Set up a video interview or conference

The following is a checklist covering SSCF's recommended video conferencing setup procedure. In our experience these steps consistently produce high-quality meetings with minimal technical issues and setup time. It is meant to be applicable Division-wide, and as such may not take into account the available resources of specific groups or departments. Your SSCF representative can help you identify additional resources your department may offer.

If you have an upcoming meeting and your needs differ from this list, or if you have any questions; please feel free to contact your SSCF representative, or email sscfhelp@ucsd.edu if you're not sure who to reach.

Before the meeting (one week recommended)

1. Ensure you have a room reserved. This is generally done through your department’s Business Office.

2. Identify the laptop that will be used for the meeting. Often your personal laptop is the best choice as you will be comfortable with it, but your department and SSCF likely have a pool of loaners available for you to borrow.

3. Contact SSCF. Your SSCF representative can assist with setup prior to and the day of the meeting. If you’d like to request a loaner laptop, let us know in your initial contact email.

4. Consider requesting a Meeting Owl. The Owl is a device that extends the field of vision for the Zoom call, and auto-focuses on the person currently speaking. The Owls are popular devices, and the more advance notice SSCF receives the better we are able to reserve one for your meeting.

5. Consider scheduling a dry run ~24 hours prior to the meeting. If you and your SSCF representative can meet before the call and walk through the setup, the chances of a smooth and problem-free meeting dramatically increase. Particular things to check are the arrangement of the room, placement of the Owl, network connectivity, and optimal light and sound levels.

6. Circulate the details of the meeting with participants. Zoom meetings are joined by others using a meeting-specific code, it’s a good idea to make sure everyone has this code well in advance of the meeting. Zoom Pro accounts have a consistent code that can be used for every meeting created by the account which is highly convenient. Zoom can also create calendar appointments that include all of the details of the meeting, including the meeting code.

~15 minutes before the meeting

Meet with your SSCF representative for setup. If you requested an Owl, and/or have done a dry run, this should take no more than 5 minutes, but it’s good to allow for extra time to handle any unexpected technical problems. 

Open Zoom on the laptop you're using and launch the meeting. Zoom will show you who else is in the meeting, and will provide a sound cue whenever someone joins. 

Have an excellent call!

After the meeting

If you have any feedback, please let us know!