Meeting functions in depth

Meeting functions available in Adobe connect:

Meeting roles

In Adobe Connect, a user’s role in a meeting affects which functions they are able to access in the meeting. When a user enters a meeting room they will enter either as a participant or a host. If you are a student, you will likely be a participant. If you are an instructor, you will likely be the host.

Those that enter as a host will have extended privileges including video, audio, sharing, control of meeting layout, and control of audience members. Those that enter as the audience can be kept as a participant or can be given additional privileges, including video, audio, and the ability to share their screen. This can be done by the host switching their role in the meeting to presenter. A participant is able to view content and access the chat.

To set a user's role, go to the Attendees pod. Select the user and drag their name to the heading of the desired role.

Available Functions for Participants

In a meeting you have access to the following functions:

Meeting roles
Pods
Audio

The following pods are available on Adobe Connect meetings:

Pods

Pods can be added by your host, these include the share pod, notes pod, attendees pod, video pod, chat pod, files pod, web links pod, poll pod, and Q&A pod. Below is a description of each pod and how you can interact with it in the role of participant.

Share pod

Hosts may share their screen, a document, or a whiteboard. As a participant, you may only view this pod.

Notes pod

Hosts can add notes here. Participants can only view this pod.

Attendees pod

All meeting attendees are shown here. Users in the meeting can be viewed by:

Attendee view (first button) which is sorted by an attendee’s role (host, presenter, or participant).
Breakout Room view (second button) which, if breakout rooms are enabled by the host, sorts attendees by the separate breakout rooms.
Attendee status view (third button) which is sorted by the attendee’s current status (Agree, Disagree, etc.).

Features:

By hovering over hosts and presenters; participants are able to Start Private Chat with the selected user.
Names are organized alphabetically.
The users who are speaking will appear under Active Speakers.
Your name can be edited by selecting Edit My Info In pod options.

Attendee status

Participants can provide interactive feedback through the Set Status Icon. Participants can select Speak Louder, Speak Softer, Speed Up, Slow Down, Laughter, or Applause (lasts for 10 seconds). Other options for statuses are Agree, Disagree, Raise Hand, or Step Away (lasts until cleared by the participant or the host). When a status is set as Raise Hand or Step Away the host gets a notification on their meeting window. Users can view others’ statuses in the Attendees pod.

Video pod

Hosts may choose to share video with participants through a webcam, and give participants rights to share video. When Start My Webcam has been selected it will be on preview; for others to view the video select Start Sharing.

Features:

More than one person's video can be shown at a time.

Chat pod

The chat pod must be on the screen. The chat pod can have multiple conversations; ones with everyone, groups, and private conversations. Separate chats will show up as tabs at the bottom of the pod. Type the message in the text box and click Send.

Hosts can choose to enable or disable private chat for participants.

On the pod options:

Start Chat With gives the option to chat with certain people or groups.
Users can change their own Text Size (only you can see).
Users can change the color of text; My Chat Color (everyone can see).

Files pod

The files pod must be on the screen to share files. Hosts and presenters can Upload Files and everyone can Download File(s) that have been uploaded. To download the file, select the file, Download File(s), Click to Download, and Open or Save.

Features:

Everyone can go to the files pod options (drop-down menu in the upper right) and select Download All, Click to Download, and Open or Save to download all of the files.

Web links pod

Hosts and presenters can share web links, and participants can select Browse To to open the link on their own screen. Pop-up blockers must be disabled.

Poll pod

Hosts and presenters can create polls, and choose to broadcast results to all participants.

Question & Answer (Q&A) pod

Questions:

Everyone can post questions by typing in the text box and clicking Send (The speech bubble).

Answers:

Hosts can answer questions by selecting either Send privately or Send to all.

Audio

Icons on the toolbar are: turn speaker on/off, enable/disable/mute microphone, enable/disable webcam, and set status. A green icon means on, and a white icon means turned off/disconnected.

Adjust speaker volume:

Select the drop-down menu beside the microphone button. Here attendees can Adjust Speaker Volume. Drag to change the volume levels and select Okay.

Turn on microphone:

Hosts can enable microphone rights for participants. To turn on your microphone, select the microphone icon in the toolbar. The icon should turn green and show sound waves when you speak.

Adjust microphone volume:

Select the drop-down menu beside the microphone button. Here attendees can Mute My Microphone, Disconnect My Microphone, Adjust Microphone Volume, or Select Microphone.

Set Status:

Select the drop-down menu beside the set status icon and select the action you wish to perform.

Available Functions for Hosts

In a meeting room, there are various functions that improve the meeting’s capabilities. To enter a meeting you must enter the Online Rooms section of LEARN for your course and click the Join button for the desired meeting. You may also choose to share the link to the meeting with participants via a News Item on LEARN. The link is accessible from the Adobe Connect standalone.

