So, shall we bask in the awesomeness that are meeting memes? Let’s talk about what they are, where some of the more famous ones come from, and how you can integrate them into your meetings and work chats. 

What Are Meeting Memes?

If the name isn’t a dead giveaway already, meeting memes are a special breed of memes that are made specifically for the workplace. They can be witty, sarcastic, and downright hilarious. Most important of all, anyone who’s working in a corporate environment can “get” meeting memes, making them an excellent (and underrated) communication tool.

You’ve probably seen a few of these work meeting memes before, like the “That’d be great” meme or the “Board suggestion” meme that always ends with one guy getting thrown out the window. They come in different formats, from GIFs to photos with captions, and short videos. 

Where Do Meeting Memes Come From?

Meeting memes come from the same place that all other memes come from: the internet and our global consciousness! They’ve become so popular, it’s hard to imagine life without them. It’s gotten to a point that people who unknowingly became memes (like Bad Luck Brian and Overly Attached Girlfriend) actually turned into celebrities and gained fans all around the world. So, it was only natural for memes to enter the corporate world at some point. And once they did, they began to dominate! When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everyone went virtual, meeting memes became the bread and butter of the online workplace. Let’s take a look at three of these meeting memes and see where they come from:

The “If You Could…That’d Be Great” Meme

This is easily one of the most recognizable work meeting memes out there. It’s a still from a movie called “Office Space” (yes, ironic!) featuring actor Bill Lumbergh with a rather cynical expression on his face. You’ll usually see a request written on top of the meme, and the phrase “That’d be great” at the bottom. “If you could ask the AI Meeting Assistant to take notes, that’d be great.” You can pair any cynical message with this meme, and it’ll work great! It can get the point across without offending anyone…hopefully!

The “Board Suggestion” Meme

This meme became an instant classic when it first appeared online. It features a comic book style drawing of a board meeting where a C-level asks for suggestions, and the last employee who makes a comment ends up getting thrown out the window. The meme is originally a comic called Outlook Oust that has been memed-out to the max after being released back in 2012. It can fit any scenario in a corporate setting. You can use it to make a point, for example if your idea gets rejected during a meeting. It’ll show how you can accept your rejection with grace instead of being bitter about it!

The “Parkour” Meme

If meeting memes were a TV series, they’d be The Office. That’s where our next meme comes from. It’s an image macro, a GIF, or a short video of actor Steve Carell in the role of Michael Scott as the character screams “Parkour!” after a bout of chaos.

This is the ideal meme to send in your group chat after your team is asked to do something that feels impossible, or after you’re done with a long meeting and are looking at your meeting notes.

These are just some of the most well-known examples of meeting memes. The good thing about memes is that you can adapt them to your specific situation. It doesn’t necessarily have to be work-related, as long as you can make it fit the context. For example, a colleague that had been let go from a company posted a meme in his team’s group chat on his last day: a scene from the Titanic where the musicians were playing as the ship sunk. It had the caption “Gentlemen, it was an honor coding with you.” It was a funny way of saying goodbye to his team.

How Do I Use Meeting Memes at Work?

Using meeting memes at work is an art that you need to master. Here are a few tips from office meme experts:

Send memes at the right place, at the right time:

Timing and context are key when you’re using memes. If you’re in a meeting with a client or a potential partner, it’s best not to push your luck with memes. Try breaking the ice with verbal jokes instead. Save the memes for your internal chat groups. Then again, make sure everyone in the group is on the same wave-length and that the group has the flexibility to handle memes. Nowadays almost every company has a “random” channel on their communication platforms where you can send memes without disrupting the workflow.

Don’t be too obscure:

Use memes that everyone understands, or at least has seen before. If you send memes that are off the beaten track, they might get misunderstood. Remember, the key is in being relatable. Also, make sure your meme is relevant to the conversation. Don’t send technical memes to the marketing chat, for example. 

Keep it professional:

Nobody likes that one guy at the office who always makes crass and inappropriate jokes. Remember, it’s still a workplace and you need to be professional. The secret is in finding the perfect balance between corporate and comedy.

Make your own memes:

You don’t necessarily have to use pre-made memes. You can make totally new ones with online tools like ImgFlip. Just grab any meme and add your own text and spin to it. Some employees will go as far as using images of themselves for memes that only their colleagues will understand.

Other Ways of Using Meeting Memes

You can use hilarious funny work memes to add a comedic vibe to your presentations. Let’s say there’s a pitch meeting and you know everyone in the room. You can add some memes in your slides and ease the tension of an otherwise stressful situation. Memes are also great for internal communication between team members and a fun way to troll colleagues without going over the limit. A lot of hilarious situations happen during Zoom meetings that have great potential for becoming memes. Here’s a scenario: there’s an AI note-taking app transcribing your meeting and suddenly one of your colleagues sneezes loudly. The app records their sneeze as the word “actually” in the transcription, and an internal meme is born! 

Meeting memes are great ice-breakers that help us blow off steam during work without getting too distracted. Try incorporating them into your work chats and see if your colleagues are up for a challenge. 

If humor isn’t enough on its own and you want to get more out of your meetings, use Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant. Not only will it transcribe your meetings (along with all the jokes that your colleagues make), it also turns those transcriptions into meeting summaries and makes sure no one misses a single detail, including the short discussions over some meeting memes that found their way into your session! 

Frequently Asked Questions

The post Meeting Memes: Humor to Get You Through Your Working Day appeared first on Krisp.

Change Your Zoom Name Before the Meeting Starts

Take our advice and change your display name while the meeting hasn’t been set up yet. It saves you a ton of headache and you won’t have to do anything last minute. Noah built the ark before the rain, after all! Grab a cup of coffee and let’s start your makeover through the Zoom web portal. 

How to Change Your Name on Zoom – Web Portal Edition 

1. Sign in: Sign in to your Zoom web portal. 
2. Go to your profile: Click on Profile on the left sidebar to access your profile. You should already see your name and last name there.

    

3. Edit your name: There’s an Edit button to your right, in front of your name. Click on it to enable the edit mode and type in your first and last name. Don’t forget to add your display name. This is what people will see when they jump on a call with you. Since Zoom is all about accessibility, you can also add your name’s pronunciation to save participants the embarrassment of spelling it incorrectly! There’s more info that you can fill out here, like your pronouns, location, company, etc. Most of these don’t appear on display, but it’s better to include them in case someone wants to dig into your profile. Go ahead and add a new Zoom profile picture while you’re at it!
4. Save: Click the Save button. Congrats! You’ve given your Zoom display name a facelift! And here you were wondering how to change name on Zoom!

How to Change Name on Zoom – Desktop App

“How do I change my name on Zoom from the desktop app?” A common question to which we’ve got an easy answer. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Open Zoom:Run the Zoom app before your call starts. 
2. Go to Settings: Click on that tiny picture of you on the top-right corner to toggle a dropdown menu. From there, select Settings. It should be between Help and Add Account. Depending on the version of Zoom you’re using, there may be a gear icon that you can click to open the Settings page faster.

    

3. Go to Profile: Click Profile on the left sidebar to access your profile.

    

4. Select Edit My Profile: Click the Edit My Profile Button. This will open a window that sends you to the Zoom Web Portal we mentioned earlier.

    

5. Edit your name: Edit your name just like you’d do in the Web Portal.

    

6. Save: Click the Save button. Ta-da! throws confetti

How to Change Zoom Name on Mobile

Unlike other apps, the process for changing your Zoom name on mobile devices is the same whether your operating system is Android or iOS. And, good news, it’s faster!

1. Run the app: Open the Zoom app on your device.

    

2. Access your profile: Tap on your current name to access your profile settings.

    

3. Tap on display name: Tap on your display name to toggle a new page. From there, you can edit your first and last name, and your display name.

