Zoom Meeting and Webinar Service

• Hardwire your Internet connection: Use a wired internet connection to avoid Wi-Fi instability.
• Minimize background noise: Use a headset with a mic to minimize background noise.
• Test your audio: Always test your speakers and microphone before going live.
• Prepare to be on screen: Dress in solid colors, frame your face in the center of the camera, and look directly at the lens when speaking.
• Set proper expectations: Create a clear webinar title and description for the content that will be delivered.
• Start on time: Start your event 5 minutes early to allow your attendees to join before the content kicks off. The host should let attendees know when the event will begin and if the content will be recorded and shared afterward.

Read Zoom's How to Host Engaging and Memorable Webinars for additional tips.

To keep your meetings and webinars secure, use the recommended settings below.

• Require a meeting passcode: Passcodes prevent unauthorized access by ensuring only participants with the invite can join.
• Enable Waiting Room feature: Control when participants enter your session.
• Disable "Join Before Host:" Ensure no one enters the meeting space without you present.
• Limit screen sharing to the host: Prevent others from displaying content without permission.
• Disable annotation tools for participants: Stop participants from drawing on shared screens.
• Remove a participant: Remove disruptive or unwanted participants if you are the host or co-host.
• Lock your meeting: Prevent others from joining the meeting, regardless of having a meeting password.
• Restrict a meeting to UM users only: Allow only authenticated UM users to join.
• Use the latest version of the Zoom desktop client: Download the latest version the Zoom client by visiting: zoom.us/download. We recommend you regularly update your Zoom client or enable automatic updates to take advantage of all the latest security and functionality features.

• Engagement: Use icebreakers in the chat, enable Q&A for panelists to manage, and prepare 3-4 polls in advance.
• Roles: Use Panelists for guest speakers and Co-hosts to help manage audio, video, and screen sharing.
• Ask for feedback: Include a post-event survey to collect feedback on the presenters, content, and audience satisfaction.
• Planning: Download the Run-of-Show Template (editable Word document) to organize your event flow.

Webinars are built for presentation. Attendees join in view only mode while hosts and panelists manage the event using tools like Q&A, polling, and moderated chat.

Meetings are built for interaction. Everyone can participate with video, audio, chat, and screen sharing, making them best for classes, teams, and collaborative work.

View Zoom's official meeting vs. webinar comparison.

Submit your request using this online form. If available, a temporary webinar 500 license will be enabled for your Zoom account for the duration of your event. A member of the ZMW team will connect with you as soon as possible to confirm if a license is available.

If you anticipate more than 500 participants, submit a Zoom webinar request first. Once your webinar has been created, submit a license increase request.

Unless otherwise communicated by a ZMW team member, temporary webinar licenses remain on your account until our next quarterly license audit. During this audit, webinar licenses are returned to the University's central license pool for reassignment.

If we see that you have future events scheduled beyond the audit date, we will keep your license assigned to you.

If you attempt to schedule a webinar and notice your license is no longer active, simply submit a new webinar license request form. Within the online form, please note in the "Additional comments and/or details" section that you'd like a temporary webinar 500 license assigned to your Zoom account. A member of the ZMW team will connect with you as soon as possible to confirm if a license is available.

If you regularly host Zoom webinars, a temporary license may not be the best long-term solution. In these cases, we recommend purchasing a dedicated Zoom webinar license to ensure consistent availability and avoid last-minute scheduling constraints. The IT Software team can help you review your options and determine the best fit for your needs

If you previously had a webinar license but can no longer create webinars, your temporary license may have been removed during our quarterly license audit.

Webinar licenses are reassigned to ensure availability across the University. If you still need to host a webinar, simply submit a new webinar license request form, and the ZMW team will review and reassign a license as appropriate.

Zoom webinar licenses and capacity increases are limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If a request cannot be fulfilled, the ZMW team will contact you to discuss alternative options, such as adjusting capacity, using a Zoom meeting with webinar-style controls, or rescheduling when resources are available.

Yes. Once your webinar has been created, submit a license increase request at least 3 business days before your event.

Please keep in mind that there are a limited number of large licenses in the ZMW license pool. To that end, license increase requests will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Note: License increases are usually applied approximately 30 to 60 minutes before the event starts.

Yes. Zoom lets you require registration when scheduling a webinar and customize the registration page.

You can also enable source-tracking to see which promotions drive the most sign-ups.

A panelist can be a guest speaker, subject matter expert or someone assisting with event controls. They can share their video, audio, and screen content, and respond to questions in Q&A during a webinar.

A co-host has all panelist abilities plus most host-level controls, such as managing audio, video, and participant interactions. Co-hosts cannot edit polls or end the webinar but can take over if the host disconnects. You can make a panelist a co-host once they join the event. An event can have multiple co-hosts and panelists.

Read more about the different roles in a webinar here.

To transfer ownership of a Zoom meeting or webinar to another person, while keeping the same join URL, both individuals must complete the steps below:

Important: For webinar ownership transfers, both users must have webinar licenses assigned to their accounts.

Current Owner: Assign Scheduling Privilege

• Sign in to the Zoom web portal with your University of Miami credentials.
• Click Settings (on the left navigation pane) and select the Meeting tab.
• Scroll to the very bottom to locate Schedule Privilege.
• Click Add next to Assign scheduling privilege to.
• Enter the new owner's UM email, select their name, and click Save.

New Owner: Update Ownership of Each Meeting/Webinar

• Sign in to the Zoom web portal with your University of Miami credentials.
• Open the Meeting or Webinar you're taking over and select Edit.
• In the Schedule For schedule, click the drop-down and select a new host.
• Click Save.
• Repeat for every meeting or webinar that needs to be transferred.

Zoom lets you record locally to your computer or to the Zoom cloud.

Cloud recordings generate a shareable link where you can adjust privacy and access settings. By default, cloud recording links are passcode-protected, but you can change these settings by selecting Share next to the recording and adjusting your sharing options.

Local recording is available to all users, offering separate audio tracks and third-party editing optimization. This makes it easier to edit recordings for sound bites or podcasts.

After your meeting or webinar ends, you can download engagement and usage reports from the Zoom web portal. These reports can be downloaded and saved for attendance tracking, follow-up communications, or post-event analysis.

Visit the Zoom web portal and export any of the following reports, depending on what was enabled for your event:

• Registration report: A list of everyone who registered and joined the event.
• Q&A and Poll reports: Full transcripts of attendee questions and poll responses.
• Survey report: Responses from any post-event surveys you enabled.