INTRODUCTION
Virtual public information meetings (PIMs) have become more of the norm, especially since COVID. They can be a convenient way for businesses and municipalities to stay transparent and accessible, and for connecting with stakeholders.
One important thing to note is that to run a PIM with presentation-style control, you’ll need a Zoom Webinar subscription, not just a regular Zoom Meeting account. Webinars are set up differently, and the cost depends on how many attendees you anticipate. For example, Zoom Webinar pricing starts at $66/month.
Here is a guide on how to set up a virtual PIM on Zoom Webinars.
HOW TO SET UP ZOOM WEBINAR AND ASSIGN ROLES
Log into your Zoom account and click on the “Webinars” tab. Click “Schedule a Webinar” and enter your basic information, including a topic, date and time.
Make sure to also select the settings for your PIM. Scroll down to the “Webinar Options” section and enable the following features:
- Q&A: Check the Q&A box to activate the dedicated Q&A panel so participants can submit questions separately from chat.
- Registration: Enable this feature to track attendance and send reminders.
- Practice session: Click “Enable Practice Session” to give your team time before the webinar to test things out.
- Recording: Select “Record the webinar automatically” and choose “In the cloud” for easier access and sharing.
- Automated Captions: Toggle on “Enable automated captions” under additional settings to ensure ADA accessibility.
- Waiting Room: In the “Security” section, enable “Waiting Room” so you can control when attendees are admitted.
- Language Interpretation: If your meeting will serve multilingual participants, scroll to the “Language Interpretation” section and toggle it on. Click “Add Interpreter” and enter their email address, then select their language from the menu. Choices include Spanish, French and Klingon (for real).
When you are done with settings, it’s time to assign your team roles. Click “Edit” next to “Panelists” and add team members by entering their email addresses. Panelists have video, audio and screen sharing privileges, while participants join in view-only mode.
Be sure to test all audio, video and internet connections, and become familiar with all the menu features, during the practice session with your team. Lastly, remember to start recording at the beginning of the webinar because the link can be used on a project webpage later on.
HOW TO MANAGE PARTICIPANT INTERACTION
Effective interaction is key to a well-run PIM. To expand on the point above, the Q&A tool is one of the primary ways to engage with your participants. Click the “Q&A” button at the bottom of your screen to open the panel. As questions come in, you’ll see different options on how to manage, including “Answer in text,” “Answer live,” “Dismiss” and “Mark as answered.” You also can filter questions by “All Questions,” “Answered,” “Dismissed,” or “Open.”
Sometimes a participant needs to talk. To give them speaking privileges, click the “Participants” button at the bottom of your screen. You’ll see two lists: Panelists and Attendees. Locate the person’s name in the Attendees section, hover over it, click “more,” and select “Promote to Panelists.” After they are done speaking, you can hover over their name in the Panelists section and select “Demote to Attendee.”
Attendees also can use the “Raise Hand” feature located in their “Reactions” menu at the bottom. When someone raises their hand, a hand icon appears next to their name in the Attendees list. You can then acknowledge them by promoting them to “panelist” and unmuting them.
USE LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION IN ZOOM WEBINAR
As mentioned previously, Zoom Webinar allows for Language Interpretation, which lets you set up a separate audio channel for different languages. Have your interpreter join early to test their audio and make sure they’ve selected the correct language channel.
During the meeting, participants will have an “Interpretation” button in their menu options. They can click that to select which language channel they want to listen to (Original Audio plus whatever language(s) you added). Participants will hear only the interpreter during the meeting while still seeing the main screen.
It’s best practice to provide interpreters with the meeting purpose, the agenda, technical details/jargon and any talking points in advance.