    

4. Save: That’s it. It’s that simple!  

Changing Your Zoom Name After the Meeting Starts

Uh-oh! You forgot to change your name on Zoom before the meeting started! People are joining, your camera is turned off, and suddenly…there it is. Your display name from 10 years ago, in its full glory: johnny_bGud_92

Don’t worry! We’re here to help you turn this nightmare scenario around! Let’s go through the steps of how to change name on Zoom after a meeting starts. Keep in mind that you can’t edit your display name while you’re in the waiting room. But you can still change it after the meeting starts on the Zoom desktop client or through the Zoom app on your phone. 

How to Change Your Zoom Name on Desktop

1. Once the Zoom meeting is set up and starts, find the Participants button on the control bar and click on it.

    

2. This will open a list of everyone in the meeting. Find your name, click on the three dots, and then click Rename.

    

3. You can now enter your new display name and click Change. Bye bye, johnny_bGud_92! You had a good run!

Here’s a fun act: your Zoom meeting host or account admin can stop you from changing your name during a meeting. This means you can do the same thing if you’re the host! Try playing a prank on your online students next time you have a Zoom meeting. They’re more likely to have embarrassing display names. 

How to Change Name on Zoom with Mobile Devices

The process for changing your Zoom name on mobile devices is pretty much the same for both Android and iOS systems.

1. Join a meeting, and tap on Participants. It’s on the control bar.

2. Find your name on the list and tap and hold it to trigger a pop-up.

3. Tap Rename and enter your new display name. Tap Done to finalize the process.

Become a Zoom Professional with Krisp

You’ve got your display name all set, a great profile picture to go with it, and you’re ready to kick things off. But something seems to be missing. Enter Krisp! 

The AI Meeting Assistant from Krisp is here to level up your Zoom meeting! Using cutting edge technology, it analyzes and removes background noise during meetings, generating dead-on meeting transcriptions and summaries. You can also use it for detailed note-taking so you don’t miss out on any important details. 

Try Krisp today, and transform your Zoom meetings into productive sessions!

Frequently Asked Questions

The post How to Change Name on Zoom: Assuming a Fresh Identity appeared first on Krisp.

In this article, we’ll give you the skinny on how to raise a hand in Zoom meetings on any device. Stick around until the end to find out how you can raise your hand without clicking or tapping on your screen! 

How to Raise Hand in Zoom on Phone

Step 1: Jump on a Zoom Call

It goes without saying that the first thing you need to do is join a Zoom meeting. Once things kick off, look at the bottom of your screen where it says “Reactions.” It’s a smiley face with a plus on it. Tap the icon to toggle a pop-up page with a Raise Hand button, and a bunch of emojis. 

Step 2: Tap to Raise Your Hand

As soon as you tap the button, a little hand icon will appear next to your name in the list of participants. Your host also gets a notification about your raised hand. At the bottom-left of the page, you can see the total of hands that have been raised during the meeting. And that’s it in a nutshell. But, wait!

Step 3: Don’t Forget to Lower Your Hand

Imagine a real-life situation where you raise your hand, ask your question, and then keep your hand raised even though you have your answer! Once you’re done speaking, tap on the Reactions icon again, and click Lower Hand. If you forget to do that, the host of the meeting can do it for you. In fact, they have the option to lower all hands during a meeting. And that’s a wrap on how to raise your hand in Zoom calls over the phone.

How to Raise Your Hand in a Zoom Meeting on Desktop

Raising your hand on Zoom couldn’t be any easier on a desktop. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re on a Mac, Windows, or Linux device.

Step 1: Join or Start a Meeting

Set up a meeting or join one on Zoom. Then click the Reactions icon on the bottom toolbar. It’s still the same smiley face. You’ll see the Raise Hand button.

Step 2 Click and Raise Your Hand

And that’s all there is to it! If you’re a host and someone raises their hand, you’ll get a ping and can unmute them.

Don’t forget to lower your hand after the conversation is over. The host can do it for you as well. 

How to Raise Hand in Zoom Dial-in Calls

Zoom’s Dial-in calls let you jump on meetings straight from your phone. This means that the familiar Raise hand button is nowhere to be found. But, that’s no reason to panic! Zoom has got you covered. All you need to do is dial *9, and your host will know that you’ve “raised your hand.”

And that’s all there is to it! If you’re a host and someone raises their hand, you’ll get a ping and can unmute them.

Don’t forget to lower your hand after the conversation is over. The host can do it for you as well. 

How to Raise Your Hand in Zoom Hands-Free

Well, not exactly hands-free, but Zoom has added a feature that lets you raise your hand without clicking or tapping anywhere. And it’s called gesture recognition. You can set it up before your Zoom meeting or call starts. 

Enabling Gesture Recognition on Zoom

1. Open the Zoom app
2. Go to Settings and if you don’t up on the General tab, select General
3. You should see a Reactions section, with some options underneath. Go ahead and check the “Activate the following emojis based on hand gesture recognition” option.

You can also activate it as the meeting is taking place. You should see a tiny arrow when you hover over the Reactions button. That’ll toggle a pop-up that says “Recognize hand gestures.” Choose that and enable it. Right now, it’s limited to two reactions. But, who knows? Maybe Zoom will add more. Once you’re done with speaking, raise your hand again to lower it…otherwise it’ll stay up for the rest of the meeting! 

Using AI to Maximize Zoom Meetings

Raising your hand during Zoom calls means you have questions and comments to discuss. Now imagine that there are 10 people on the call. That’s a lot of information, and it’s hard to keep track of. Using an AI-powered tool can go a long way in making sure that your meetings are effective and everyone clicks the “Leave” button feeling like they’ve achieved something during the call.

How Krisp Boosts Your Zoom Meetings

Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant is an advanced tool designed not only to level up your meetings, but also to empower communication among team members and enhance the flow of your business. 

You can integrate Krisp with Zoom, and enjoy the perks below:

• Noise cancellation: Using complex algorithms, Krisp carries out real-time noise cancellation that results in clear audio with zero background noise and distractions.
• Meeting transcription: You can use Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant to transcribe entire meetings as they are held, saving you a ton of time and effort that you can instead focus on other aspects of the meeting. 
• Meeting summaries: On top of transcribing your meetings, Krisp also sums them up in key points, allowing you to locate important information faster. 
• Note-taking: You can up your note-taking game with Krisp and let it do the heavy lifting like recording action items, meeting minutes, and main takeaways. 

And that’s just scratching the surface!  

Instead of just raising your hand in Zoom meetings, have the upper hand with Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant! Pun, again, intended!

The post How to Raise Hand in Zoom: A Simple Gesture appeared first on Krisp.

With Zoom meetings having, on average, 7 participants these days, it can surely get noisy! Thus, muting and unmuting participants in a meeting is the solution to keeping unwanted noises at bay.

Knowing how to mute Zoom can play a huge role in maintaining sharp Zoom audio in case you’re recording a meeting, and ensuring all participants can hear the speaker correctly.

In Zoom, there are dozens of ways of doing this to ensure the muting options are suited to their specific needs. But when can you mute Zoom, and when should you? Let’s have a look!

When Can You Mute Zoom?

Knowing when to mute yourself on Zoom can make or break a virtual meeting. Whether you’re dealing with background noise, multitasking, or simply not needing to speak, here’s your guide to mastering the mute button on Zoom.

Background Noise

Background noise can be a major distraction in virtual meetings. That’s especially true when the latter is a skip level meeting or other important team meeting. Whether it’s construction outside or a pet’s unexpected vocal performance, muting yourself can prevent these noises from disrupting the meeting flow. If you find yourself in a noisy environment, it’s courteous to mute your microphone to ensure everyone can hear clearly.