Watch Video: Adobe Connect Meeting Functions

Watch Video: Adobe Connect Meeting Functions in Depth

In a meeting you have access to the following functions:

The following pods are available on Adobe Connect meetings:

Share pod
- Share screen
- Share document
- Share whiteboard
Notes pod
Attendees pod
- Breakout rooms
Video pod
Chat pod
Files pod
Web links pod
Poll pod
Question & Answer pod

Pods

Pods are different windows on the screen with different functions.
Pods are added to a layout by going to the Pods tab in the meeting and selecting the desired pod.
Pod options are the icons in the top right of each pod.
Hide or Maximize any of the pods by going to their pod options. Access to the pod’s Preferences and Help is also here.
Users with privileges can change the names of any of the pods by double-clicking the current name at the top of the pod.
To rename or delete pods; go to the Pods tab, select Manage Pods, click the desired pod, and Rename or Delete. When finished select Done.
Only on-screen pods are able to be used by participants, hidden pods must be made on-screen to be used through the Pods tab.
Share pod

Share pod

Share screen

The share pod must be on the screen. Only users with privileges can share their screens.

To share your screen the Adobe Add-in must be installed, which will pop up to download when selecting the share your screen button.
Once the add-in is downloaded select Share My Screen in the pod.
A new window pops up giving the options of Desktop (everything on the screen), Applications (certain applications), or Windows (certain windows).
To end sharing select Stop Sharing.

Features:

Users with privileges have the ability to draw on their screen without affecting the data that is being shared. While sharing the screen, click on the MiniControl, and the screen icon. Select Pause and Annotate. The image on screen will open in Adobe Connect but remain static while the image is annotated. The annotations will disappear once Resume is clicked.
Users with privileges can Request Control of another user’s screen share in the top right corner of the sharing pod. The user with control must grant the other user access, through the notifications in the MiniControl. To end the user’s control select Release Control in the top right-hand corner of the pod.
Hosts can change the quality, decide to show or hide the application’s cursor, and decide to show or hide the MiniControl. In the Meeting tab, select Preferences, and Screen Share to access these features.
Hosts can preview their shared screen by going to the pod options and Preview Screen.

Share document

The share pod must be on the screen. Only users with privileges can share documents.

Select the down arrow in the middle of the pod and Share Document.
Select the folder the content is under or Browse My Computer.
Select the document to start sharing.
To end sharing, select Stop Sharing.

Features:

If the user with privileges goes to pod options; Force Presenter View is selected and the Sync button at the bottom of the screen is grey; then the participants’ slides change when the host changes their slides.
If the Sync button is turned off by the host then attendees can go through presentations as they please.
If the Sync button is turned off by the host and a presentation is being shown, then if the navigation toggle icon in the bottom right of the navigation menu is selected, then participants can view the list of slides, view the notes, or search content in the slides.
If the Sync button is turned off by the host when sharing a PDF, then participants can download the PDF to their computer by selecting the pod options, Save As, Click to Download, and Open or Save.
By going to the pod options, users with privileges can Draw on their document, add a Pointer, make Full Screen, or Force Presenter View.

Share whiteboard

The share pod must be on the screen.

Select the down arrow and Share Whiteboard.
Here users with privileges can create text boxes, shapes, and draw. To create text inside of an object, double click the object, and being typing. Shapes can change opacity by switching from 100% to 25%.
To end select Stop Sharing.

Features: By going to the pod options:

Print whiteboards.
Add a Pointer that can be moved around by clicking the desired area.
Make Full Screen.
Force Presenter View, so everyone sees what the presenter sees.

Whiteboard Toolbar:

Selection tool: Used to select shapes on the whiteboard so they can be moved, turned, resized, or deleted. . Drag to create a window on the whiteboard to select more than one shape in the box.

Marker tool: Used to draw; customize the colour and thickness using the options below the tools. If a user selects the arrow on the marker tool, they can make it a highlighter, a pen, or a pencil.

Delete selected: Deletes the shape selected by the Selection tool.

Text tool: Click a space on the screen and type a text box. The font type, size, and color can be edited by using the options below the tools.

Shapes tool: Click the arrow in the corner to choose from rectangles, ellipses, lines, arrows, checks, stars, and crosses. Use the options below the tools to change the border colour and thickness, the colour of the shape, or the opacity. Drag the shape to make it bigger.

Undo: Undoes the previous action.

Redo: Redoes the previously undone action.

Notes pod

Hosts and other users with privileges can add notes here. Participants can only view this pod.

