For online events that are high-profile, that may discuss controversial topics, that include high-profile individuals, or that involve large meetings, using a Zoom webinar is highly recommended over using a Zoom meeting. This document provides a guide to recommended Zoom webinar settings for these kinds of events.

You can convert a meeting to a webinar if needed, but you cannot convert a webinar into a meeting.

Zoom webinars allow hosts to have a more control of the event, but they cannot allow collaboration as readily as Zoom meetings, and they do not have breakout rooms functionality. If you need any of these settings, please review the Zoom Meeting Privacy & Security page for recommended settings.

Contents

Request a Zoom Webinar License
Schedule the Zoom Webinar
Configure Your Zoom User Settings
Set Up the Webinar While in Practice Mode
Start the Webinar
Download Zoom Recordings and Logs (Optional)
Zoom Best Practices

Request a Zoom Webinar License

Rice has a limited number of webinar licenses that we can provide for the duration of your event if a license is available, so it's best to request this well before your event to secure a license. The license will be reclaimed after your event has concluded.

To request a Zoom webinar license:

Email helpdesk@rice.edu with the following information:
1. Name of event
2. Date(s) of event
3. Expected number of attendees
4. Name of the Zoom host if it's not you
5. Any additional information you want to include

Schedule the Zoom Webinar

Most of the Zoom webinar management functions are done from https://riceuniversity.zoom.us.
Verify that your account now has a Zoom webinar license by logging into Zoom to access your Zoom profile information. Under "User Type," a webinar license should be listed.
From the "Webinars" section, click the blue “Schedule a Webinar” button.
Fill in the webinar details. Recommended options:
1. Topic = “Title of event” [required]
2. Don't require registration [recommended]
3. Require password [required]
4. Enable Q&A [recommended, but based on your needs]
5. Disable HD video for screen shared video [highly recommended]
6. Enable practice session [highly recommended]
7. Record automatically to cloud enabled [optional]
8. Alternative hosts [recommended; you can add Rice people by adding their NetID email addresses; they will not receive a unique URL for the meeting. Zoom will recognize these people as alternative hosts/co-hosts if they sign into Zoom with their Rice accounts.]
After the webinar is scheduled, you’ll have an opportunity to modify some of the webinar settings:
1. There are three main roles in a Zoom webinar:
  1. Host/co-hosts have the most permissions
    1. There can only be one "host." Only this person can "end" the Zoom webinar.
    2. There can be multiple co-hosts
  2. Panelists = guest speakers
  3. Attendees = your audience
    1. They can only watch and listen to the webinar. They cannot be seen, and they generally can't be heard (unless you specifically give a person permission to speak).
2. Invite speakers as "panelists." Under the "Invitations" section, click on “Edit” and add the contact information of your speaker(s). Each will be emailed a unique URL that Zoom will use to recognize the person as a “panelist" instead of just as an "attendee." You can also invite attendees with the webinar link or by copying the invitation and sharing that out.
3. Set a reminder email, eg, 1 hour before the webinar. From the "Email Settings" section and next to "(No) reminder email to Attendees and Panelists," click on "Edit."
4. Select the desired reminder email option(s).
5. Edit the "Q&A" settings under that section as desired by clicking "Edit." For high-profile and potentially controversial topics, you should set the webinar to "allow attendees to view answered questions only."
6. Optional: Save this webinar as a template if you’ll be hosting similar Zoom webinars in the future. Be sure to double-check the settings when you use the template in the future.

Configure Your Zoom User Settings

Access your Zoom user settings.
Chat settings: Use Rice's default chat options. In case you might have changed them, you can double-check the settings.
1. Chat = on (this will allow you, your co-hosts, and your panelists to chat with each other; you'll be able to disable attendee chat when you configure the webinar)
2. Private chat = off
Optional: Review your recording settings and modify them if desired.