Multitasking

Sometimes, you may need to attend a meeting while juggling other tasks. In these situations, muting yourself can help you stay focused on your work without disrupting the meeting. It’s a simple way to ensure that your background activities don’t interfere with the discussion.

Listening-Only Webinars

In webinars where you’re only expected to listen, knowing how to mute Zoom from your side can prevent accidental interruptions. This is particularly useful in large meetings where multiple participants could cause chaos if everyone unmuted themselves at once.

Organizing Large Calls

In larger meetings, muting participants can help maintain order. This is especially true in public meetings where participants may speak out of turn. By muting participants until they’re ready to speak, hosts can prevent interruptions and keep the discussion on track.

Avoiding Disruptive Participants

Finally, muting disruptive participants can prevent their behavior from derailing the meeting. This is important in maintaining a productive and respectful meeting environment at all costs.

Knowing when to mute yourself on Zoom is key to a successful virtual meeting. Whether it’s avoiding background noise, multitasking, or managing disruptive participants, mastering the mute button on Zoom can help you stay focused and engaged.

Here’s a run through how to mute Zoom meeting participants as a host and when to give them the freedom to do so at their own will: 

How to Mute Zoom Audio on a PC or Mac: Steps for Participants & Hosts

To mute yourself, both as a participant and as a host (works the same way):

Head over to the meeting’s toolbar, click the Mute button on Zoom [the microphone icon,] and then Unmute to turn your mic back on:

You can also use the Alt+A keyboard shortcut to mute and subsequently unmute your mic. And if you’re wondering how to mute Zoom on Mac, use the shortcut command + shift + A to mute and unmute Zoom. 

If you joined a call via your phone, dial *6 to set your phone on mute your phone. Dial *6 again to unmute yourself.

You can automatically start on mute when you join a specific meeting by selecting Do not connect to audio before the start of the meeting:

If you’re wondering how to make sure you are muted on Zoom at all times you start Zoom meetings,  

• head to Settings, Audio,
• select Always mute microphone when joining a meeting:

Note: If you’re already on Mute, hold the spacebar to temporarily unmute Zoom yourself when you want to give quick feedback or ask a question. This quick hack ensures you won’t leave your mic on after you’re done.

Muting Yourself While Keeping the Computer’s Audio On

To get this to work, set yourself on Mute and mark the Share sound option when starting your screen-sharing session:

Now guests will see your screen and hear the audio on your own computer even if you’re on mute.

How to Mute Participants in Zoom

Here we’ll explore the steps to how to mute Zoom participants in your meeting. It’s important to note that only the host or co-host has the ability to mute other participants.

1. Sign in to your account,
2. On the left sidebar, click Settings.
3. Scroll down until you find the “Mute all participants when they join a meeting” option and switch it on.

How to Mute Participants in Zoom During a Call

To mute Zoom for participants in an ongoing meeting or a call:

1. Click ‘Participants’ on the bottom toolbar, and a sidebar will open on the right-hand side,
2. Click the Zoom mute icon(microphone icon) next to the name of the participant(s) you want to mute.

How to Mute All Participants in Zoom

Webinars. Presentations. Conferences. Co-working sessions. Team meetings.

All of these events have a host who’s not exactly going to enjoy the occasional interruption.

Got too much noise on one channel? 

As a host, you can handpick a specific participant either because they’re disturbing the Zoom call or because they might simply prefer to stay on mute but don’t know how to mute Zoom on their side. Thus, you politely ask them to accept their suggestion to be muted. Go to the list of participants [in the toolbar,] and you should be able to mute/unmute individuals manually:

From the same screen, you can choose to Mute All participants. Make sure you don’t leave the Allow Participants to Unmute Themselves option on if you don’t want people to jump in during your presentation. 

Remember you can always change this setting at any point during the Zoom meeting. So if you’re taking questions at the end of a webinar, head over to the three settings dots on the right side of the Mute All option. Select Ask All to Unmute to send a message to every participant when it’s ok to unmute themselves. 

You can also have everyone start the meeting on mute. When scheduling a meeting, select Mute participants upon entry from the Advanced Options:

Example: If you’re hosting a webinar, you might want everyone on mute throughout the session but still let them unmute their audio later when they have a question.

Getting Consent to Mute a Zoom Meeting Participant

For obvious legal and ethical reasons, Zoom hosts can’t unmute a participant if the latter hasn’t given their consent. This is why the first option to unmute someone is to Ask All to Unmute and send the pop-up request:

An alternative is to go to your In Meeting (Advanced) settings and turn on the Request permission to unmute option. 

Now, the option will appear every time you want to schedule a meeting:

With this in place, when a host wants to unmute someone, the participant will receive a message prompting them to allow the host to unmute at any time. 

Tip: Paid plans allow you to group participants and establish this request only for specific groups. This lets you send the pop-up consent request only to people you’ve selected beforehand. 

Once a participant has allowed the host to unmute them, they won’t be asked this a second time. So, for every meeting scheduled by the same host that got the initial approval, the participant can have their microphone unmuted when needed.

What if a participant wants to revoke consent for this? 

They can go to the Audio settings and manage/remove the hosts that received approval from the ‘People who can unmute you’ section. 

How to Block Background Noises During Virtual Meetings 

It’s tedious to keep muting/unmuting yourself when background noises start disturbing the meeting.

Zoom does have a noise suppression option that lowers background sounds like keyboard typing or dogs barking. Go to your Settings, select Audio, and scroll to the Suppress background noise section to make your selection:

The problem is that these four levels of the Zoom noise cancellation feature don’t block out all types of noises simultaneously.

For instance, even if you opt for the Auto setting, it only applies moderate background noise reduction so the chance for some sounds to go unnoticed is high. Your best bet would be to go for the High level but this will take up a lot of CPU power.

The same situation applies to the levels for echo cancellation under the Advanced audio settings:

So if you’re tired of pausing your recordings because of construction work going on around your house or you simply don’t want noise to disrupt an important conversation, try Krisp instead. 

The app automatically removes all background noises and echoes so your team won’t get distracted or misunderstand what you’re saying. If you’re a podcast host or YouTuber, you can record studio-like interviews through the built-in HD voice feature.

No extra equipment is required — you only need Krisp’s AI meeting assistant that brings automatic meeting recording feature to your virtual calls. 

This will instantly solve the “everybody-go-on-mute” problem. No need for anyone to Mute themselves on Zoom when they use Krisp.

The best part is that Krisp removes the background noises on both ends of a meeting. So if you’re hosting a webinar and taking questions, you won’t have to worry about not understanding the attendee because their fan is on. Krisp will clear up the background noises on their end too. All this with minimal CPU usage if you turn on the low power mode.

Here’s how to connect Zoom to Krisp in less than one minute:

Keep in mind you can connect this noise-cancelling app to any other video conferencing or recording tool that accepts the Krisp as the audio input.

Final Words on How to Mute Zoom During Meetings

As a general rule, remember it’s best to have your participants start the meeting on mute. This prevents the meeting from starting when they’re not ready or still caught up with talking to their family. 

Keep a general list of best practices to share with participants or display as your virtual background. Make it a rule for your team members or event attendees to mute themselves whenever they’re not speaking. Also, decide how a participant can get the host’s attention. They could virtually raise their hand, leave a message in the chat box, or directly unmute themselves.

Another super common situation is for speakers to forget they’re on mute. A host’s first instinct should be to tell the speaker that the other participants can’t hear them. Only resort to asking them to unmute via a pop-up if they missed your first cue.

And don’t worry too much about background noises. Turn on Krisp and let it do its job so you can focus on your call instead and rest assured that your audio will be of top quality.

Don’t forget to read our full list of Zoom tips you can use to host and record the most importnat meetings or events! 

The post How to Mute Zoom On Any Device — A Simple Guide appeared first on Krisp.

