1. The host of the meeting activates the meeting using Zoom, providing the Zoom URL link for the meeting. 

2. A URL you can use to join the meeting using a web browser will be distributed via the PQM Discussion Group Mailing List. 

3. Join the meeting five minutes prior to the start of the seminar or discussion, allowing time to resolve any technical issues. Thus, make sure you have logged in and checked your microphone, speakers, camera etc. five minutes before the start of the meeting. 

4. Mute your microphone when not speaking, to avoid background noise as much as possible. There is an obvious icon to mute/unmute your microphone on the Zoom window.

5. Do not interrupt the speaker. Rather, ask questions in the text-based chat or raise your hand if you wish to ask a question verbally (the latter can be done either on camera or by clicking the “raise hand” button). Every call will have a host/moderator whose task it is to keep an eye on the chat and anyone wanting to talk. The moderator will interrupt the speaker and assign speaking time. This avoids people talking over each other, a common problem with video calls and their associated delays – without losing the advantage the multi-user chat channel compared to a conventional seminar.

6. A few notes for moderators:

   • By right-clicking on the miniature video screens (where everyone’s faces are), you can hide non-video participants).

   • Right-clicking on the chat and participant list title bars, you can select “always on top”, which helps to keep track of both of them.

   • Remind people who have used the “Raise hand” button to “lower” their hand when they are satisfied, otherwise the marker does not disappear.

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Courtesy Jorge Quintanilla, Hubbard Theory Consortium, UK