Platform

I have a paid Zoom account and host the game nights. I have them set up as recurring meetings so that we use the same link to access. For technical settings, I have it set up as a meeting with host and participant audio and video on when they join. I know everyone who joins so have the waiting room on and admit them as they enter. For more tips on settings, see my previous post on security for virtual meetings.

Setup

Each household either sits together and shares the sound from one device (do not connect to audio for secondary devices in the room) or sits far enough apart to not get feedback on each device. It is nice to chat with everyone when you can see their faces but not everyone has separate devices. It’s family so we roll with it.

Games

We’ve tried a few different games and different styles. Here is a quick rundown of one that has been quite fun and easy to do with little setup required: Disney Colour Brain.

Most of the people in our game night have seen a few Disney movies but even if you haven’t, the game is still fun. Basically, there are clues to a character in a movie and you are asked to identify the color(s) of something about that character. Each individual or team needs to have a set of colors in order to flash their choices. Each family could buy a copy of the game – it is fairly inexpensive. Or I made up a set of cards in a pdf that can either be printed out on black and white or in color. Other ideas are to simply write the names of the colors on pieces of paper or grab a set of markers that represent the colors in the game. It’s pretty flexible.

The first person to decide on their answer calls time and that starts a 15 second count down. I use an app called Time Timer which is a visual timer and just hold it up in front of the camera. When time is up, everyone has to flash their answers to the camera.

I’ve scanned the scorecard and use a pdf markup program to keep score while sharing the screen but you could also do it manually and show the score by holding it up to the camera.

There is a twist to the game with a Color Capture card. Each player can thwart another player by restricting the number of cards that they have access to for one round. The way our family plays is that the person who exercises the Color Capture card gets to pick three colors for the other player. It sounds a little complex but you’ll get it once you play =)

We’ve really been having fun hanging out together. I hope this gives you an idea of a fun way to connect with friends and family. We’ve played around (get it?) with some other games virtually – let me know if you’d like to hear more ideas.

anne

Lock Down Screensharing – how to keep your zoom meetings safe

The first sign of trouble was when markings started to appear on the keynote address slides. There are two components to screen sharing to consider. Under the In Meeting (Basic) settings, be sure that you identify who you want to allow to share content. In a larger event, using Zoom Webinar, you can give permission to panelists as well if you have multiple presenters.

To prevent anyone from marking on a presenter’s slides, go to Annotation (also in In Meeting (Basic) settings) and check the box so that only the person sharing the slides can make annotations.

Disable Private Chat – how to keep your zoom meetings safe

The offensive activity escalated with personal messages to attendees. The best way to avoid this from happening is to disable Private Chat under the In Meeting (Basic) settings. While that won’t prevent someone from posting in the general chat, at least the moderator will be aware of what is happening more quickly and be able to remove the offender.

Disable File Transfer – how to keep your zoom meetings safe

Included in the personal messages were videos, sounds and other files. to attendees. There is a setting in In Meeting (Basic) settings that blocks file transfer in the chat. While this also prevents organizers from sending files to attendees, this can be addressed in your pre-event planning by having files loaded on your website and using URLs to point attendees to where to access files or having the files distributed in a pre-event email.

Don’t let people rejoin – how to keep your zoom meetings safe

Under normal circumstances, there will be times when an attendee is disconnected or leaves a meeting but wants to rejoin. Adjusting this setting will not prevent them from doing so. This only affects people who are removed from the meeting by the host or moderator to protect the other attendees of the meeting. If this setting is checked, then anyone removed from the meeting will not be able to rejoin and continue to wreak havoc. (There is a special circumstance on recurring meetings where someone might be removed and you want to allow them to rejoin, but that is for another post).

I hope that you find these tips helpful. Overall, Zoom has stepped up to cover many of the concerns that were raised about a year ago. If you would like me to take a look at your event plan and consult on your setup and security, let’s talk.

anne

About the Author – how to keep your zoom meetings safe

Anne Whitmore has been running online webinars, facilitating training sessions and moderating events long before it was a necessity. As a skilled coach and facilitator, she has a way of bringing out the best in the speakers and weaving the theme and purpose throughout the event. She is known for those thoughtful touches that add a feeling of polish and warmth.

With hundreds of hours of completed live sessions, Anne also has the technical expertise and event experience to thoroughly plan for the optimal and troubleshoot what may arise.

Anne also facilitates training sessions of her own on behavioural styles, presentation skills and communication. Her more recent focus has been in supporting families through the early childhood years with the Circle of Security program.

In this time where we have shifted how we connect, Anne hopes to support workshop leaders and organizations on transitioning to a virtual platform to connect with their audience.