However, like any significant interaction, a skip level meeting requires careful preparation and execution to ensure they yield the desired outcomes. 

This article takes you through all you need to know about skip-level meetings by thoroughly highlighting:

• Why skip-level meetings are beneficial to the company and employees,
• How to prepare for skip level meeting,
• Tips to effectively execute a skip-level meeting.

What Is a Skip Level Meeting?

This type of meeting involves a manager or a leader engaging directly with employees who are typically one or more levels below them in the organizational chart. The skip level meeting purpose is to establish a unique and strategic form of communication within the organization’s hierarchical structure. 

Moreover, compared to typical one-on-one meetings, skip level meetings bypass the direct reporting chain, hence the term ‘skip-level’ and ‘skip manager.’ This allows higher-level managers to connect directly with employees further down the organizational ladder.

A Gallup report finds that disengaged employees are 37% more likely to be absent and 18% less productive, generating 15% lower profits. Hence, skip level meetings aim to foster open communication and employee engagement. The latter helps to build a deeper understanding of the company’s or organization’s dynamics from different perspectives. 

For instance, a content writer at a company often reports to their direct supervisor, the content manager. However, in a skip level meeting, the content writer gets into a meeting with the marketing manager without the content manager in attendance. 

But how exactly are such meetings beneficial? Do they add any value? Let’s find out in the next paragraphs of this article! 

The Importance of Skip Level Meetings

A skip level meeting plays a crucial role in modern organizational structures.

From the managers’ perspective, skip level meetings offer a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights into the day-to-day operations and challenges faced by employees. 

Managers can better understand their concerns, perspectives, and suggestions by directly engaging with lower-level team members, leading to more informed decision-making and improved leadership effectiveness.

Skip Level Meeting Benefits for a Skip Manager

• Enhancing Communications

The skip level meeting purpose is to provide managers with a direct line of communication with employees, bypassing traditional hierarchies. This fosters a sense of inclusivity and demonstrates to employees that their voices are heard and valued.

• Building Trust and Morale

 By showing genuine interest in the well-being and development of employees, managers can build trust and boost morale. This can lead to increased employee engagement and productivity.

• Gaining Insights and Feedback

Skip level meetings offer a unique vantage point for managers to gain insights and feedback on various aspects of the organization, including processes, policies, and team dynamics.

Skip Level Meeting Benefits for Employees

Employees, obviously, have somewhat possibilities and hopes tied to skip level meetings, but they’re not entirely different. Let’s see which those are:

• Create a Feeling of Being Valued and Recognized

A skip level meeting allows employees to interact with higher-level managers, making them feel valued and recognized for their contributions.

• Foster Professional Development

These meetings can also serve as a platform for employees to discuss their career goals and aspirations, paving the way for professional development opportunities.

• Improve Organizational Culture

 By fostering open communication and transparency, skip level meetings contribute to a positive organizational culture in which employees feel empowered and motivated to excel.

• Highlight Employee Expertise

By sharing their experiences and insights directly, employees can showcase their expertise to senior leaders. This recognition of their knowledge can increase trust, potential cross-functional opportunities, and a deeper appreciation for their contributions.

• Promote Efficient Issue Resolution

Skip-level meetings allow senior leaders to address issues promptly and effectively. By directly engaging with employees, leaders can identify challenges early and take corrective action, minimizing the potential negative impact on operations.

How to Prepare for Skip Level Meeting

This kind of meeting allows managers to gather feedback, identify potential roadblocks, and foster a more engaged and productive workforce. However, no matter the format – hybrid skip level meetings, in-person or online, to make the most of them, proper preparation is crucial for both employees and managers.

How Should an Employee Prepare for a Skip-Level Meeting?

There’s a slight difference between how an employee must get ready for a skip-level meeting and how a skip manager should. So let’s clarify how an employee should do it. 

Understand the purpose

Familiarize yourself with the objectives of the skip level meeting. Is it to discuss career development, provide feedback, or address specific concerns? Having a clear understanding of the purpose will help you prepare accordingly.

Gather relevant information

Collect any necessary and relevant data or documents so you won’t be left unsure the whole time about what to discuss in a skip level meeting. This could include project updates, performance metrics, or examples of your work.

Prepare questions

Develop a list of thoughtful questions to ask in skip level meetings that you would like to ask the senior manager. This could include inquiries about the company’s strategic direction, industry trends, or their personal experiences and leadership style.

Identify challenges and opportunities

Reflect on any challenges you or your team may be facing at present. Consider potential solutions or opportunities for improvement that you can discuss during the skip level meeting.

Review your goals and accomplishments

Be prepared to discuss your career aspirations, goals, and recent accomplishments. This will help the senior manager provide tailored guidance and support.

Practice active listening

Effective communication involves not only speaking but also actively listening. Prepare to engage in an open and honest dialogue, and be ready to receive feedback or constructive criticism.

How Should a Skip Manager Prepare for a Skip Level Meeting?

Now that you know how employees prepare for skip-level meetings, it’s time to outline the way senior-level managers should do the same. 

Set clear objectives

Establish specific goals or areas of focus for the meeting. This could include gathering feedback on a particular initiative, assessing team dynamics, or identifying potential areas for improvement.

Review employee performance

Familiarize yourself with the employee’s background, roles, and responsibilities. Review any retrospective performance data or feedback from their direct manager.

Develop open-ended questions

Prepare a set of open-ended questions to ask in skip level meeting that encourage meaningful dialogue; ones that allow the employee to share their perspectives and experiences freely.

Create a welcoming environment

Some employees find skip-level meetings intimidating. Aim to create a comfortable and inclusive atmosphere that encourages open communication during the meeting. 

Be open to feedback

Approach the meeting with an open mind and a willingness to receive positive and constructive feedback. This will help foster trust and encourage honest dialogue.

Plan for follow-up

Identify potential action items or areas that may require further discussion or follow-up. Determine the agenda of the meeting and how you will communicate and address any issues or suggestions raised during the meeting.

Highlight actionable steps 

Indicate how you plan to address the feedback and concerns raised during the meeting to build trust and confidence with the employees. 

Furthermore, you can organize catch-up meetings to follow up on the commitments made to show the employees that their feedback is taken seriously and that the organization is dedicated to improvement.

By preparing thoroughly, employees and managers can make the most of skip level meetings, fostering open communication, identifying opportunities for growth and improvement, and ultimately strengthening the organization’s culture and performance.

Questions to Ask in Skip Level Meeting

To make the most of your meetings, it’s essential to come prepared with thoughtful questions that can facilitate meaningful discussions and uncover valuable insights.

Questions for Employees to Ask in a Skip Level Meeting

1. What are the company’s long-term strategic goals, and how does my role contribute to achieving them?
2. Can you share your perspective on the current challenges or opportunities our team/department is facing?
3. What advice would you give to someone in my position who aspires to grow within the organization?
4. How would you describe the company’s culture, and what values or principles guide decision-making?
5. From your experience, what are the key traits or skills necessary for success in our industry/field?
6. Could you share an example of a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you overcame it?
7. What learning and development opportunities are available to employees interested in expanding their knowledge or skillset?

Questions for Managers to Ask in a Skip Level Meeting

1. Can you describe your day-to-day responsibilities and the most rewarding/challenging aspects of your role?
2. How would you evaluate the communication and collaboration within your team or department?
3. What improvements or changes would you suggest to enhance our processes, policies, or work environment?
4. Are there any skills or areas of expertise you believe our team could benefit from developing further?
5. Could you share an example of a recent project or initiative that you’re particularly proud of and why?
6. What motivates you in your work, and what could the organization do to support employee engagement better?
7. If you could implement one change or initiative to improve our company’s overall performance, what would it be?

By asking thoughtful and insightful questions, both employees and managers can gain valuable perspectives, identify potential areas for improvement, and foster a more engaged and productive workforce.

