How to Set Up a Video Call

Joining a call (the easy part)

1. Click the invitation link. Both Zoom and Google Meet let guests join from a link with no account needed on a computer; phones need the free app installed.
2. Allow camera and microphone when the browser asks. If you accidentally blocked them, click the camera icon in the address bar to re-allow.
3. Type your name and click Join. You may wait in a waiting room until the host lets you in.
4. Join five minutes early the first time so tech problems do not eat into the meeting.

Hosting on Zoom

1. Sign up free at the Zoom website or in the app. The free plan allows 40-minute group meetings with no limit on one-to-one calls.
2. Click New Meeting or Schedule to plan ahead with a calendar invite.
3. Click Participants, then Invite, then Copy Invite Link, and send the link to your guests.
4. As host, you can mute participants, admit people from the waiting room, and record the meeting.

Hosting on Google Meet

1. Go to the Meet website or app and sign in with a free Google account.
2. Click New meeting, then Create a meeting for later or Start an instant meeting.
3. Copy the meeting link and share it. Guests with the link can join; you admit them if you enabled the waiting room.

Before the call: the 2-minute setup

1. Test audio and video: Zoom has a test meeting option in settings; in Meet, the pre-join screen shows your preview with mic and camera toggles.
2. Light your face: sit facing a window or lamp. Light behind you turns you into a silhouette.
3. Frame yourself: camera at eye level, head and shoulders in frame. A stack of books under a laptop works.
4. Reduce noise: close the door, mute notifications, and use earbuds with a mic if you have them. They improve your audio more than any setting.
5. Check your background: tidy what the camera sees, or blur the background in the video settings.

During the call

• Stay muted when you are not speaking in groups. Unmute to talk.
• Look at the camera when making a point; it reads as eye contact.
• To share your screen: click Share Screen (Zoom) or Present now (Meet), choose the window, and remember to stop sharing when done.
• Use reactions or the hand-raise button instead of interrupting in large meetings.

Quick fixes when something breaks

• Nobody can hear you: check you are unmuted, then check the browser's mic permission in the address bar, then check the correct microphone is selected in the call's audio settings.
• You cannot hear anyone: check your speaker selection and volume, and that your Bluetooth earbuds connected to the right device.
• Frozen video: turn your camera off and on; if the whole call lags, turn off video to save bandwidth.
• Echo: everyone should wear earbuds. One open speaker in the call causes echo for all.