When was the last time you were in a Zoom meeting? Do you remember someone from that meeting whose tech was not working properly and he/she was super embarrassed about that? Let me tell you, you can also be one of those if you don’t plan for it.

If you are in an important Zoom meeting, these small tech issues will not only kill the meeting flow but will also raise questions about your professional credibility.

Big clients like to work with professionals who can plan for things in advance. Also, team members also like to follow those leaders who are self disciplined by themselves. 

There can be hundreds of issues you can face while in a Zoom meeting. But below in this blog, we have listed 5 most embarrassing and common Zoom fails. If you can plan for these 5 things, you are safe and your meeting will be great.

Fail #1: The Accidental Screen Share Disaster

This is one of the most common issues I have noticed. First, some people don’t even know how to share a screen. Even if they do, they mistakenly share the whole computer’s screen.

Due to this, other people see their private Slack messages, folders, and a messy desktop.

So, always ensure you share a specific window of the laptop rather than sharing the whole computer screen.

One better thing you can do is close all unwanted tabs and folders 10 minutes before the meeting. So, even if you “Share Desktop” screen, there won’t be any problem.

I personally suggest everyone to plan for a meeting in advance. If you are a pro, that’s okay, but if you are a beginner, then keep all the slides open and close things which you don’t need in the meeting.

If you follow these tips, you won’t face any problem regarding screen sharing.

Fail #2: The Screen Freeze Issue

You are in the middle of a client meeting, about to quote the pricing and suddenly your screen freezes. This is one of the most unprofessional things that can happen in a meeting.

The most common reason for this issue is, not enough internet. If there are multiple devices running on the same Wi-fi, internet bandwidth may decrease and your screen will freeze.

The second reason can be multiple apps running in the background. Sometimes cloud apps start syncing which will consume the most CPU power & internet and leave Zoom with less resources to run properly.

So, check your Wifi, use minimal apps while meeting, turn off automatic sync in cloud software like Dropbox or Google Drive. This will ensure your screen will not freeze and you will have a great meeting.

Fail #3: The “I Can’t Hear You” Problem

Imagine joining a Zoom meeting where you see everyone’s mouth moving but hear no audio. That means others are speaking but you are unable to hear it. The problem is with your system.

The first and common reason for this problem is, your headphones are not connected to your system’s Bluetooth properly. Or mistakenly, they are connected with another device in your room.

If you are not using headphones and still can’t hear other’s voices, that means the problem is in the speakers of your laptop. Clean the speakers first, check for audio settings. Sometimes, liquid entering the speaker can also cause this problem. If it still does not fix the speakers, check out these bonus tips.

Fail #4: The Accidental On Mic Moment

I am sure you must have faced this at least once. Your mic was on but you didn’t know and you were freely talking, working and other meeting members were listening to your background noise.

This small mistake can get you fired from a job or end that important client contract. That’s why it is very important to be cautious of this.

In the past many people have lost their contracts and jobs just because of this unprofessional behavior during the meeting. They were found criticizing their manager and company policies.

To avoid this problem, we suggest you buy an external microphone which comes with an LED indicator and hard “mute” feature. So, you don’t need to guess every time whether the Mic is on or off. Just check the LED light.

Fail #5: The Dead Battery Mistake

Imagine you are in the middle of a meeting, you see a notification, “10% battery remaining”. This is the most dangerous situation. Your laptop’s battery is about to die.

I suggest everyone to keep their laptop’s battery full before joining the meeting. Also, keep a charging socket near you so that even if the battery dies, you can keep it plugged in.

If you live in an area where power cuts are normal then keep a fully charged power bank with you. It is observed that in Zoom meetings, batteries die faster than usual so it’s very important to keep a backup.

Conclusion

The above discussed Zoom meeting fails are mostly preventable with 10 minute pre meeting checks. Before the meeting, properly check the audio, battery, and speakers and also ensure that no cloud apps are running.

One bonus tip I would like to give you is, keep your laptop’s RAM and storage free. This will ensure your laptop works perfectly during meetings. Generally while using Zoom, laptops consume more RAM.

I hope I have covered most of the common Zoom fails. If you face any other major problems, share them in the comments. We will try to cover that in our upcoming blogs.