ZOOM Tips & Tricks

ZOOM Tips & Tricks to help you get connected!

Hello! We at Cancer Lifeline are looking forward to connecting with you in real time, through your computer, phone, or other electronic device, while current circumstances (COVID-19) prevent us from seeing you in person. We chose the Zoom videoconferencing platform because it makes it possible to not only host our cancer support groups online, but also allows us to deliver presentations that take advantage of the video screen, and offers the best functionality.

We have tried to put some of the basic things we have learned about using Zoom into this document; please note that all (blue) underlined text will link you to a specific page on Zoom’s Help pages. It is an adjustment for us all to dive into this technology to connect. We want to hear from you if you are having any issues with access so we can help you problem-solve.

 Getting ready to Zoom involves three steps:

1) sign up for a free Zoom account (there is no need to buy one of their paid accounts),

2) download the Zoom app, and

3) go to the Cancer Lifeline website and find the class or support group you’d like to attend and click on the “CLICK HERE TO REGISTER” link on the page for that class or group (after doing so, you will be asked to provide your name, email, and phone number and, after doing so, ill automatically receive a link directly from Zoom for the “meeting” you want to attend.

We recommend you register at least one day in advance of the class or group you’d like to attend and experiment a little with Zoom before joining so that you can familiarize yourself with it.

Here are a few of the advantages to attending a class/presentation or cancer support group meeting on Zoom:

• You can join from anywhere that you have access to the internet / WiFi
• There are no geographic constraints on which presentations or cancer support groups you attend
• You will be able to connect with the people you may have met at prior support group meetings
• You’ll be able to see any video resources that are shared with you on your own screen
• All of Cancer Lifeline’s artistic expression, exercise, nutrition, relaxation, and presentations are available so that you won’t miss something you wanted to attend in our current catalog

Because we know that some of you may be experiencing this realm for the first time, we have put together a more detailed set of instructions to help you as you explore. And, we are here for you! Reach out to us to set up a one-on-one consultation with us if you’d like some additional assistance getting acclimated to this new virtual space (see FAQ #10).

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What kind of an electronic device do I need to use to access Zoom?

Any electronic device that has access to the internet will work. If your device does not have a built-in camera, you may not be able to fully participate in all of our offerings. Please let us know if this is a barrier for you so that we may continue to develop solutions to make our programming accessible.

2. Okay, so how do I figure out what to do once I sign up for an account?

The way that Zoom looks and functions depends on what type of device you use. The following are links to the Zoom Help Center for specific types of devices (there are a number of help topics, articles, and tutorials that you can find at the Zoom Help Center):

Android

iPhone

Desktop (note: the functionality from a browser is less optimal than from the Zoom app, except if you are using a Google Chrome browser).

iPad Start / iPad Controls

3. Now that I am on Zoom, I can’t seem to get my audio to work.

It is important ,before joining a meeting, to test whether your device’s audio is accessible by Zoom so that other participants can hear you when you speak. You should be prompted to test your audio when you first join. You can also test it when you are already in a meeting by using the ^ control next to the mute button (that looks like a microphone). More details can be found here. Once you’ve made sure the audio is setup, you simply “unmute” yourself by pressing on the mute/unmute button (microphone).

 

4. How do I let others see me?

If you are not asked before you enter the meeting (by pressing on the “Join” button) whether you want to join by video, then once you are in the meeting you can press the video button (it looks like a film camera and has the same appearance as the Zoom logo) to toggle the video of yourself on. Once you turn it on, the other people in the meeting room can “see” you and the room you are in. Note: If you’d prefer not to have the room you are in viewed by others, some devices allow you to choose to have a “virtual background” instead (you can either use any that are there by default or upload any photo you’d like to use). This control can be accessed with the ^ next to the video on and off button. Note: The “Sharing” control on your Zoom video screen does not share you on screen but rather is used to share documents and other media (this control is mostly used by presenters).