Features:

Users with privileges can choose the text size and colour, add bullets, and whether the text will be bold, italicized or underlined.
By going to the notes pod options, there is the ability to Export Note which allows you to save the notes as a Rich Text Format (RTF) or insert it in an email. You can also create New Notes, or Select Notes that have already been created.

Attendees pod

View or edit attendees

The Attendees pod must be on the screen. Users in the meeting can be viewed in three different ways (each corresponding button is under 'Attendees').

Attendee view: This is sorted by an attendee’s role (host, presenter, or participant).
Breakout room view: which only hosts can see. It is sorted by the breakout groups.
Attendee status view: This is sorted by the attendee’s current status (Agree, Disagree, etc.).

Features:

By scrolling over attendees; hosts are able to Start Private Chat, Enable Microphone, Enable Video, Request Screen Share, or change the attendee's role in the meeting.
Names are organized alphabetically.
The users who are speaking appear under Active Speakers.
In pod options, your name can be edited by selecting Edit My Info.
To remove a participant from the meeting; select the participant in the Attendees pod, go to pod options, and Remove Selected User.
Go to the Meeting tab and select Preferences. In Display Name hosts can customize how display names are formatted. Also in Preferences, select Attendees Pod and hosts can choose to allow or disable raise hand and persist on screen share.

Enhance participant rights

Select the participant, go to the pod options, select Attendee Options, Enhanced Participant Rights, the pods you want the participant to be able to control, and Okay.

Attendee status

If a participant wants the speaker to do anything different they can set their status as Speak Louder, Speak Softer, Speed Up, Slow Down, Laughter, or Applause (lasts for 10 seconds). Other options for statuses are Agree, Disagree, Raise Hand, or Step Away (lasts until cleared by the host or the participant). When a status is set as Raise Hand or Step Away the host gets a notification on their meeting window. Users can view others’ statuses in the Attendees pod.

Clear everyone’s status:

Go to the attendee pod options and select Clear Everyone’s Status.

Breakout rooms

Breakout rooms are small meetings that take place during the meeting.

To create a breakout room:

As a host; select the Breakout Room View button.
If more than three breakout rooms are required select the Create A New Breakout button (the cross). There is a maximum of 20 breakout rooms.
Hosts can either drag participants to a breakout room, or select Evenly Distribute from Main (the crossing arrows) which distributes the participants evenly.
To start the breakout session select Start Breakouts.
To end the breakout session select End Breakouts. When breakout rooms are ended, all of the participants are returned to the main meeting.

Features:

When breakout rooms are started all of the participants are promoted to presenters in their breakout rooms.
The layout of the breakout room is the same as the one used in the main meeting room before the breakout rooms began.
Already ended breakout rooms can be re-entered by selecting Start Breakout.
The participants who are speaking will appear under Active Speakers.

Broadcast message:

Hosts can broadcast to every breakout room while they are in progress by going to the pod options and selecting Broadcast Message.

Participants in breakout rooms can Send Message to Host which will prompt the host to enter the participant’s breakout room.

Remove rooms:

All the breakout rooms can be removed by going to the pod options and selecting Remove All Rooms. To remove single rooms select the x to the right of the breakout room in breakout room view.

Sharing breakout room content:

Content from a breakout room can be shared in the main meeting by going to the Pods tab, selecting Breakout Pods, the desired breakout room, and the pod that is to be shown.

Video pod

The video pod must be on the screen. When Start My Webcam has been selected it will be on preview; for others to view the video select Start Sharing.

Features:

More than one person's video can be shown at a time. For large groups, select Filmstrip to allow for less bandwidth usage.
To allow participants to show video, select the arrow beside the video tab in the main menu bar and Enable Webcam For Participants.
Go to the Meeting tab, select Preferences, and Video. Here hosts can decide to disable webcam preview, highlight active speakers, change aspect ratio, and/or change video quality.

Chat pod

The chat pod must be on the screen. The chat pod can have multiple conversations; ones with everyone, groups, and private conversations. Separate chats will show up as tabs at the bottom of the pod. Type the message in the text box and click Send (speech bubble) to the right of the text box.

Features: Go to the Meeting tab, select Preferences, and Chat Pod. Hosts can choose to enable or disable private chat for participants.

On the pod options:

Start Chat With gives the option to chat with certain people or groups.
Clear Chat clears all previous messages.
Email Chat History e-mails the chat for future reference.
Users can change their own Text Size (only you can see).
Users can change the colour of text; My Chat Colour (everyone can see).
Show Timestamps shows the time of every message sent.

Files pod

The files pod must be on the screen to share files. Users with privileges can Upload Files and everyone can Download File(s). To download the file select the file, Download File(s), Click to Download, and Open or Save.

