The League will be meeting via Zoom for the foreseeable future. We are all aware that this is a major change from past years. We have lost—we hope only temporarily—some customs and some treats that have brought us pleasure, like meeting together physically and sharing good food while learning something new. But Zoom allows us to continue to meet and exchange ideas with other League members.

Anybody with a means to reach the internet can participate in a Zoom meeting. Not everybody is yet comfortable with Zoom. But the controls are simple and quickly mastered, and the new pleasures of connecting virtually with friends and family are great.

In this essay you will learn:

• How to accept a Zoom invitation to a meeting
• How to sign in
• How to be a polite participant
• How to rejoin if you must leave for a little while
• How to leave a meeting

To use Zoom, you will need a device that can connect to the internet—a computer or tablet or smartphone. You may want earbuds or headphones, but they are not necessary. You can use the built-in microphone and speakers on your computer or smartphone.

Two Types of Gatherings

Our League uses two kinds of Zoom gatherings: meetings (for committees and other small groups) and a special kind of meeting called a webinar (for larger groups, such as those who attend Thursdays with the League). During webinars, attendees can watch and submit written comments and questions but do not participate directly. The procedures for attending via Zoom are the same for both kinds of gatherings.

Registering for a League Event

Before a League gathering, you will receive an emailed notice from my.lwv.org/california/pasadena advertising the program, with instructions to register. Typically, our programs have been free to attend but there may be a charge for some in the future.

When you register, you will give your name and your email address.

Accepting Your Emailed Zoom Invitation

After you register, you will receive an invitation by email. It will look something like this:

The link in bold above is the meeting access link (the nine-, ten-, or eleven-digit number at the end is the “meeting ID”). Save this link until you are finished with the meeting. To save it to your online calendar, simply copy the invitation and paste it into the meeting day in your calendar. Otherwise, print it and keep it next to your computer, or copy it to your desktop. You only need to click on this link to join Each meeting (generally) will have its own ID. The very first time you join a meeting, you will find this one-time statement:

Don’t have Zoom Client installed? Download Now

Do this—it’s free! You can even do this now by clicking above on “Download Now.” It will put a small amount of code in your computer to allow you to communicate with Zoom.

If you are joining by phone, dial the number for your type of phone on the invitation screen and follow the instructions you’ll hear.

Now it is time for your meeting. Click on the access link in the invitation. Follow the instructions on the screen. You may be sent to a Waiting Room if you are a bit early. That is fine. When the host starts the meeting, she will admit you and everybody else. While waiting, follow the instructions to test your audio and video connections. You may notice a delay between saying something and hearing your voice. That’s common.

Meeting Controls for Participants

Once you have been admitted to the meeting, look at the icons on the bottom of your Zoom window:

Mute and Stop Video allow you to control your sound and picture from your computer. Keep muted unless you are speaking. Keep your video on. Participants is a list of those currently in the meeting. Q&A allows you to type a question to the host or moderator or everybody. Chat allows you to send a message to all or to any participant privately while the meeting is in session. Share Screen allows you to show a file or a photo to the group with the permission of the host. Reactions allows you to clap or raise your hand (using icons). Practice using these buttons—that will help you remember them.

Zoom Meeting Etiquette

Now you are ready to attend the meeting. In the upper right-hand corner of your Zoom window, click on Gallery View. This shows thumbnails of all the participants (you may have to scroll across or down to see them all). Click on Speaker View. You will see whoever is speaking with a few thumbnails at one side of the window. You can change back and forth between these views at any time.

Mute yourself at first and while not speaking. Unmute yourself only when you want to speak. Muting yourself when you do not have the floor is a courtesy to all, because outside noises can be surprising and annoying, and you may not realize they are coming from your computer (leaf blower, dog, doorbell, your child’s radio).

Also (and this is important): Muting will remind you not to interrupt the current speaker. In physical meetings, people can talk over each other all the time—and sometimes that is not a problem. In Zoom meetings, however, voices cancel each other out and can hinder the transmission of both voices. If you wish to speak, you can click the raised hand symbol and the person managing the meeting will see it and can acknowledge you in turn.

Leaving and Rejoining a Meeting

If you must leave your seat for a short time (the dog is barking, the delivery person is at the door) just do so. Your window will still be open when you return. If you must leave early, click on Leave Meeting in the lower right-hand corner; your window will close and Zoom will close.

You Will Quickly Get Comfortable!

Finally, enjoy playing with Zoom. Although you are not required to subscribe to Zoom in order to join a meeting or webinar, you can subscribe to the Basic Plan for free. Then you can set up your own meetings with friends or family (limits on meeting time and number of participants apply).

If you would like to have a short one-on-one meeting to practice, or if you have further questions, please send an email to techhelp [at] lwv-pa.org.

—Elsa Pendleton