Boosting Productivity  at Skip-Level Meetings with Krisp

A skip level meeting, a powerful tool for communication and collaboration, has taken a new leap with the integration of Krisp, an AI-powered meeting productivity tool. 

Krisp proves to be an indispensable asset for both senior management and employees, elevating the quality and effectiveness of skip-level interactions.

Unveiling Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant

Krisp’s AI meeting assistant transforms the way skip level meetings are conducted, offering a range of features that streamline communication, enhance information retention, and improve overall meeting productivity.

Meeting Transcription for Comprehensive Documentation

One of Krisp’s standout features is its state-of-the-art meeting transcription tool. During a skip level meeting, every word spoken is accurately transcribed, ensuring that no vital information, insights, or decisions are lost or forgotten. 

This feature proves invaluable for both employees and senior management, as it allows them to easily review and refer back to the meeting’s content. 

Transcriptions help in maintaining a record of discussions and can be particularly useful for future reference, follow-ups, or audits.

Efficient Meeting Summaries 

Krisp takes meeting notes to a new level with its AI note-taker. Instead of manually sifting through a lengthy transcription, Krisp’s AI distills the meeting’s key discussions, decisions, and action items into a concise and effective meeting summary. 

This feature eliminates the need for time-consuming note-taking, allowing participants to focus on engaging in the conversation rather than taking copious notes. 

The generated summaries serve as a ready reference point, ensuring that the essential meeting takeaways are captured and easily accessible.

Active Noise Cancellation for Enhanced Focus

Distractions and background noise can detract from the quality of a skip level meeting. 

Krisp’s active noise cancellation technology addresses this challenge by effectively eliminating extraneous sounds, ensuring that the meeting’s participants can concentrate on the conversation at hand. 

This creates an environment conducive to meaningful exchanges, promoting engagement and participation from both sides.

Final Words 

Skip level meetings bridge hierarchical gaps, promoting organizational transparency and mutual understanding. Proper preparation from both employees and managers is key to unlocking the full potential of these interactions. 

Combining thoughtful planning with AI-driven productivity tools like Krisp can elevate the effectiveness of skip level meetings. Implementing them backed by innovative technology fosters a communicative culture, stimulates growth opportunities, and aligns efforts across teams. 

By incorporating Krisp into meetings, organizations can significantly enhance the quality and outcomes of these interactions. 

Krisp revolutionizes skip level meetings, turning them into more efficient, productive, and impactful interactions. Try Krisp for free today!

The post How to Prepare for a Skip Level Meeting: All You Need To Know appeared first on Krisp.

Establishing a clear one-on-one meeting agenda, amidst your busy schedule, not only helps in organizing the discussion points but also ensures that both you and your employee stay on track and cover all necessary topics.

While this creates an extra step in the process, it also leads to more effective communication and higher-quality discussions with your employee. In this post, we’ll explore why agendas are so important, review the essential elements you need to include, and share our best practices. 

What is the purpose of a 1:1 meeting agenda?

Creating an agenda may seem like a lot of work. So you may be wondering why you can’t just go into your 1:1 meetings without one. Yes, it’s true that agendas take up a bit more time, but they serve an important purpose. Specifically, a 1:1 meeting agenda:  

• Outlines the objectives for the meeting.
• Prioritizes the topics that need to be discussed.
• Keeps the conversation structured on track.
• Allows both the manager and employee to better prepare for the meeting.
• Serves as a reminder and record for what was discussed.

Being prepared ahead of time with an agenda ensures that you maximize the time spent with your direct report. 

The elements of a strong 1:1 meeting agenda 

But what exactly do you need to include in your 1:1 meeting agenda? This is a great question. While we encourage you to find a format that works best for you and your direct report, here are four elements that you can start with when crafting an agenda for one-on-one meetings:

1. Personal check-in

1:1 meetings are about more than status updates. It’s a chance for you to check in on your employees and see how they’re feeling—both in and out of work. So dedicate at least a few minutes to ask your employee the following questions: 

• How are you feeling this week? 
• Is there anything at work or outside of work that’s causing you stress? 
• Do you have anything on your mind that you’d like to discuss? 
• What’s your biggest challenge this week? What are you most looking forward to? 

2. Overview of ongoing projects

Of course, one of the main objectives of 1:1 meetings is to check in with your employee about ongoing projects. This is a great opportunity to hear about progress and offer your support. Here are a few questions you can ask to drive the conversation: 

• How are you and the team progressing on the project? 
• Do you have any concerns about your workload? 
• Are they running into any issues or obstacles that I can help unblock?
• What are your plans and priorities for this week? 

3. Career growth conversation

We also recommend setting aside time for employees to discuss their career goals—whether that’s working towards the next promotion or acquiring new skills to help them in their current role. Use these questions to guide your conversation about professional development: 

• What progress have you made on your career goals this week?
• Do you have any new skills you’d like to learn on the job?
• What resources can I provide you with to support your career growth? 
• Are there any projects outside our team that you’re interested in working on? Or any people outside of our team that you’d like to learn from? 

4. Miscellaneous

Finally, leave a few minutes for miscellaneous items, which cover topics that don’t fall under the other categories, but the employee still wants to discuss. This may include approving upcoming vacation days, asking questions unrelated to ongoing projects, or providing company-related updates.

You can also use this time to open up the floor to your employees with more open-ended questions like: 

• Is there anything we didn’t cover that you’d like to discuss next time?
• Is there anything I can help you with between now and the next time we meet?
• Do you have any general feedback for me? 

We put together an example below to help you visualize what a 1:1 meeting agenda can look like. We also included recommended time allocations for each section, but you can adjust these numbers depending on your preference. Feel free to copy our template and make it your own!

[Example] 1:1 meeting agenda 

Personal check-in (5 minutes) 

• Check-in 

Ongoing projects (10 minutes) 

• Progress update on monthly marketing deck
• Overview of what’s going well and what’s not
• Discuss upcoming project

Career growth (10 minutes)

• Review ongoing career goals
• Identify new skills to develop in Q2
• Discuss progress with online course
• Reminder about mentorship program  

Miscellaneous (5 minutes) 

• Approve upcoming vacation days
• Provide hiring updates 

6 best practices for using your 1:1 meeting agenda

Now that you have a top-notch agenda, let’s discuss how to use it as effectively as possible. Keep these best practices in mind for your upcoming 1:1 meetings: 

1. Make sure your employee is involved in the process

Remember that these 1:1 meetings are for the benefit of your employees. This is one of the few times they get your undivided attention. Knowing this, it’s essential to make sure your direct report is involved in crafting the agenda as well. 

Establish a process for how you’ll both share ownership of the agenda. For instance, you can agree that your direct report will take the lead on putting the agenda together and send it to you for review. Or, you can also create the 1:1 meeting agenda and send it to your employee for input.

Either way, make sure your employee has the chance to contribute and add any topics they want to cover during your time together. 

2. Share the agenda 24 hours in advance

Make sure to share the agenda with your employee at least 24 hours before your meeting. This gives you both enough time to make changes, share feedback, and prepare for the conversation. 

For example, if you want your direct report to share metrics from the latest marketing campaign, you need to give them time to pull those numbers. Or if your employee wants to discuss a challenging problem they’re facing with a team member, you may want to spend a few hours preparing your thoughts or practicing what you want to say. 

Pro tip: when you do share the agenda, include it as a link directly in the calendar invitation so that it’s easy to locate and access!

3. Include thoughtful questions 

One of the main goals of 1:1 meetings is to actively listen to your employees’ challenges, feedback, and thoughts. But you may notice that your direct reports have a hard time opening up. 

