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Zoom settings for Lightning Lessons

How to ensure a seamless Lightning Lesson experience for you and attendees

Chelsea Wilson avatar
Written by Chelsea Wilson
Updated over a week ago

Pre-Lightning Lesson Zoom checklist

☑️ You have a Zoom Pro/Business account. Check your Zoom Account to confirm. If you have over 500 registrants, make sure you have the large meeting add-on (500 participants) or Zoom Business (300 participants). ❌ Do not purchase Zoom Webinar — this doesn't integrate with Maven.

☑️ Cloud recording is turned ON. Make sure "Active speaker" is being recorded. You have a Zoom Pro/Business account. Make sure you have Cloud recording enabled under https://zoom.us/profile/setting?tab=recording

☑️ Confirm the Zoom meeting date & time in your upcoming meetings. You should see a Zoom meeting with the same title as your Lightning Lesson.

☑️ Meeting passcode is ON and double check you have an embedded passcode in your Zoom link. Your meeting link should look like: https://zoom.us/j/xxxx?pwd=xxxx. If you do not have a passcode in your link, please turn on “Embed passcode in invite link for one-click join” on your Zoom account meeting settings, regenerate the event link on Maven, and hit publish.

☑️ Turn OFF Allow participants to join before host. This prevents participants from joining the meeting before you start the meeting.

☑️ Turn OFF the notification sound played when someone new joins. Here are the steps from Zoom.

☑️ Waiting room is optional. We suggest turning OFF your waiting room so you don't have to constantly admit students. You can always toggle the waiting room during the meeting using "Host Tools" within the Zoom toolbar during a session. Here's a short video to show you how:

☑️ Q&A is only available for Zoom Business. If you have Zoom Business, turn on Q&A for your meeting. If you have Zoom Pro, gather questions in the chat and encourage attendees to upvote with emojis 👍. Using the chat is often a more organic and lively way to gather questions. If you're using Zoom Business and have the Q&A feature, turn on and lock the option in your Zoom Account Settings in the “Meetings” tab (this link will take you there) so the feature is available in your Lightning Lessons.

☑️ 👉 Important final test: Test your Zoom link by logging out of your account, or asking a friend to click it. You should see this screen with the correct date and time.

Creating a Zoom meeting through Maven

In the Lightning Lesson editor, set up your Zoom session by clicking the "Add event link" button:

The link should have a passcode, like this:

Calendar invitations

Your signups will automatically receive a calendar invite with a link to join your Zoom. Maven also automatically sends a reminder email before the session with a direct link to join.

Recording

If you don't need to edit your recording, just let Maven take care of everything for you. Your recording will be automatically uploaded to Maven, emailed to signups, and posted on your public Lightning Lesson page in 48 hours. Click here to learn how to manage your recording.
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​Recording Quality Best Practices

  1. Frame Properly

    1. Position yourself in the center of the frame, leaving some space above your head and keeping your shoulders visible. This allows flexibility for cropping into a vertical format. Try this easy trick—position your eyes so they align with the center and upper third of the screen.

  2. Use Good Lighting

    1. Make sure you’re well-lit, preferably with natural light or a soft light source in front of you. Avoid strong backlighting or dim environments.

  3. High Resolution and Recording Settings

    1. Record at the highest resolution possible (preferably HD 1080p) to ensure quality for vertical editing.

How to enable HD recording in Zoom

  1. Log in to zoom

    1. Open the Zoom app on your computer or go to zoom.us and log in to your account.

  2. Go to Settings

    1. In the Zoom desktop app, click on your profile picture in the top-right corner.

      Select Settings from the dropdown menu.

  3. Navigate to Video Settings

    1. In the settings menu, click on Video in the left-hand panel.

      Under the camera preview, check the box that says Enable HD.

  4. Check Your Recording Settings

    1. Go back to the settings menu and click on Recording in the left-hand panel.

    2. Select where you want your recordings to be saved (local computer or cloud).

    3. Ensure that the recording resolution is set to Optimize for 3rd Party Video Editor if available.

  5. Test Your Video Quality

    1. Start a new meeting to test the video quality.

    2. Ensure that your camera is capturing in HD and that your internet connection supports HD streaming.

  6. Ensure HD Is Enabled by Your Account (if the above doesn’t work)

    1. Log in to your Zoom account on a browser.

    2. Go to Settings > In Meeting (Advanced).

    3. Scroll down and enable the toggle for Group HD Video.

      1. Note: This feature might require a Pro, Business, or Enterprise plan.

  7. Record a Test Video

    1. Start a Zoom meeting, hit the Record button, and select Record on this Computer.

    2. Once finished, review the recording to confirm the quality.

FAQs

  1. How do I start the Lightning Lesson?

    1. If you're logged in to the Zoom account connected to your Lightning Lesson, you'll be recognized as the host and have the ability to start the session. \

    2. You can either click on the link from Maven, your calendar invite, or directly in Zoom.

  2. I need to change the Zoom link. What should I do?

    1. Ideally, keep the same link to avoid potential issues for attendees. But, if you need to change the link please reach out to [email protected] so we can help.

  3. Should I purchase a large meeting add-on?

    1. If you have >500 registrants, you should purchase the large meeting add-on.

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