If you have not hosted a WebEx Meeting or Webinar before, it is highly recommended that you schedule a few practice sessions with coworkers to get a feel for the application.

Review all the WebEx related training resources in Confluence.

Watch an instructional video that covers WebEx and MS Teams. 

Let participants join early

Set the Meeting or Webinar preferences so participants can join 15 minutes prior. When participants can join earlier, there is more time to triage and remediate any technical issues such as non-working microphones or cameras.

• Begin the process to schedule a WebEx meeting.
• Expand the Show Advanced options.
• Then, expand the Scheduling options. 
• Scroll down to the Join Before Host option. Check the box to activate the control, then use the drop-down to select how many minutes before the meeting's start time participants will be able to join. 

Be flexible with when you schedule Meetings or Webinars

Most Meetings and Webinars start on the hour, potentially straining the WebEx servers and reducing the audio and visual experience. Try to start Meetings or Webinars on the half or quarter hour instead.

Separate the Host and Facilitator function

If possible, log into WebEx to host your meeting or event on one device while you present on another. One screen should be used to manage the participant list such as muting participants who fail to mute their line or put the call on hold and the other screen to display presented content. This keeps the function separated and easier to manage. Or have a supporting resource on the call to act as the host. That way, one person can facilitate while the other manages the participants.

Minimize background noise

Background noise from participants who have not muted their lines can be identified by monitoring the participant list for small, curved blue lines. Hosts can mute these participants themselves by moving their cursor over the participant and clicking the mute icon.

Include an agenda

While this is always a valuable practice, it is even more important for remote meetings to keep participants focused on the context of the call. Feel free to leverage NYSERDA's Meeting Agenda template.

Perform check-ins and check-outs

Check-Ins prepare the participants for what will be covered in the meeting and encourage limited distractions and active participation. Check-Outs recap what was covered and validate next steps and/or follow-ups for any items a participant owns.

Keep participants engaged

Whenever possible, give each participant time to speak and encourage discussions by asking open-ended questions, asking for feedback, or calling on random participants to get their opinion. It may also help to delegate some responsibilities of the meeting to participants, such as reading the agenda or facilitating the Q&A.

Use WebEx Meetings outside of your VMware for the best experience

Accessing a meeting or event over VMware may prevent you from using your computer's microphone or camera. Instead, access WebEx from your browser by navigating to WebEx.com.

Check your WebEx settings when accessing the meeting

There are audio and video settings that can be adjusted when accessing a WebEx meeting. Be sure these settings are correctly set up prior to clicking the Join button otherwise you may experience an echo. Echoes are caused when WebEx recognizes two distinct audio inputs such as when a host or participant calls into a WebEx meeting but has not changed the default settings to not use the computer audio. Echoes are disruptive for everyone on the call. It is best practice to ensure your settings are correctly set up before joining a meeting. Headphones can also be used to prevent echoes.

Access the Meeting before calling in

When using a phone to dial into the meeting, make sure you log into the meeting first on your computer and adjust the audio setting to Call In. When you change this setting, WebEx will provide you with the call in information including an Attendee ID. If you do not input this attendee ID when calling in, you will show up twice on the participant list, once as a Call In User and another as a logged in user, making hard for the host or other participants to know who the call in user is. When you input the attendee ID as part of your dial in, WebEx is able to pair your log in with your call in as one entry on the participant list.

Dial-In over Phone vs. Computer Audio

If you have strong internet, you will have a better experience using the computer audio. However, if your internet is spotty, you will have a better experience dialing in over phone.

Use alternate WebEx call in lines

If the main audio line for WebEx is busy or has difficulty connecting, try using one of the alternate lines.

Download and use the WebEx application

If your computer is older or has a hard time running WebEx, you can download and install the app on your phone or tablet for iOS or Android.

Join meetings or webinars from a location with minimal distractions

Keep your line on mute unless you are speaking or asking a question

Done speaking? Don't forget to place your line on mute again.

Introduce Yourself

You should introduce yourself when speaking for the first time in a meeting or event or if the other participants are unfamiliar to you.

Don't place the call on hold

If you are dialing into the meeting via a phone line, do not place the call on hold. Putting the call on hold forces everyone else on the call to hear hold music which is distracting and can potentially derail the meeting.

Stay focused on the meeting

You may miss important information if you step away from the meeting or put in in the background to work on other items.