In cases like this, it can be helpful to prepare a list of open-ended questions to drive the conversation forward. You can either write them down in a separate document or include them directly in the agenda—whichever method you prefer. We shared a few examples of questions in the previous section, but here are additional ones to consider, including: 

Check-in questions: 

• Last time we spoke, you mentioned that you were struggling with X. How is that going this week?
• Are there any accomplishments that happened in the last week that you’re particularly proud of? 
• How are you feeling about your current work-life balance? 

Project questions: 

• What part of this project is energizing you? 
• What part of this project is challenging you or not going as well as expected? 
• How do you feel about the direction of this project? 

Career growth questions: 

• What’s one new thing you learned this week?
• Do you feel that your current responsibilities and job align with your future career goals?
• Are there any upcoming events or conferences you’re interested in attending? 

Miscellaneous questions: 

• Do you have any questions about the recent announcement about X?
• Is there anything we discussed today that you want me to follow up on next week? 
• How can I best support you this week? 

Having these questions on hand can keep the conversation fluid and generate additional talking points. It also puts less pressure on you to think of thoughtful questions on the spot. 

4. Take notes

Designate a note-taker for your 1:1 meeting—whether that’s you or your employees. Recording what was discussed during your time together accomplishes a few things.

First, it ensures that you’re both on the same page. For instance, if you discuss a deadline and your employee writes down the wrong date, you can point it out and correct the mistake. You can also use the notes to refresh yourself on what was discussed in the previous week, rather than relying on memory alone. 

Furthermore, using an automatic note-taker AI tool can further streamline the process of capturing and organizing meeting notes, ensuring accuracy and easy access to the discussed points for both you and your teammates.

5. Identify action items

In addition to taking notes, write down action items in your agenda as well. Don’t forget to assign an owner for each one. This creates a clear takeaway for both you and your employee—and reminds you exactly what you need to do before the next meeting. Here are a few examples of what an action item can look like: 

• [Manager name] to approve vacation days by next week.
• [Employee name] to finish a draft of the whitepaper by [date].
• [Manager name] to find a resource to help [employee name] with their project. 

Moreover, leveraging a meeting minutes app can greatly assist in identifying and tracking action items arising from your 1:1 meetings. This app streamlines the process of organizing and assigning tasks to their respective owners, guaranteeing that no action item is overlooked and all tasks are effectively followed up on.

6. Review last week’s agenda

Before your next 1:1 meeting, review the notes and agenda from the previous week. This will help you improve the productivity of your meetings since you won’t need to waste time trying to remember what you discussed last week.  

Doing a review can also remind you to follow up on action items or close the loop on topics that were discussed last time. For instance, if your employee was dealing with a problem the previous week, you may want to check in to see if it’s been resolved or if they need additional support. 

Ready to have more productive 1:1 meetings? Start with an awesome agenda

Agendas are critical to having more productive, efficient, and impactful 1:1 meetings. Understanding the importance of a well-structured one-on-one meeting agenda can significantly enhance the clarity and focus of your discussions. Hopefully, the best practices that we shared in this article will help you make the most of your time with your employees. If you want to learn how to create top-notch agendas for remote team meetings, check out our article on how to create effective meeting agendas for online calls.

Consider Krisp’s meeting terms glossary which can serve as a valuable resource, providing clear definitions and explanations for the specialized terms and concepts commonly used in 1:1 meetings, ensuring that both managers and employees have a shared understanding of the meeting’s language and objectives.

Moreover, Krisp offers a valuable transcription feature. This feature allows users to understand how to transcribe one-on-one meetings efficiently capturing important discussions and action items with ease. With Krisp’s ai meeting assistant feature, you can review meeting details, refer back to important points, and ensure clarity on discussed topics.

[demo-new]

The post A Guide to Creating Great 1:1 Meeting Agendas appeared first on Krisp.

From investing in noise-cancelling headphones to strategically placing sound-absorbing materials, there are plenty of options to explore for cubicle soundproofing and creating a more tranquil work environment.

1. Install soundproofing partitions

One simple cubicle noise reduction trick is to install soundproof partitions. These can be floor-to-ceiling or shorter and are made of thick, sound-dampening material that blocks some of the noise between cubicle walls. As an added bonus, partitions also improve privacy between cubicles.

2. Hang sound blankets

Typically made of thick cotton and polyester material, sound blankets can be hung on walls or draped over windows and doors to dampen sound. If your cubicle neighbor’s conversations bother you, you can hang a sound blanket over the part of the cubicle that shares a wall with them. It’s an easy way to create an extra buffer between you and the source of noise.

3. Install a noise-cancelling app

When all’s said and done, you can soundproof your cubicle as much as possible, but you’ll never be able to block out all sounds. If background noise is ruining your calls, the best solution is one of the best noise-cancelling apps for windows like Krisp that works from within your microphone to eliminate distracting sounds during your meetings.

[demo-new]

Krisp’s AI technology has been trained by listening to thousands of hours of audio, so it knows which sounds are background noise that should be blocked. What’s more, it works with any headset or software you might currently be using. You might not be able to escape your cubicle’s noisy environment, but at least it won’t ruin your phone and video meetings.

4. Acoustic panels

A space with tall ceilings and little furniture can amplify sound, so one way to cut down on echoes is to install acoustic panels on your office walls. These pieces of foam absorb sound so it doesn’t bounce off the walls and create even more noise in the office.

5. Put up acoustic ceiling tiles

Consider putting up acoustic ceiling tiles made of fiberglass or wool to absorb excess sound in your workspace. You’ll particularly benefit if you’re in an office with tall ceilings, which can really intensify echoes. Be prepared to make the investment, though. According to Fixr, the cost of installing a suspended acoustic ceiling averages $1,494 for 130 square feet. 

6. Fill the space with furniture, rugs, plants, etc.

Another way to cut down on how much sound travels through your office is to fill your space with sound-absorbing items. Think large, soft, and cloth, like sofas, rugs, ottomans. Even big canvas paintings may do the trick in stopping those pesky sound waves from bouncing around your workplace.

7. Change your flooring

If you’ve got hard flooring such as tile or wood, consider switching it out for a softer material. Soft flooring like carpet has sound-dampening effects, especially if foot traffic is causing a lot of noise.

8. Install sound masking systems

More than mere white noise, sound masking consists of playing unobtrusive audio engineered at specific frequencies that will make background speech unintelligible. So while it won’t “block out” all distracting sounds per se, it will prevent your coworkers’ conversations from derailing your train of thought.

Many offices install these sound masking systems for both privacy and productivity, but it’s not cheap. It can cost anywhere from $1 to $2 per square foot, according to Todd Berger of Cambridge Sound Management.

9. Increase the distance between cubicles

This solution works especially well if your office has shifted to a hybrid model, where some coworkers are working from home. With more space, you can spread out cubicles farther and decrease the sound that reaches each coworker.

10. Increase cubicle wall height

If you can’t extend horizontal space, think vertical. Invest in taller partitions between cubicles to block out excess noise and improve privacy (win-win!). Some partitions are thick, insulated glass, while others are made of a fabric, such as polyester fiber.

11. Create a quiet room

Sometimes, you don’t need to do away with cubicles altogether. It’s really just about designing your office space based on sound zones. Consider creating a quiet room where employees can retreat to when they need to focus on some deep work.

12. Create a call room

In contrast to the quiet room, a call room can be a conference room or even a phone-booth-type installation where employees can go to make or take calls without disturbing their coworkers. These call rooms typically are enclosed (four walls and a roof) and outfitted with special soundproofing material.

Image source

13. Draft an office noise policy

Every cubicle noise reduction strategy can be enhanced by an office noise policy. Draft a document that clearly outlines best practices when it comes to hosting meetings, having conversations with coworkers, and the like. For example, you might instruct employees to only hold lengthy conversations in conference rooms or to always keep the break room door shut so as not to disturb those working in their cubicles.

