Google makes it easy to conduct meetings and calls by offering insightful features that are available by default. Did you know you can easily record a meeting inside the app? We’re here to share with you some of the cool features we’ve discovered.
- Live Captions for Seeing and Hearing
Live captions are one way to make a speaker’s message understandable and engaging. Another option is to upload the audio of the conference and then live captioning it with your own notes.
Many users struggle with hearing certain things accurately in online videos. Live captions are a helpful tool that can step in and help with this by displaying every spoken word on the screen at the same time.
Google Meet will let you add captions in a few different settings:
In the toolbar at the bottom of the screen, you will see a button called “Closed Captions.”
Open the three-dot menu and choose “Turn On Captions.”
Open “More Options” and select “Settings.” Once you’re there, find the toggle labeled “Captions.”
You can choose to turn off captions for any of my three options. Click on the one you want, and then press the “Turn Off” button that appears at the bottom of its card.
- Translated Captions for Global Communication
Being conscious of language barriers is vital when you’re collaborating with others around the world. In Google Meet, you can turn on automatic translations for your captors to ensure everyone is on the same page.
You can enable the translation feature for captions in a couple of ways. First, when you initially turn on live captions, you’ll see a brief message in the bottom left corner– scroll over that message to select your language. In Settings there is also an option to record your voice as a narration track.
Alternatively, select the three-dotted menu and pick “Settings” from there.
In settings, simply go to Captions, and on the right you’ll see a toggle labeled Translated Captions. Choose the language from the drop-down menu.
- Meeting Recordings for Absent Attendees
When you record your meeting using Google Meet, you can share it with those who couldn’t attend. Plus, it’s a valuable resource for anyone who wants a detailed account of the meeting after it has been completed.
To begin recording, make sure you have the recording application open. Then, just select the three-lined icon on the bottom right that reads “Activities.” Click on it and select “Recording” to start recording your screen.
Once the meeting has started, be sure to confirm that it is being recorded and click “Start.”
You can stop recording your activity at any time by clicking the “Activities” icon, and browsing through the different options. However, if you want to stop recording altogether, click “Stop Recording.”
- Whiteboarding for Visual Communication
Whiteboards are helpful tools for brainstorming, designing, and walking through a process with others. Everyone can share ideas visually with Whiteboards’ built-in features.
To open the Whiteboard and create a new one, click on “Activities” and select “Whiteboarding.” Select “Start a New Whiteboard” and follow through.
Whiteboard is a multipurpose drawing app that helps teach, share, and test your knowledge while on-the-go. Learn how to use the drawing features in Whiteboard by clicking our interactive tutorial.
Your whiteboard files can be accessed after the meeting in Google Drive or Google Jamboard.
- Screen Sharing for Real-Time Instructions
You may have a hard time explaining your project or what you’re doing to somebody else. If you share your screen during a Google Meet, you can provide instructions, troubleshoot a problem, or collaborate on a visual.
To share your screen, locate the “Present Now” button on the toolbar. Click this to pick either “Your Entire Screen” or “A Window.” Choose the appropriate option and then pick which window you want to share from there.
When you’re done, select “Stop Sharing” or “Stop Presented” from the toolbar button on the left of the Google Meet window.
- Breakout Rooms for Private Discussions
Instructors have you and your classmates break up into small groups to work on an assignment? You can use Breakout Rooms in Google Meet in the same way.
In order to create your Breakout Rooms, select from “Activities” and click on “Breakout Rooms.” Then choose “Set Up Breakout Rooms” at the top of the page.
Now you can create breakout rooms for participants. Simply choose the number of rooms and set an end time, shuffle the choices, or clear them. Then, click “Open Breakout Rooms” to invite other to join. Now that you’ve created your breakout rooms, you can edit or close them if you’d like based on your preferences.
- Polls for Gathering Opinions
There are often many decisions that can be made during a meeting. By asking your Google Meet participants to participate in a poll, you can easily see what opinions they have and what decision would suit them best.
How do you like the new Poll feature? You can create and customize your own poll with ease. Just find it from the “Activities” menu and then click “Polls.”
Enter your question and answer options, select “Launch,” and then the poll will be published. Select “Save” to go back each time you make a change and publish again when you’re done
Our team can provide a Q&A session for your business if you want us to!
If you’re looking for a Google Meeting with many attendees, taking questions can quickly get out of control. By opening a designated spot for questions and answers, you can discuss many of the same questions in one quick discussion.