Video conferencing has become an essential part of our communication toolbox. As the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rapid shift to working and learning remotely, services like Zoom experienced exponential growth. In April 2020 alone, Zoom reached 300 million daily meeting participants – compared with just 10 million in December 2019.
With widespread reliance on tools like Zoom, more people are finding themselves needing to host and facilitate online meetings.
This guide will walk you step-by-step through starting a Zoom meeting as host on both desktop and mobile. Follow along to learn how to set up your account, initiate meetings, invite attendees, and leverage host controls to have productive sessions.
Zoom Account Overview
Before hosting meetings, you‘ll need to set up a Zoom account at zoom.us.
Zoom offers several tiers:
- Free – For personal use with limited features
- Pro – For small teams with 24/7 live support
- Business – For larger teams with cloud recording transcripts
- Enterprise – For large organizations with dedicated support
| Free | Pro | Business | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 minute limit on group meetings | 24 hour meeting duration | Admin management features | Minimum of 50 hosts |
| 100 participants per meeting | 100 participants per meeting | 300 participants per meeting | Support customization |
| Group messaging | User management tools | Company branding | Executive business reviews |
Most personal users will be perfectly equipped with Zoom‘s free tier which offers:
- Unlimited 1:1 meetings
- 40 minute limit on group meetings
- 100 participants per meeting
- Group messaging
- Screen sharing
- Video/audio conferencing
As you can see, Zoom supplies plenty of features at no cost to host productive meetings.
Getting Started: Signing Up For An Account
Let‘s walk through getting set up with your own Zoom account:
- Visit the Zoom signup page
- Enter your email address and create a password
- Confirm registration via email
- Download the Zoom desktop and mobile apps
- Sign into the apps using your new credentials
And just like that – you now have access to host meetings! ????
Zoom‘s large market share makes it an essential platform for any remote worker [Source: Statista]
Next let‘s look at starting an instant meeting on both desktop and mobile platforms.
Launching Instant Meetings
Instant meetings allow you to start conferences right away with no pre-scheduling required.
On the Zoom desktop app:
- Click the orange "New Meeting" button
- In the pop-up window, enable your computer audio and video
- Click "Join with Computer Audio"
On the Zoom mobile app:
- Tap the blue "Start Meeting" button
- Allow app access to audio and camera when prompted
- The meeting will launch!
Easy enough, right? Now meetings will open instantly with you as the host each time.
Starting an instant meeting from the home screen takes just a few taps
As host, you‘ll see controls in your meeting toolbar like screen sharing, chat, record and more. But before leveraging these features, let‘s get some participants in the meeting!
Inviting Participants
Zoom enables various ways to invite attendees:
Desktop:
- Email invite using integrated Outlook, Gmail or Yahoo systems
- Copy invite link to share however you choose
- Import contacts
Mobile:
- Text invitation using SMS or other messaging apps
- Email invite by tapping available mail apps
- Copy meeting link to share via chat/social media
On both platforms, look for the "Invite" button to access these options after starting your meeting.
Don‘t forget to enable Zoom‘s waiting room feature to privately queue up attendees until you‘re ready!
To enable the waiting room:
- Click the arrow next to "Invite"
- Select "Enable Waiting Room"
This gives hosts control over precisely when guests can join the call. Useful for minimizing disruption!
Why Host Meetings As Administrator?
Starting meetings as host gives you special privileges and powers. Here are some key advantages:
- Mute attendees – Silence any unwanted background noise
- Remove participants – Kick out unruly meeting crashers
- Disable cameras – Save bandwidth by turning off video
- Spotlight speakers – Zoom the camera in on who‘s talking
- Lock meeting – Bar entry after all guests have joined
- Screen share – Present slides, documents and more
Administrative tools lead to orderly, secure, engaging meetings from start to finish.
Scheduling Upcoming Meetings
Rather than constantly initiate instant meetings, you can schedule conferences ahead of time:
- In Zoom web/app, click "Schedule"
- Pick date, time and recurrence
- Customize additional settings
- Copy and send the invite link to attendees
Scheduling ahead lets participants plan to join your meeting when the time comes.
Video chat app usage exploded in 2020 across platforms like Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime [Pew Research]
Key Takeaways
Here are the essentials to master as meeting host:
- Sign up for a free Zoom account
- Start or schedule meetings with one click
- Invite attendees via email, text, or meeting links
- Leverage host controls to administer your meeting
- Use waiting rooms to stage participants
With this knowledge in hand, you now have the power to start hosting meetings like a pro! Zoom makes running engaging virtual gatherings intuitive across all your devices.
What tricks have you learned to make your Zoom meetings even more productive? Share your expertise in the comments!
