join a free meeting for up to 100 participants for the general public and 250 users for companies, without time limit, up to ‘until September 30, 2020. After this date, the free version will be limited to 60 minutes. Note that G Suite customers benefit from other advanced video conferencing features on Google Meet, such as live streaming or meeting recording.
Discover our selection of tips to use all the features offered by Google Meet and become more efficient.
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1. Create a meeting on Google Meet
To organize a new meeting on Google Meet, go to the tool’s web interface . You must be signed in to your Google Account to create a meeting. Click on the New meeting button : a menu is displayed with 3 options. Select Get a meeting link to share to automatically generate the link for your video meeting. A window opens with the link to the meeting. Share it with the people you want to invite to your online meeting.
2. Join a meeting on Google Meet
If you want to join a meeting on Google Meet, all you have to do is copy and paste its username in the field titled Enter a code or a link then click on Participate (or Join , depending on the browser).
An intermediate page is offered, where you can choose to activate or not your camera and your microphone. Once you’re ready, click the Join Meeting button . A Google account is also required to join a meeting on Meet.
Note that on some browsers, the tool does not recognize the full meeting link. An error message appears: Invalid video call name . To access it, type or paste the end of the URL containing the identifier of the meeting, click the button Participate or Join . Google Meet recommends using the same device for microphone and speaker to avoid echoing during the meeting.
3. Schedule a video meeting from Google Calendar
To save time, it is possible to create a meeting from Google Calendar. Log in to your Google account and go to your online calendar. Click on the Create button located at the top left of your screen. On the event file, enter the title and time of the meeting, add participants by entering their email addresses and select Add a Google Meet video conference . An automatic link is generated and displayed under the participation button. Record your new meeting.
When it’s time for the meeting, click the Join with Google Meet button in Google Calendar, then confirm that you’re ready to join the video conference.
4. Start or join a video meeting from Gmail
In the sidebar of your messaging, two buttons are available in the section called Meet: Start a meeting and Join a meeting . In the first case, a window opens and invites you to join the meeting. The video conference code appears above the button, so you can share it with meeting participants by email. If you click on the second link, you will be asked to enter the code provided by the organizer in order to join the meeting.
5. Display the participants of a meeting and interact with them
To display the list of participants in a videoconference, all you have to do is click on the button located at the top right of the screen in the form of silhouettes with the number of connected people displayed next to the icon. A sidebar titled Meeting Information appears on the right side of the screen.
It is possible to add other participants during a meeting by clicking on the Add button , then by entering the email address of the invited member. An email is sent to him with the meeting code. A notification appears on the screen when the participant requests to join the video call. The creator of the meeting can either allow or deny access.
If you want to communicate in writing with participants during a Google Meet meeting, click the Chat button preceded by a text bubble icon, at the top right of the screen. If the sidebar is already displayed on the meeting page, you can switch from the Participants tab to the Chat tab with one click.
6. Change the view of a Google Meet meeting
To activate the view that suits you best, click on the tiled icon at the top right of your screen. You can also click on the 3 dots located at the bottom and select Modify the layout in the proposed menu.
4 options are available:
- Automatic(default): you allow Google Meet to choose which layout to activate during a video conference, showing the most active participants and the content presented,
- Sidebar: it displays the presentation or the active speakers with the other participants present on the side of the screen,
- Spotlight : this option displays the presentation, the active speaker or the pinned feed on the meeting screen,
- Mosaic: this view allows up to 16 people to be displayed when no presentation is in progress.
When you choose a layout other than the default view, your display preferences are automatically saved. You can restore the original layout by clicking Automatic .
If you start a presentation, it displays in a large thumbnail, with the most active participants appearing to the side. Note that the name of the participants appears when the mouse hovers over it.
7. Pin a participant’s thumbnail as the main screen image
If you want to highlight a participant of a Google Meet meeting as the main image on the video conference screen, just go to their profile thumbnail image, then click on the icon shaped like a pin. This icon is also available at the top right of the screen as well as in the sidebar, in the meeting information ( Participants tab ).
8. Remove participants
Click on the icon to display the list of participants in the right sidebar. Then select the name of the participant to be excluded from the meeting. Among the three options offered, choose the one on the right, in the form of a prohibited direction, to delete the selected participant. Google Meet then asks you to confirm the exclusion of the member. Only the meeting creator can remove a participant during a video conference.
9. Mute a participant’s microphone
It can be very unpleasant to hear background noise during a video conference. You can either ask the participant to mute their microphone via the chat, or directly mute them. To do this, open the sidebar with the list of participants and place your cursor over the microphone icon to mute it. Google Meet specifies that only the participant, whose microphone has been muted, can reactivate it.
If you need to mute your own microphone or your computer’s camera, just click on one of these two icons at the bottom of the meeting screen, around the Hang Up button .
10. Share your screen
At the bottom right of the meeting screen, click the Present Now button . Three options are available to you:
- your entire screen,
- a window,
- a Chrome tab.
Google Meet recommends choosing a Chrome tab if you want to present pages or slides with video. If you click One Window , you have the option of selecting the one you want from the browser windows that are open on your computer. Then click on Share .
The content of the shared screen is displayed in the center of the meeting window for other participants.
11. Show closed captions in a video meeting
This feature, which is only available in English, can be enabled by clicking on the three dots at the bottom right of the screen and then selecting Enable Closed Captions from the menu. Subtitles appear at the bottom left of the screen. Repeat the same action to deactivate them.
12. Adjust audio and video settings
It is possible to improve the audio and video quality of your video conference on Google Meet. To do this, go to the tool’s settings by clicking on the three dots at the bottom of the screen.
In the Audio tab , select the settings you want to adjust the quality of the microphone and speakers.
In the Video tab , you can set the send and receive resolution for your camera. A lower resolution can be useful if you have a poor internet connection. High resolution will give you a better experience for your video calls.
As a bonus : a series of keyboard shortcuts are available to help you increase your productivity even further. Here are the 4 keyboard shortcuts you can use on Google Meet:
- Turn the camera on or off: Ctrl (or Cmd) + E,
- Activate or deactivate the sound of the microphone: Ctrl (or Cmd) + D,
- Announce the name of the active speaker: Shift + Ctrl (or Cmd) + Alt + A, then S,
- Announce meeting information: Shift + Ctrl (or Cmd) + Alt + A, then I.
