The advent of the Internet allowed, more than twenty years ago now, physically distant people to start virtual videoconferences . Today these technologies are extremely useful in various fields of daily life, first of all, they facilitate certain types of jobs (such as those based on the AGILE methodology and smart working ), but above all they allow us to maintain consolidated relationships with our acquaintances or to establish new ones. interpersonal relationships.
Videoconferencing is certainly the best solution to compensate for the absence of the body linked to telematic communication. Together with other gimmicks (such as emoticons ) it ensures that two or more distant people not only communicate but are able to transmit, in part or in all, their moods through facial expressions, tone of voice and other aspects characteristic of non-verbal communication (otherwise compromised by the textual exchange of messages only).
As a work or study tool, videoconferencing is very useful for illustrating or presenting projects or documents: Zoom meetings, the tool that we will see shortly, allows not only to show oneself on webcam to the interlocutor but also to share the computer screen . This helps even more to understand and clarify oneself, while remaining distant, on presentations and working documents.
Zoom.us , as well as any other similar software (a bit like Skype works , for example), can be used not only in the workplace: many students or teachers use it to communicate via video, to carry out remote group work or to repeat in view of a query!
But before showing you how to use Zoom Meetings to make business video calls and more, let’s proceed step by step starting from the beginning!
- How to download and install Zoom
- How to make free calls with Zoom
- How to make video calls with Zoom
- How to make a business videoconference on Zoom
- How to use Zoom if you are a student or teacher
How to download and install Zoom
Zoom Cloud Meetings is the most used platform for holding meetings and, in general, for following remote lessons. With Zoom, you can do a lot of things, like work remotely, make business calls and video conferences, do webinars and share your computer screen. Most of its features are free, but to hold webinars with a large number of attendees you need to have a paid account (with the free plan you can still invite up to one hundred attendees for a total duration of forty minutes).
If you are not too pretentious, Zoom’s free plan is just fine because it still allows you to activate audio or webcam, use the interactive whiteboard and participants can share their screens at the same time . Added to this is the ability for participants to take control of the screen and conveniently use annotations on the split screen. In addition, the free plan allows you to record the webinar and use the chat during the videoconference.
Before discovering how to use Zoom, however, you must download and install the program on your pc ( click here to visit the official website ) or download the smartphone app from the store for your operating system! Once you have downloaded Zoom, you just have to install it by following the steps shown on the screen (the procedure is simple and does not present particular difficulties). Once installed, Zoom is ready to use.
How to make free calls with Zoom
Now that you have downloaded the application, all you have to do is find out how to use it in the workplace or school. Zoom can be used in two ways:
- You can participate in a videoconference organized by a work colleague, a client, a teacher or a friend;
- You can host and, therefore, be the first person organizer of the meeting or lesson to be given, inviting others to attend.
Anyone who creates or participates in a teleconference has several tools at their disposal that allow them to do many things. You can activate and deactivate your own audio or video, choose to share your screen and whether to start a chat with participants. Zoom also allows you to schedule a call or video call which means that you can program an event and invite users to participate. You can also use Zoom to record a lesson and share it with all students.
To use Zoom you must first register: you can do it by entering your e-mail address or via Google or Facebook account. After that, all that remains is to fill in the registration form . Once you have downloaded the application you can start using the platform!
How to make video calls with Zoom
To participate in a videoconference it is not necessary that you have downloaded the application, as Zoom allows you to access a videoconference at any time . In this case, if you receive an invitation in the form of a link, you can only use Zoom.us without necessarily installing or downloading the app but using the web browser. In fact, by opening the link you will have to refuse the invitation to download to see the message inviting you to take part in the meeting via your browser.
Alternatively, if you have downloaded the application, just go to Zoom and click on “Join a Meeting” to participate in an active conference. Once you click on “Join a Meeting” you will be asked for the ID of the meeting you receivedby email or elsewhere. You can decide whether to activate or deactivate the audio and even your own video. Turning off the video is important for better performance for the presenter.
How to make a business videoconference on Zoom
To start a video conference on Zoom from a computer after installing the program, you must:
- Go to Zoom and tap on “Sign In”;
- Enter your login credentials;
- Tap on “New meeting”;
- Invite attendees;
- Once you have received the meeting link or ID, simply share it with all participants.
Alternatively, you can also decide to start a video conference from your mobile. Here once in the application you have to click on “Sign Up” which is located at the bottom left just below the “Join a meeting” field. Here, as seen above, you will have to invite the participants and share the ID received with everyone.
2020-03-10
How to use Zoom if you are a student or teacher
With Zoom it is possible to make videoconferences of all kinds. For example, a teacher can make a video meeting with their students or share their screen using the interactive whiteboard.
Once you have started the meeting and invited all the participants, you have several tools that you can take advantage of. Using Zoom will be a breeze. To have the volume control just click at the bottom left to activate or mute it, the same thing happens for the webcam.
You have the chat with which to chat with guests and a very interesting thing is screen sharing. Once sharing has started, you can use tools and annotations on the screen . For example, you can write text and change its font and colors or you can use arrows to indicate points on the screen.
Participants in the meeting can share a real interactive whiteboard where they can make notes. By clicking on “Share screen” in the center of the window, select the “Whiteboard” item to be able to share it on the screen.
This tool allows you to write, draw, highlight parts of the text, edit and delete all the annotations written on the screen. In the lower right corner you can create new pages and switch from one page to another.
If simultaneous screen sharing is enabled, multiple participants will be able to share a whiteboard at the same time and interact with the whiteboard. By clicking on the save button on the right side of the whiteboard, you can save and review the presentation at any time.
To conclude the meeting, just click on “Edit Meeting” at the bottom right and after a few seconds you will be disconnected.
