Zoom Webinars

In this article:

- Join a webinar
- Host a webinar
- Start a webinar
- Interactive tools
- Tips for hosting and presenting a webinar
- Help

Join a webinar

1. Make sure you have Zoom installed.
2. Have a pair headphones and a mic ready.
3. Click on the join webinar link, which will look something like this:
   https://essex-university.zoom.us/j/549341203
4. Sign in with SSO using your University email address and password.

Host a webinar

To host and schedule a webinar, you'll need a Zoom Webinar license. Webinar licences are currently available on request by emailing webinars@essex.ac.uk.

If you are the host, you have control over the webinar. The link for the webinar will be in your timetable and Outlook calendar.

You can share your screen with your students, share documents or share another device, such as an iPad. You can video yourself (you will need a webcam) and you can allow students to speak or not.

Webinars will be automatically recorded.

Start a webinar

There are a few ways that you can start your webinar.

• Sign in to the Zoom web portal and click Webinars. Find the webinar, and click Start.
• In the Zoom client, click on the Meetings tab. Find the webinar, and click Start.
• Click on the link displayed on your calendar reminder. Make sure that you are logged into your Zoom account before clicking the link.

If you start the webinar ahead of time, the webinar will start in practice mode allowing you to set up before participants can join.  When you are ready to go, click Broadcast to start the webinar and allow the attendees to join.

Interactive tools

Zoom webinars have interactive tools to allow you to better engage with your audience.

• Chat - The chat feature allows webinar attendees, the host, co-hosts and panelists to communicate for the duration of the webinar. Attendees may use this facility to ask technical questions.
• Raise hand - The raise hand feature in allows attendees to indicate that they need something from the host or panellists.
• Polls – The polling feature allows you to create up to 25 single choice or multiple choice polling questions for your webinar. You will be able to launch the poll during your webinar and gather the responses from your attendees.
• Q&A - The Question & Answer (Q&A) feature for webinars allows attendees to ask questions during the webinar and for the panelists, co-hosts and host to answer their questions.

Tips for hosting and presenting a webinar

Rehearse before the main event even if it’s a test run to familiarise yourself with the software and its tools.

Have a co-host on hand to help. A co-host can act as the moderator and help answer questions and chats from attendees regarding potential technical issues leaving you free to deliver learning to students with fewer interruptions.

Keep checking in if there is a period of silence while waiting for attendees to join.  Letting your attendees know you are waiting an extra two minutes for people to join will cut down on queries like ‘Has the webinar started?’ and ‘I can’t hear anything’.

Do some housekeeping at the beginning. Let attendees know what tools you will be using, how to ask questions and to use the chat facility if they have technical difficulties.  Also let them know if you will answer questions throughout, or have a Q&A session at the end.

Webinar training taught by the University

As part of the University’s plans to roll out online/blended learning, we are offering training in the use of the Zoom web-conferencing tool for teaching. Find out more.

Help from Zoom

• Live training and video tutorials are available
  
• Zoom help and support pages
• Zoom’s meeting and webinar best practice and resources