By having your noise policy documented, you’ll not only reduce unnecessary noise in the office, but you’ll also reduce stress because employees will know what’s expected of them.

14. Crack down on keyboards

You can’t help the click-clacking sounds of keyboards, but the worst culprits are mechanical keyboards, which have switches beneath each key that create a more tactile feel but also more sound. You can cut down on distracting noise by investing in quiet keyboards for your office staff.

15. Play white noise

White noise is a quick and simple cubicle noise reduction hack. Just look up “white noise” on YouTube or use an app like SimplyNoise to hear a low-level, static noise that’ll drown out other sounds. I personally love turning on a HEPA air purifier while I’m working because of the white noise it provides. And hey, if it provides me with cleaner air, too, all the better!

16. Use noise-cancelling headphones

Noise-cancelling headphones do best cancelling out low, constant sounds (like the hum of an airplane engine). They’re not really meant for drowning out the shrill sounds of your coworker’s laugh. Even so, based on some rave Amazon reviews of Bose noise-cancelling headphones, they do a good job of drowning out noises of an open-plan office space. So, it’s worth a shot!

17. Put in earplugs

Earplugs are a cheap and sneaky cubicle noise reduction strategy. If you want to be super stealthy and get extra noise protection, slip a pair of noise-cancelling headphones over the earplugs. No one will be the wiser.

18. Put on safety earmuffs

Yes, safety earmuffs, as in the kind you wear to protect your ears from loud noises at a shooting range. It may seem extreme, but plenty of office workers use safety earmuffs to drown out your run-of-the-mill office noise.

In college, I lived in an apartment where I shared a wall with a DJ. His music was so loud I could feel the vibrations. To get any studying done, I used to wear earplugs with safety earmuffs over them and turn on my HEPA filter for white noise.

19. Consider a work-from-home model

If there’s anything that the past 17 months of this pandemic have taught us, it’s that remote work really can work. For some, one of the benefits of working from home has been greater control over the amount of noise present. Without dozens of coworkers around, some remote employees have found it home to be a more peaceful environment. So one cubicle noise reduction strategy might just be to get rid of the cubicle altogether by going remote.

20. Start offering private, enclosed offices (at least for some roles)

If getting people back into the office is important for team collaboration, consider offering enclosed offices, at least for some roles. For example, your sales team likely has to make a lot of calls due to the nature of their job. Perhaps they’re the ones making the most noise in the office. In that case, offer dedicated office spaces for these roles. It’ll make the entire workplace quieter, especially for those who still need to work from cubicles.

Cubicle Noise Reduction: Peace and Quiet Is Within Your Reach

Cubicles are a classic office setup, and they allow for some privacy and sound reduction at a lower cost to organizations compared to private offices. However, they’re still not the best at cutting down on noise. 

Consider incorporating cubicle soundproofing materials or cubicle noise reduction strategies like acoustic panels or noise-canceling devices to create a more conducive work environment for your team.

Additionally, consider utilizing technology to combat cubicle noise and ensure background noise cancellation. Krisp, a noise-cancelling app, works wonders by muting background noises during calls, ensuring crystal-clear communication even in bustling office environments. Integrating Krisp into your daily routine can help minimize distractions and enhance concentration, making it a valuable tool for cubicle dwellers seeking tranquility amidst the noise.

The post 20 Cubicle Noise Reduction Strategies appeared first on Krisp.

Audacity is an easy-to-use and completely free multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. It’s great for audio recording and podcasting.

If you’re overwhelmed at what this audio software can do, don’t be! We’ve compiled a handy list on how to improve your audio projects using Audacity.

Whether you’re a podcaster, a sound recordist, or simply someone who wants to sharpen up some audio you have, look no further than this guide on mastering Audacity for voice quality to achieve professional results.

#1 Use the Noise Profile

Firstly, it’s important to clear any background noise. To do that, you just need to understand what frequencies you want to remove. Audacity’s Noise Profile will do just that. Click Effect> Noise Production, and then select Noise Profile. This means you can analyse the audio section and see exactly which frequencies you need removing.

#2 Use Noise Remover Next, it’s time to remove the noise – but hopefully you won’t have much. Select the entire section of waveform from which you want to reduce the noise, then set the Noise Reduction parameters. Use trial and error, adjusting the sliders and listening as you go along.

You can also use Krisp to remove noise, a simple and easy tool that seamlessly works with Audacity to remove background noise. What’s more, it works in real-time, meaning the noises are removed during your audio recording.

So there’s no need to go back and delete the noise when you use noiseless recordings using Krisp with Audacity. After you download and install Krisp, configuring with Audacity is a piece of cake.

Hover over the audio settings in Audacity and select Krisp microphone. Then let it perform its noise cancelling magic. Simple!

To listen while Audacity is recording, enable what is known as software or hardware play-through. If you use software play-through and want to listen to the input without recording it, you need to also left-click in the Recording Meter Toolbar to turn on monitoring.

#3 Use the Normalizer

The Normalizer feature in Audacity is the next best shout for improving voice quality on your audio recordings. Immediately after recording capture (or import) of your audio, this effect should be used solely to remove any DC offset that may be present with no amplitude adjustment applied at this stage.

Use the Normalize effect to set the peak amplitude of a single track, make multiple tracks have the same peak amplitude and equalize the balance of left and right channels of stereo tracks.

This will ensure your podcast or audio recording has that all-round audio goodness when listened to through headphones.

#4 Use the Compressor

Compressing the audio is used for increasing the volume of your vocals so that if you are talking too quiet, it will make you louder. As you can imagine, this is particularly helpful for podcasters with low quality microphones.

Here’s how to do it:

Click on Effects: Compressor and keep the settings on the following levels:

Threshold = -18db

Noise Floor = -40db

Ratio = 2.5:1

Attack Time = 1.81 secs

Release Time = 11.1 secs

Don’t be afraid to play around with these settings to get the volume just right. If you move the cursor to the left, you’ll hear more background noise.

It’s important to keep the audio level out of the red (below 0db), as this can cause distortion. Use the level control to turn it down if this occurs.

#5 Use the Equalizer

So, another cool Audacity setting is the Equalizer. It’s a tool for manipulating the frequency content of sounds, it allows you to set the

balance between the low, mid, and high frequencies. Understanding how these work will make a huge difference to your audio quality.

In women, the frequency range is about 165 Hz to 255 Hz. In men it is a bit lower, 85 Hz to 155 Hz usually. This gives you a more specific range to tinker with it so you don’t put a ton of time and effort into ranges that really don’t affect voice quality.

Use the preview button to monitor the settings and tweak until your Audacity fle sounds clear. Usually a slight dip to the low end or a slight boost will make the world of difference. Once you’re happy with the sound, click “OK” to save changes.

#6 Use Spectrogram

When evaluating your audio quality, it’s important to use the Spectrogram view for voice quality in Audacity.

The Spectrogram view of your audio track provides a visual indication of how the energy in different frequency bands changes over time. That means it can show sudden onset of a sound – making it easier to see clicks and other glitches. It’s also better to use this view for lining up beats in this view rather than in one of the waveform views.

#7 Use The AutoDuck Effect

Have a podcast and you find that sometimes your background music or jingle can drown out your voice? Yeah, you don’t want that.

Try using the AutoDuck to improve the voice quality of your audio project. This Auto-Duck effect is inbuilt into voice quality in Audacity.

It uses a ‘control’ track to lower the level of the ducked track. That means that when the music is playing at full volume, it will detect when the narrator starts speaking. Clever, right?

This then lowers the level of the music track so it is quieter than the narrator. When the narrator finishes, the music returns, or releases to its original level.

