Creating Breakout Rooms on Zoom

Breakout rooms have become an essential feature in online meetings and virtual conferences, allowing organizers to divide participants into smaller groups for more focused discussions and interactions. Zoom, one of the most popular video conferencing platforms, offers a simple and user-friendly way to create breakout rooms. In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating breakout rooms on Zoom.

First, you need to ensure that you have the latest version of Zoom installed on your computer or mobile device. Once you have that, follow these steps:

1. Host a Zoom meeting: Open the Zoom application and start a new meeting. You can choose to join with video and audio or without. Once the meeting has started, you will be automatically assigned as the host.

2. Enable the breakout room feature: Before you can create breakout rooms, you must enable this feature in your Zoom settings. To do this, click on the settings icon located in the top right corner of your Zoom window. A settings menu will appear.

3. Navigate to the breakout room settings: In the settings menu, click on the “In Meeting (Basic)” tab located on the left side of the screen. Scroll down until you find the “Breakout Room” option. Make sure it is toggled on.

4. Create breakout rooms: Now that you have enabled the breakout room feature, you can create breakout rooms in your Zoom meeting. To do this, click on the “Breakout Rooms” button located at the bottom of your Zoom window. A new window will pop up.

5. Specify the number of breakout rooms: In the breakout rooms window, you have the option to manually assign participants to rooms or automatically divide them equally. Choose the desired number of breakout rooms you wish to create and select whether you want to assign participants manually or automatically.

6. Assign participants to breakout rooms: If you choose to manually assign participants, you can drag and drop their names from the main room list to the breakout rooms. Ensure that each participant is assigned to a specific room.

7. Automatically assign participants: If you opt for automatic assignment, Zoom will divide participants evenly among the breakout rooms. Once you have made your selection, click on the “Create Breakout Rooms” button.

8. Open breakout rooms: After creating the breakout rooms, a new window will appear with options to join breakout rooms or close them. To open the breakout rooms, click on the “Open All Rooms” button.

9. Monitor breakout rooms: As the host, you have the ability to enter any breakout room at any time to join the discussion or address any concerns. To do this, click on the “Join” button next to the desired breakout room.

10. Close breakout rooms. Once the breakout room discussions have ended and you want to bring everyone back to the main meeting, click on the “Close All Rooms” button in the breakout rooms window.

Creating breakout rooms on Zoom provides a dynamic and engaging way to conduct online meetings and collaborate with participants in smaller groups. By following these simple steps, you can easily create breakout rooms and manage them effectively. So, the next time you host a Zoom meeting, don’t forget to make use of this fantastic feature!