Features:

Everyone can go to the pod options and select Download All, Click to Download, and Open or Save to download all of the files.
If a user with privileges selects a file and goes to the pod options they can Rename Selected or Remove Selected.

Web links pod

The web links pod must be on the screen to share web links. Go to the pod options and select Add Link; give it a name in the first text box and enter the URL in the second and these links will show in the pod.

Features:

If Browse To is selected, users will leave the meeting, and the webpage will pop up on everyone’s screen. The pop-up blocker must be disabled.
If a user with privileges selects a link and goes to the pod options they can Rename Selected Link or Remove Selected.

Poll pod

The poll pod must be on the screen to poll attendees.

To create polls:

Go to the Pods tab; select Poll, and then Add New Poll.
There are the options of Multiple Choice where people can only choose one answer, Multiple Answers where more than one answer can be selected, or Short Answer.
Type the question in the question box and then add answers in the box below on separate lines.
Hosts are able to hide the poll until it is needed by going to the pod options and selecting Hide. Bring the poll back by going to the Pods tab at the top of the screen, select Poll, and click on the desired poll.
When the poll pops up on the screen select Open so the attendees can view it. Hosts can see the results of the poll and can show the participants by selecting Broadcast Results.

Features: To see who votes for what, go to the pod options and select View Votes. To clear poll answers go to the pod options and select Clear All Answers.

Question & Answer (Q&A) pod

Questions:

The Q & A pod must be on the screen. Everyone can post questions by typing in the text box and clicking Send to the right of the text box. Users with privileges must be in Participant View to post a question.

Answers:

The Q & A pod must be on the screen. Users with privileges must be in Presenter View (First icon at the top right) to answer a question. Users with privileges can answer questions by selecting the question, typing the answer in the text box, and either Send privately (Top button at the bottom right) or Send to all (bottom button at the bottom right).

Features:

In pod options, users with privileges can choose to show certain questions, Export Q&A Log, Clear All Questions, Move Presenter View to POA (Presenter only area), and Send Message To.
Users with privileges can select a question and Assign To another person.
Go to the Meeting tab, select Preferences, and Q & A Pod. Hosts can show or hide names of the participants that submit questions or answers in the pod.
Questions can be shown by their status and deleted.

Presenter only area

The presenter only area is a black section to the right of the meeting that only hosts can see. This area is separated from the meeting by a black bar. To set up a presenter only area; go to the Meeting tab and select Enable Presenter Only Area. Hosts can place any type of pod in the presenter only area.

Layouts

If none of the built-in layouts are useful, new layouts can be created:

Go to the Layouts tab and select Create New Layout.
Create a blank layout or duplicate an existing layout and name the layout.
To add pods to a layout go to the Pods tab and select the desired pod. The new pods can be moved and resized by dragging the pods.

Features:

Hosts can change the layout without any of the information in the pods being affected.
To hide the layout side bar; go to the Layouts tab and select Hide Layout Bar.
To rename or delete layouts; go to the Layouts tab, select Manage Layouts, click the desired layout, and Rename or Delete. When finished select Done.

Prepare mode

Hosts can switch to prepare mode by going to the Meeting tab and selecting Switch to Prepare Mode. In prepare mode, hosts can edit a different layout from the one being presented without other attendees seeing what they are doing.

Assign background image

Go to the Meeting tab, select Preferences, General, Upload, choose the desired image, and Done.

Record a meeting

Hosts can record meetings that can be played back and edited later. These recordings show what the participants see and hear during the meeting. Presenter only area and breakout rooms cannot be recorded. To record:

Select the Meeting tab and Record Meeting. Enter a name for the recording and optionally enter a summary. Clicking Okay will start the recording immediately. In the top right corner, there will be a red circle indicating that the meeting is being recorded.
To end the recording; go back to the Meeting tab and Stop Recording or click the red circle and Stop Recording.

Invite attendees and grant or deny access

If someone tries to join the meeting and the meeting privacy is set to Only registered users and accepted guests may enter the room, there will be a pop-up on the bottom right of the screen, if not in the meeting, allowing hosts to Accept or Decline the guest. In the meeting, there will be a notification on the top right of the screen. Hosts may select Allow Everyone, Deny Everyone, or accept or deny that person by selecting the checkbox or the x box.

The host can block access by going to the Meeting tab, Manage Access and Entry, and they have the option of Block Guest Access and Block Incoming Attendees.

When incoming attendees and guests are blocked, a blue icon will appear on the top right of the screen. Clicking the drop-down menu from this icon can stop blocking guests and incoming attendees.

Audio

Icons on the toolbar are: turn speaker on/off, enable/disable/mute microphone, enable/disable webcam, and set status. A green icon means on, and a white icon means turned off/disconnected.