Web Meetings

Our district has the ability to conduct web-enabled Meeting & Conference sessions.

Zoom is an application sharing and meeting service that is widely used for presentations, demos, training and support. Everything that the presenters see and manipulate on their computers can be viewed by everyone in the conference. Zoom includes meeting calling services as well – voice enablement either via your compute (headsets are highly recommended) or by dialing in via phone.

To request a Zoom conference, you will need to fill out a Zoom Meeting Request Form. Members wanting training Should see the training links at left for host or participant.

COVID-19 NOTE: Due to the increase in numbers of requests, be sure to request a session far enough ahead to make sure there are no conflicts with your desired date and time. 5-7 days or more would be appreciated.

The District has four (4) Zoom Host accounts, so there should not be anydifficulty with overlapping or conflicting meeting times. If there is a conflict in date or time which cannot be resolved - there are other methods avilable. Please contact the DSO-CS for alternatives.

Zoom Meeting Protocol

Keep your microphone muted except when you have the floor

• Participants should keep their microphone muted until they are called upon to speak by the moderator or speaker. Failure to do so can result in the following disruptions and/or distractions:
• Your microphone can pick up the sound from your speakers and send it out to everyone. Because there is a slight delay between the original sound and this feedback, an echo effect is caused.
• Extraneous sounds such as rustling of papers, throat clearing, dogs barking, and children playing in the background will be broadcast to everyone. Since you are in your normal environment you are likely able to block these noises out, but that will not be so for the other participants.
• If you make one of those "under your breath" type comments, everyone will hear it.
• If you are using a camera, when you speak your image appears on everyone's monitor. The extraneous noises mention above can cause you to unexpectedly appear on everyone's monitor, perhaps catching you in a less than flattering moment.

Raise your hand and wait to be called upon

Unlike an in-person meeting, when you speak your audio overrides that of all other participants. Whatever is being said by the person who has the floor will not be heard by the other participants and will not be included in any archived recording. If you wish to speak, raise your hand electronically and wait to be called on by the moderator/speaker.

The moderator/speaker should ask for hands or poll participants

Avoid having many participants trying to speak at the same time! When, as moderator/speaker, you ask an open-ended question such as:

• Is there any discussion?
• Are there any questions?

Request that those who wish to respond raise their hands electronically. Then, one at a time, call on those who raised their hands.

In some instances it may be more appropriate to poll all participants by specifically calling on each one. Voting on a motion is an instance when you might want to poll participants rather than asking for hands. Each participant would be asked to say "aye" or "nay" when polled. This eliminates the need to poll twice, once for those "in favor" and once for those "opposed".