If you’d prefer not to see yourself during the meeting, you can select the “more” menu, often depicted with “…” if you hover over your own video, and use the toggle to “hide self from view.” When you do this, others can continue to see you but you cannot see yourself. Removing yourself from your own view may help to improve the Zoom experience by reducing some fatigue that can arise from having to process your own reflection (as if looking in a mirror while talking to someone).

5. What will happen when I “join”?

When you attempt to Join a meeting, you will first be asked to register with your name, email address, and phone number (this allows us at Cancer Lifeline to connect with you and send you our catalog of all of our many offerings if you are not already registered with us). Beginning in September, you will be placed in a “waiting room” before you enter the meeting. If you arrive more than five (5) minutes after the meeting start time, you may have to wait awhile in the waiting room to allow the host to choose the best time to open the room up to you. Hence, we recommend joining as close to the start time as possible. Please note that if you join more than 20 minutes after the meeting starts, the host may opt to have locked the meeting so as not to create disruptions to the meeting and participants who may be actively engaged in discussion. If so, you will receive a message that the meeting is locked and that you will not be able to enter.

Once you “enter” the Zoom room where your meeting is hosted, you will see the meeting “Host” (who is the cancer support group facilitator for all cancer support groups OR the presenter for standalone presentations) and any other participants who have already joined. The facilitator will welcome you to the meeting. Your audio will be muted upon entering, so when you want to speak you will need to unmute yourself as described in #3 above. After that, it is just like attending an in-person meeting. It helps to mute yourself when you are not speaking if there is background noise where you are located during the meeting. It also helps to announce your name when you begin to speak so that the facilitator can find you on their screen (when there are several people at a meeting, the facilitator cannot always see when someone wants to speak).

 

6. What happens if I am somehow disconnected or want to leave a meeting?

If you accidentally lose your connection and leave the meeting, you can rejoin with the same link (unless the meeting has been locked). If you’d like to leave a meeting, you can either announce you are leaving, indicate this in the meeting’s chat box if you don’t want to interrupt someone speaking, or simply exit the meeting by pressing the “Leave Meeting” button, usually on the lower right part of your Zoom room screen. It helps our facilitators know that you are okay if you let them know that you are leaving and this courtesy is appreciated.

 

7. What about confidentiality?

Just as with our live in-person cancer support groups and other classes, we honor your confidentiality and expect all participants to adhere to our meeting norms (which are reviewed by your support group facilitator during cancer support group meetings). Only people who fit within the scope of each cancer support group are invited to attend the group. We believe Zoom is a reasonably secure platform. You can choose to what extent you want to participate, just as in our live in-person meetings and your wishes will be respected (for all support group meetings, your presence on video is required unless you have an approved exception from Cancer Lifeline). We do not record our Zoom meetings (you can tell if a Zoom meeting is being recorded because on the left upper part of the screen there will be a red “light” and the word “recording”). No recording of any kind is allowed and any participant found to be recording or taking photos will be subject to removal from the meeting and future meetings.

 

8. Why can I only see the person talking or just a few of the people in the meeting?

The default screen view for meetings on Zoom is called “speaker view,” and only allows you to see who is speaking. However, you can change to “gallery view” and then be able to see everyone who is in the meeting at the same time. If you’d like, you can also “pin” someone who is speaking so that if there are other ambient noises that shift the speaker view, you will still be focusing on the person speaking.

 

9. Are you collecting evaluations about classes and other presentations like you do in person?

We definitely would like to hear from you about how you experienced one of our artistic expression, exercise, nutrition, relaxation, and other presentations. Within a week of the meeting, you should receive a request to give feedback about your experience. We appreciate your taking the time to do so. If you are not asked for feedback, please feel free to contact us through our website by clicking here.

 

10. What should I do if I want to see if I would like Cancer Lifeline’s offerings on Zoom but am a little nervous about this new technology or just need a little extra help?

Like any new learning environment, it takes a while to get used to Zoom and become familiar with the ways it works. We are very committed to helping you gain access and will do anything we can to support you in becoming comfortable with this technology. We can set up a one-on-one session with you and one of our staff or volunteers. Please call us at (206) 297-2500 or send us a message as indicated in #9 above. Let us know what we can do to support your connection with our many human offerings!