For some editors, using Zoom or other remote meeting apps was a pandemic novelty and necessity, to be left behind when in-person work returned. For others, like me, Zoom was already part of our work before the pandemic and will continue to be a key tool for connecting with clients and colleagues. Over the last two years, I’ve held dozens of one-on-one meetings, participated in a biweekly reflection and journaling group, taken multiple classes, and hosted several large meetings on Zoom. In this piece, I’ll give you my best tips for using Zoom to foster connection and build trust in client meetings, small groups, and large meetings.

For client meetings

When using Zoom with clients, consider asking their preferences. Some might prefer a phone call to a video call. Others might like to go on camera for a quick hello then turn cameras off so they can focus on the conversation without worrying about their appearance. Note that you can always choose not to see your own video during calls by selecting the three dots in the corner of your video square and choosing Hide Self View.

For all meetings, whether they are with clients or larger groups, I turn on the live transcript feature. (Look for the Live Transcript button at the bottom of your screen, or find it in More > Live Transcript and select the Enable button.) This makes your meetings more accessible for those hard of hearing, but it will also generate a handy transcript of the meeting that you can refer to if you will be writing up notes after the meeting.

For best results, choose the Show Full Transcript option, which will show the full conversation in a separate window beside the screen. Note that the transcript will not be saved when you end the meeting, nor can you copy and paste it into a document. However, if you record the meeting, the transcript will also be saved. You can then send it to your client or save it for yourself, without having to save or send the much larger audio or video files.

If I need to go over a piece of text with an author, I generally prefer to do that in Google Docs, where we can see one another’s edits and highlights without having to share our screens. However, if a client is wrestling with Track Changes in Word, sharing your copy of the document and walking them through it can often clear things up faster than a dozen emails.

If you host a lot of meetings, consider pairing Zoom with a scheduling app like Acuity or Calendly. These programs allow clients to choose a time from those you’ve marked available on your calendar, then they generate a unique Zoom link that is placed on your calendar and sent to your client as an automated reminder.

For writing or mastermind groups

During the pandemic, I participated in a number of regular writing or reflection groups, which offered a nice mix of community and dedicated writing time. You might choose to start such a group for yourself, or you could offer group coaching for editing clients.

My favorite format is to meet for an hour, with the first ten minutes dedicated to a quick on-camera check-in from participants about their goals for the writing or work session, followed by forty-five minutes of dedicated work time, then a five-minute wrap-up or group stretch. Have participants mute themselves during the work session, while you share restful music via Spotify or another streaming service. (Go to Share Screen, select Advanced, and choose Computer Sound.) The group can decide whether to leave cameras on or turn them off; personally, I find it inspiring to glance up and see other people typing or writing away.

For large meetings

One of the challenges of meeting virtually rather than in person is that it is difficult to establish a sense of community or encourage the kinds of casual exchanges that happen before and after the main event. When I host a meeting, I use a few tricks to try to replicate in-person engagement.

First, if I’m using slides, I position myself in front of them, so the audience can see both me and the slide at the same time, rather than seeing me in a small square off to the side. To do this, make sure you leave an open corner in the same place in all of your slides, then go to Share Screen, select Advanced, and choose Slides as Virtual Background.

Second, I prepare a question to ask participants to answer in the chat as they are coming into the meeting. This encourages participants to use the chat space to interact with the speaker and one another, and generally helps folks get engaged in the meeting, especially if their mics are muted. As responses come in, I’ll read a few aloud—a technique that fills the blank time while participants are coming into the meeting.

Finally, for meetings that include a networking component, I’ve found that setting up breakout rooms dedicated to specific topics and then allowing participants to choose their own room works best. You can offer a starter question for each group, or send an announcement to all groups after a specific amount of time has passed, encouraging them to switch to a different room.

However Zoom fits into your editing life, look for ways to use it to build stronger bonds between you and the real humans behind those little squares on your screen.

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