The meeting room

Actions during a meeting

As you can see in the middle part of the meeting room, there is a blank area that can be used to perform various actions during the meeting.

It is possible that in certain meeting rooms not all actions are visible for the participants, this depends on the permissions granted to the participants by the organizer of the meeting.

During a webinar you will have an extra option available in your meeting room (see point: Webinar).

The following tabs are normally made standard available in the top menu of the meeting room (classic layout), or as icons in the left sidebar (meeting room layout optimized for presentations).

Your platform can also add its own tools to the meeting room. They appear as further tabs or icons.

Two layouts

The meeting organizer decides which layout a meeting uses.

Classic layout

• The tools are tabs in the top menu. Tools that do not fit are under ‘More tools’.
• At the top right you find the remaining time, your email address for the summary, the language, the ‘Tools’ menu and ‘Leave meeting’. If the meeting has telephone dial-in, ‘Dial-in numbers’ is there too.
• ‘Split tool’ shows a second tool next to the first one. This works for the agenda, the chat, the minutes, the polls, the AI assistant and your private notes.
• ‘Expand tool’ hides the video so the tool gets more space. ‘Shrink tool’ brings the video back.
• The video and the list of ‘Participants’ are on the right.

Layout optimized for presentations

• The left sidebar holds the ‘Video’ and the tools as icons. At its bottom you find the remaining time (the clock) and ‘Settings’ (the gear).
• The right sidebar holds ‘Participants’, ‘Group chat’ and, if the meeting has telephone dial-in, ‘Dial-in numbers’. Click an icon to open it next to the main area; the ‘×’ closes it again.
• At the bottom of the right sidebar you find ‘Enter Picture-in-Picture mode’ and ‘Leave meeting’. While the meeting is recorded, the icon ‘Recording in progress’ appears there as well.

In both layouts, a small dot on a tab or icon shows that there is something new in it.

On a smartphone

On a smartphone the meeting room uses a compact layout. The menu icon at the top left lists the tools, ‘Camera and microphone’, ‘Virtual background’, the remaining time and ‘Leave meeting’.

Video

When more than two people are in the meeting, the person who is speaking is highlighted.

• Click a participant's name on their video to move them to the first position.
• Point at a participant's video to show its buttons. The enlarge icon shows this participant large; click it again to go back.
• ‘Change volume’ makes this participant louder or quieter.

These changes only affect your own screen.

Enlarge screen

By clicking on the icon in the upper right corner of the video you can enlarge this screen. Simply press escape to quit this option.

The video controls offer three ways to enlarge the video:

Mute Audio / Video

You can opt to temporarily mute your audio or your video. Click on the icon(s) to activate or de-activate these options.

The buttons are called ‘Mute audio’ and ‘Mute video’; click them again (‘Unmute audio’, ‘Unmute video’) to switch back on.

You can also turn down a participant for yourself only: point at their video and use ‘Change volume’. The meeting organizer also finds mute and volume icons next to each name in the participant list.

‘Show a quick 'Be Right Back' screen’ covers your video with a short message while you are away. You can change the message on that screen. ‘Hide the 'Be Right Back' screen’ brings your video back.

If your browser blocks the sound, a button ‘Click here to start audio’ appears. Click it to hear the others.

Raise hand

If the meeting organizer allows it, your own video shows ‘Raise hand’. Click it to let the moderator know you want to speak, and ‘Lower hand’ when you are done.

Video effects

‘Virtual background’ is in the ‘Video effect’ section of ‘Settings’ (classic layout: ‘Tools’). You can also open it with the picture button next to ‘Join with’ on the join page. Whether it is offered depends on your browser, and it is not offered when you join with ‘Audio only’.

1. Choose your camera above the preview.
2. Choose an effect:
   • ‘Effects’: ‘None’, ‘Blur’, ‘Strong blur’ or ‘Blur face’ (if available). ‘Blur face’ makes your face unrecognizable.
   • ‘Images’: one of the pictures, or your own picture with the pencil button.
   • ‘Colors’: one of the colors, or your own color with the pencil button.
3. Click ‘Save’.

Remaining Time

Here you will see the amount of time remaining for the meeting. You will receive a reminder 5 min prior the closing of the meeting. You can extend the duration of the meeting if necessary. Choose the amount of time you want to add and click on ‘Extend meeting’. You can only extend the meeting on condition that the meeting room is still free.

In the classic layout the remaining time is in the top menu; in the layout optimized for presentations, click the clock at the bottom of the left sidebar. Extending is only offered if the meeting organizer allows it. Participants of a webinar do not see the remaining time in the classic layout. Always-open rooms (if available) have no remaining time.

Recording

If a meeting is recorded, the meeting room shows ‘This meeting is being recorded’ or ‘Recording in progress’. If the moderator starts a recording during the meeting, you see ‘Recording starts in … seconds’ first. You can leave the meeting before the recording starts or ask the moderator not to record it.

Following the meeting organizer

The meeting organizer can take all participants to the tool they are working in (‘Take the participants here’), or switch on ‘Follow me’ so that your meeting room follows them.