Running a Zoom Meeting like a Webinar

The University of Missouri System manages shared webinar licenses for users who are expecting more than 300 users in a meeting. These webinar licenses are assigned to a user for a specific date on a first-come, first-served basis. More information about requesting webinar licenses can be found here. 

If a webinar license is not available, or if you are expecting less than 300 attendees, you can use the steps below to adjust your meeting settings and run a regular Zoom meeting more like a webinar. 

Settings to adjust when scheduling your Zoom meeting

1. Log in to umsystem.zoom.us and select Schedule a New Meeting.
2. Enter the Topic (name) of the meeting and adjust the time, date, and duration of the meeting. 
3. Select the Waiting Room check box under Security (See Fig. 1). This will mimic a webinar practice session and will allow you to control when your participants enter the meeting room.
   
   Figure 1:  Select the Waiting Room checkbox 
4. In the Video section, ensure that the Host video is turned on and the Participant video is turned off when joining the meeting (See Fig. 2).
   
   Figure 2: Turn on Host video and ensure Participant videos are turned off. 
5. Select the Show link next to Options. 
6. Review the following settings (See Fig. 3). 
   • Disable Allow participants to join anytime
   • Select the Q&A Option.
   • Select Mute participants upon entry
   • Determine if you would like to automatically record the meeting. If you use this function, we recommend recording to the cloud.
     
     Figure 3: Enable and disable the settings seen in the picture above. 
   • Optional: You can add presenters and panelists as Alternative hosts when scheduling the meeting. This will allow them to start the meeting and manage the in-meeting settings. If you would prefer to start the meeting yourself, you can assign them as co-hosts once you start the meeting instead. 
7. Select Save at the bottom of the screen to schedule your meeting. 

Settings to adjust during the Zoom meeting

We recommend joining your Zoom meeting a few minutes early to adjust these settings before allowing participants into the meeting room.
Encourage any presenters or panelists to join the meeting early so you can make them cohosts before the session begins. 

1. As the Zoom host, start the scheduled Zoom meeting.
2. Select Host Tools from the Zoom task bar. If you are on a version of Zoom prior to 6.0.0 this will be labeled as Security. Depending on your screen size, it may also be hidden under the More section of the task bar. 
3. Adjust the settings to disable participant activities (See Fig. 4).
   • Ensure that Lock meeting is not checked. This will allow participants to enter the meeting. 
   • Uncheck all items under Allow all participants to. This will limit participant activities allowing them to watch the session and engage through Q&A, without adding distractions for participants.
   • As an alternative to deselecting each activity, you can select Suspend participant activities. This will deselect all activities. You must then go back to Host tools to deselect Lock meeting and reselect Enable Q&A.
     
     Figure 4: Use the Host tools icon to deselect participant activities. 
4. As your presenters and panelists join the session, allow them in from the Waiting Room. 
5. Find your presenters and panelists in the Participants list. Select the 3 dots next to their name and select Make co-host from the dropdown menu (See Fig. 5). This will allow your co-hosts to turn on their cameras, unmute, and assist with any Q&As.
   
   Figure 5: Select Make co-host to give your presenters and panelists additional Zoom functionality. 
6. When you are ready to begin, admit your participants into the meeting from the Waiting Room. 

We recommend having at least one other co-host join the session with you so they can help manage Q&A and assist with any Host tools are security settings as needed.