When remote staff join a meeting where others are together in a conference room, you need a way to see and hear each other. One of the big differences is whether each attendee has a computer or whether you are using a camera and display at one point in the room and focusing the conversation around that focus point.
Everyone has a laptop:
One option is for every person to have a laptop and to connect to a Zoom or Google Meet session so that the pictures are the same size, so the focus is on each other (rather than a camera at the end of the room) and to facilitate sharing documents. The in-person attendees would need to mute their audio (both mic and speakers) to avoid feedback, and one person in the meeting room should leave their speakers on so that everyone in the room can hear what is said by remote attendees.
Everyone has a laptop and there is an external speaker available:
A fairly low-cost way to improve the sound is to use an external microphone/speaker system, like a Jabra 710 in your conference room. If you do not have conferencing equipment, here are instructions on finding and requesting that equipment for your team. One attendee will connect to the Jabra using a USB cable or by bluetooth. That person will need to set their sound settings. In Zoom, you do this by clicking on the “up arrow” next to the word “Mute” and to select the Jabra as the Microphone and the Speaker (as shown below).
Using in-room camera and display:
If you’re using a room that has an installed display and camera at the front, often called a “huddle room” or a conference room, this will be your Zoom connection for the in-person attendees. One person in the room will need to log into Zoom on a computer which is connected to the in-room display and camera. Some rooms will require an attendee to bring their own laptop and connect the display and camera through an HDMI cable, while others may come with a podium computer. This computer will be how in-room participants will hear and see the remote side. Remote participants will see a single picture of the huddle space that is a bit farther away (than individual boxes in Zoom), but still close enough to see faces and expressions.
Need Help?
If you have questions about video conferencing during a hybrid meeting, please contact peps@carleton.edu.