Set Up the Webinar While in Practice Mode

Join the webinar early so that you have time to verify and configure the Zoom webinar settings. Also encourage your cohosts and guest speakers to join a little early to go over any last-minute details for your event. If you can, do a dry run before the actual day of your event.
Verify that you're in “Practice Mode.”
Configure the Zoom options from the Zoom tools at the bottom:
1. Microphone icon: Mute/unmute. Select your microphone and speaker. You can test both from "audio settings."
2. Camera icon: Start/stop. Select your webcam and virtual background.
3. Participants suggested settings:
  1. Mute participants upon entry
  2. Allow participants to unmute themselves
  3. Allow participants to rename themselves
  4. Allow panelist start video
  5. Don't allow attendees to raise hand or view participant count
  6. Attendee video layout: active speaker view
4. Chat settings: Allow attendees to chat with no one. Attendees will get a “chat disabled” message when they click the chat button. Hosts, co-hosts, and panelists will still be able to use chat to communicate with each other. If you don't want your guest speakers to send any chat messages to the attendees, be sure to instruct them not to send a chat message to "all panelists and attendees."
Share screen: Click on the arrow to review the options and change them if desired. When you or your panelists are ready to screen share, click this "share screen" button.
1. Sharing your screen:
  1. Select the application you are sharing instead of sharing your whole "screen" (PC) or "desktop" (Mac). If you are sharing a PowerPoint deck, select the PowerPoint option. If you are sharing Google Slides, select Chrome.
  2. If you’ll be showing any video with audio, check the “share computer sound” and “optimize screen sharing for video clip” and be sure to test before the live broadcast. Make sure there are no feedback issues. (Using headphones is best practice.) If you are NOT sharing video, keep these boxes UNCHECKED. (Zoom makes a tradeoff between screen resolution and video frame rate.)
Record: If you set the webinar to record automatically when you set up the meeting, the recording should begin when you click on the "Broadcast" button to start the webinar. If you didn't do that, and you decide you want to record, you can click this "record" button.
Q&A: Verify the settings are set as desired. You shouldn’t have to change anything since you’ve already set it when you set up the webinar from the instructions above.
1. You can choose to "answer live" or "type answer"
  1. If answering live, all attendees will see that it will be answered live.
  2. If typing answer, all users will see the question and answer.
  3. If you don’t do anything, other attendees won’t see question.
  4. More information can be found in Zoom's documentation on Q&A.
More: Do NOT broadcast to social media. You won't have as much control on those platforms as you do in Zoom webinars.

Start the Webinar

NOTE: It’s useful monitoring the webinar (or having someone else monitor) as an “attendee.”
From the Participants tool, confirm that you or the appropriate person is the “host.” If needed, the host can transfer host permissions to someone else.
1. The “host” is the only person who can “end” the Zoom session; co-hosts cannot end the webinar.
If someone will be sharing their screen, start the screen share BEFORE starting the broadcast.
When ready, click the “broadcast” button.
If the webinar is configured to automatically record, verify that it is recording. Otherwise, if desired, you can click on the "record" button.
Mute/unmute yourself and others as needed.
Moderate Q&A as needed.
The number of attendees wil be visible in the participants panel.
At the end of your event the "host" should "end" the webinar. Be sure to "end meeting for all." Otherwise, the webinar will continue if you just "leave."

Download Zoom Recordings and Logs (Optional)

Zoom recordings will be deleted afer a while, so if desired, you should download the Zoom recording files and host the videos elsewhere. The automated transcript will take some time to process (if you selected that option), but when it’s available, it can also be downloaded from the same location.
Download Zoom Usage Report logs.

Download Zoom Webinar Usage reports including the "attendee" and "Q&A" reports. Note that the names and email addresses are self-reported and there is no verification of the accuracy of these data.

Zoom Best Practices

Make sure you have the latest version of Zoom.
Wired ethernet: Use wired ethernet connect instead of wifi if possible (If you’re doing this from home, you’ll want to make sure that nobody or nothing else in your household is competing for your home internet bandwidth during your event.)
Plug power: Ideally, plug in your laptop to power.
Headphones: Using headphones is best practice to minimize possible issues with feedback/echos.
PC restart: Restart your computer before the event
Close everything you don’t need (even if you’re not sharing your screen). Make sure that you only have the apps open that you need to have open. Close apps you aren’t using, especially email or messaging apps that generate notifications. The latter is especially important if you will be sharing your screen. Also, be sure to close any apps that are trying to sync in the background (eg, Crashplan backups, Box Sync, Dropbox sync, Time Machine backups, etc.)
Screensaver & notification settings: Double-check screen saver settings and do-not-disturb and notification settings and temporarily adjust them if needed.

Need something more?

For general information about Zoom, see Getting Started with Zoom in the Emergency Remote Teaching Course.

To learn more about Zoom in Canvas, see How to use Zoom in Canvas in the Emergency Remote Teaching Course.

For more information about other uses of Zoom, visit Zoom desktop app use and additional resources in the Emergency Remote Teaching Course.

If you need immediate assistance, please feel free to reach out to Learning Environments:

713-348-4357 | teaching@rice.edu | Emergency Remote Teaching Resources