From Mediocre to Unforgettable

We’re going to dive into 5 ways you can harness these advanced Zoom features so you can keep your audience with you – engaged, activated and enlightened. Ultimately, you don’t need to be a techy genius of any kind to use Zoom like a pro. It doesn’t even take a lot of effort. Just scratch beneath the surface of “mute all” and “share screen” to explore what’s on offer and your online meetings will go from mediocre to unforgettable.

1. The Welcome Screen: First impressions matter

   The welcome screen is like a butler or concierge service for your digital meeting. Guests are welcomed, ushered and told what they can do while they wait. “Welcome Sir, so wonderful to see you, Mr Dike will be with you shortly. In the meantime, please feel free to take this time to adjust your lighting and make sure we can see your beautiful face, check your sound, pour some tea.” 

   It’s an easy and simple feature you can use and it sets a positive and personal tone for attendees. 

2. Moving beyond just screen sharing

   It’s time to up the ante and take advantage of some of the incredible zoom advanced features around screen sharing. Because they solve some of your deepest problems. Like playing a video during a meeting. Nuff said. There are so many other options to discover in the advanced section of screen share.

    

   You can share your computer audio and optimise video clip sharing in just a click. Dig a little deeper on the screen share page and you’ll notice you even have the option to share the screens of multiple devices (like your phone or tablet) which could be very useful. 

   All it takes is some experimentation and willingness to explore what’s on offer. Ultimately, a small investment of your time getting it right, reaps a very large Return on Attention more on ROA here.

3. Poll Dancing

   Zoom has its very own polling function (Sorry if you thought I was about to discuss something else). Polling helps you get instantaneous feedback from your audience. Furthermore, they convert your audience from passive listeners to active participants. Ultimately, there is now an exchange. 

   However, it’s worth noting, that your polls do have to be set up before your meeting. It doesn’t take long but there is some preparation involved. But the effort is worthwhile if it means gaining incredible insights from your audience. 

   I highly recommend this for large-group internal meetings as it’s such an effective way to gather employee sentiments and points-of-view which ultimately leads to better buy-in. After all, everyone – no matter their position or rank – wants to be heard and understood. 

4. Break the mould with digital breakout rooms

   Unfortunately, the breakout room function is only available for paying account holders. However, this advanced zoom feature is worth every penny. Especially if you’re training and facilitating for groups often. Breakout groups provide the perfect space to internalise information while engaging with each other in a smaller, less intimidating circle. 

   Again, the function is not difficult to use. Just a few minutes of applying it and you will completely transform your online event. 

5. Just a spoonful of Prezi Video helps the medicine go down

   Ok, I may have cheated a little here. Because Prezi video is not technically an advanced Zoom feature but it does integrate really well with Zoom and I should tell you about it because it elevates your digital presentations to a different playing field (like from little league to major league). Prezi video allows you to surprise and delight your audience with what’s happening on your screen. It unifies your visual narrative and your talk seamlessly. Slides can appear next to you or in full-screen mode. It unleashes the potential for real creativity and powerful storytelling. 

   Furthermore, it’s not difficult to use. You can import your PowerPoint slides and customise your own controls. If you find yourself pitching or presenting to audiences often, stop reading this right now and go explore it (or call me so I can help you and show you around). 

Now that you know about these advanced Zoom features, what’s next? 

Practice. Practice and play. Don’t wait for your next big event to apply what you’ve learnt here. Take every opportunity to test and play with these functions whenever you can. The more you perfect them the more it unlocks ideas for your meetings, pitches and presentations. Ultimately, the more tools you have at your disposal, the closer you get to becoming an impactful leader and presenter.