Including an individual in a breakout room through Zoom offers an excellent opportunity to improve cooperation and participation in online meetings. As a frequent conductor of breakout room sessions, I can confirm the effectiveness of this function in promoting valuable conversations and group dynamics. In this guide, I will lead you through the steps of adding someone to a breakout room on Zoom, offering comprehensive instructions and sharing my personal recommendations.
Step 1: Start a Zoom Meeting and Enable Breakout Rooms
Firstly, make sure you have the latest version of Zoom installed on your device. Start a Zoom meeting by launching the Zoom application and clicking on the “New Meeting” button. Once the meeting has started, you will find the “Breakout Rooms” option in the meeting controls at the bottom of the screen. Click on it to enable breakout rooms for your meeting.
Step 2: Set Up Breakout Rooms
After enabling breakout rooms, a new window will appear where you can set up the breakout rooms. You have two options here – you can either manually assign participants to breakout rooms or let Zoom automatically distribute participants evenly.
- Manually Assign Participants: To manually assign participants, click on the “Manually” tab in the breakout room setup window. You will see a list of all the participants in your meeting. Simply drag and drop participants into the desired breakout rooms. You can also use the “Assign” button next to each participant’s name to select specific rooms for them.
- Automatically Assign Participants: If you prefer to let Zoom automatically assign participants to breakout rooms, click on the “Automatically” tab in the breakout room setup window. Enter the number of breakout rooms you want to create, and Zoom will distribute participants evenly.
Step 3: Open Breakout Rooms
Once you have set up the breakout rooms, you can open them for participants to join. Click on the “Open All Rooms” button in the breakout room setup window. Participants will receive a prompt on their screens to join a breakout room. They can choose to accept and join the assigned room or decline and remain in the main meeting.
Step 4: Add Someone to a Breakout Room
During a breakout room session, you may need to add someone to a specific room. To do this, follow these steps:
- Click on the “Breakout Rooms” button in the meeting controls at the bottom of the screen.
- In the breakout room window, click on the “Options” button next to the room where you want to add someone.
- From the drop-down menu, select “Add Participants.”
- A new window will appear, displaying a list of participants who are currently not assigned to any breakout room. Select the participant you want to add and click the “Add” button.
Once added, the participant will receive a notification to join the new breakout room. They can choose to accept or decline the invitation.
Conclusion
Adding someone to a breakout room in Zoom can be done seamlessly with just a few simple steps. Whether you are hosting a virtual team building activity or facilitating group discussions, breakout rooms provide a valuable opportunity for collaboration. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily add participants to breakout rooms and maximize the engagement and productivity of your Zoom meetings.