#8 Use Bass And Treble Boost

When refining Audacity for voice quality, remember to utilize the bass and treble boost functions with caution, as they can alter the overall frequency balance and potentially affect the final audio level. The Bass and Treble functions increase or decrease the lower frequencies and higher frequencies of your audio independently. They operate just like the bass, treble and volume controls on a domestic stereo system.

Things to remember when using this function:

• Applying a boost to the bass or treble will tend to increase the overall level.

• Reducing the bass or treble may make the final level too quiet.

• If both the treble and bass frequencies are increased and the overall volume lowered, the overall effect means there’s a reduction in the middle frequencies. Similarly, reducing both the bass and treble and increasing the volume has an overall effect of boosting the middle frequencies.

Combine Audacity and Krisp for the perfect audio production

Audacity is an ideal program for achieving a better professional audio recording of your voice, especially if you’re a podcaster.

Try Audacity for your next project, but be sure to install Krisp so you don’t spend many hours going back and removing all the background noise!

Used Audacity and Krisp together to improve your voice in Audacity? We’d love to hear your finished results!

Read next: 15 Best Voice Recording Software in 2021

The post 8 easy steps to improve voice quality in Audacity appeared first on Krisp.

A hybrid meeting is when some attendees are together in person while others participate remotely. During the pandemic, many companies started hiring remote workers with no expectation that they would ever step foot in the office. 

In fact, as of fall 2021, 25% of U.S. employees were working full-time from home and another 20% were working part-time from home. Hybrid meetings are essential in keeping those remote workers engaged, connected and productive in their roles.

But not everyone has mastered the art of the hybrid meeting. In some cases, technology issues can undermine hybrid meetings. In others, remote participants aren’t given the emphasis or talk time that they deserve.

What’s a hybrid meeting’s leader to do?

To help you host effective hybrid meetings time after time, here’s a look at nine ways to get the most out of this new style of work gathering.

1. Ensure a Meeting is Necessary

There’s nothing worse than getting into a meeting … only to realize you didn’t really need to meet in the first place. In the United States, 71% of meetings are unproductive, and meetings overall represent $37 billion in wasted resources.

So, before anything else, carefully evaluate whether or not you need an in-person gathering. Alternatives you can consider include:

• Sharing a memo and asking for collaborators to leave comments.
• Creating a Slack channel to discuss the topic at hand.
• Sending an email with relevant details you were planning to share in the meeting.

When are meetings absolutely necessary? They are essential when discussing sensitive topics, when making key decisions, when brainstorming new ideas, etc. Don’t shy away from scheduling meetings. Just confirm that they are worth the attendees’ time.

2. Set an Agenda

You’ve confirmed that you need a meeting. The natural next step is to create a comprehensive agenda. Outline exactly what you need to discuss and what outcomes you’re hoping to achieve by having the meeting.

Also, consider sending a brief message about the meeting to attendees. Share any pre-work that you’d like attendees to complete, links to presentations or documents that you’ll be discussing, plus overarching goals and objectives of the meeting. You can often include these details directly in the meeting invite.

Bonus: After creating the agenda, go person by person to confirm they are relevant to the conversation. If someone is included on the invite who doesn’t necessarily need to be in the meeting, mark them as optional — or message them directly and let them know their attendance is optional.

3. Designate a Leader

Don’t try to decide who’s leading the conversation after the meeting has started. Designate a leader beforehand and make sure they have aligned with the agenda to lead as efficiently and effectively as possible.

When meetings don’t have leaders, they are often unproductive. They can also feel chaotic to remote attendees. Name a leader ahead of the meeting, and make sure that he or she is prepared to dive into the content and topics as soon as the meeting begins.

4. Prioritize the Remote Attendees

When you’re hosting a hybrid meeting, there should be no second-class citizens. Remote attendees aren’t just listening in. Rather, they are pivotal players in the conversation, and they should be treated as such.

How can you prioritize your remote attendees? Start by making sure that they can see and hear all of the in-person attendees. Also, using large monitors that make remote participants look life-sized can help the in-person attendees engage with them.

Remote attendees can make themselves priorities, too. They should turn their cameras on to maximize their presence in a hybrid meeting, and they should use chat and “raise hand” features if available on your meeting platform. These features can help them get into the conversation if and when needed.

5. Give Everyone a Chance to Ask Questions

Some people dominate the conversations during meetings. Make sure that everyone involved gets a chance to make comments and ask questions by going around one-by-one during or at the conclusion of a meeting.

The meeting’s leader should be prepared to identify anyone who hasn’t participated in the conversation. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask them directly if they have any questions or would like to make any comments about the topic being discussed.

The desire to talk or not talk during a meeting is often a function of personality type. It’s not a shortcoming. Charge meeting leaders with being as inclusive as possible, and you’ll get a diverse mix of voices into the conversation.

6. Consider Recording 

In this era of hybrid meetings, some participants work off-schedule hours and others live and work from different continents. It can be hard to find time that fits everyone’s schedule.

For example, if you live in the United States, it’s nearly impossible to talk to someone in Australia unless one party takes the call at night.

We’ve already mentioned some asynchronous ways to communicate above: memos, Slack channels, emails. Use those asynchronous channels for invitees who can’t attend, but also consider recording your meeting. A recording allows invitees who can’t attend to listen to the conversation and pose questions and/or make comments afterward.

In addition to recording, some virtual meeting platforms offer transcription services. Invitees who can’t attend may not have time to watch and listen to the replay — but they can skim a transcription to get the gist of the conversation.

Furthermore, utilizing Krisp’s AI meeting assistant can enhance the quality and accuracy of transcriptions. This ensures that even non-attendees have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the discussed points, making it easier for teams to stay aligned and informed, regardless of their time zones or schedules.

7. Keep it Short

Time is a precious commodity. Make sure you’re using everyone’s time wisely.

There’s no rule that says a meeting scheduled for 30 minutes must last the full half hour. You have an agenda in hand. When you’ve completed the agenda, let attendees hop off the call to go about their business. They may even thank you for it.

Meetings that end early provide relief to attendees. An extra few minutes can go a long way toward cleaning up email, finishing projects, scheduling other meetings, or even just running to get a drink of water. When you’ve accomplished the objectives of the meeting, end it — no matter how much time you have left.

8. Test and Use the Right Technologies

Hybrid meetings fail without the right technologies included. Your company likely has in place all of the tools needed to facilitate hybrid meetings. Most modern conference rooms even have integrations between the virtual meeting software running on your computer and the hardware present in the space. 

But, if your organization is just starting to use hybrid meeting technology, spend time testing before you use it. If you wait until just a few minutes before the meeting begins, you may have to troubleshoot the technology — which wastes some of the time allotted for the meeting itself. You never want to waste attendees’ time by working through tech issues during a meeting.

9. Emphasize Audio

Video technology is important. But audio is essential. It’s so essential that it deserves its own section.

Without effective audio connections, your hybrid meeting will fail. And, even if your audio is working, the subtle noises and sounds that come with remote work can be seriously distracting. Some remote attendees might have:

• Children playing in the next room.
• Delivery drivers knocking on their doors.
• Dogs barking at passersby.
• Microphones that provide feedback.
• Offices that echo.

When you have the right audio technologies in place, you can eliminate those distractions to facilitate highly productive hybrid meetings. In-person attendees will be able to hear remote attendees clearly (and vice versa).

Stellar Audio for Virtual Meetings

Need perfect audio for effective hybrid meetings? Krisp was designed with that objective in mind.  As an online meeting experience with both audio and video capabilities, Krisp uses artificial intelligence to:

• Cancel noises: Krisp removes disruptions from both ends of the conversation. Never again will you have to worry about audio quality when meeting with colleagues, partners, clients or prospects.
• Cancel voices: When your children are playing in the next room, Krisp cancels out all but the primary speaker’s voice so that he or she can be heard clearly.
• Cancel echoes: Working from a room with hardwood floors? The echo can be distracting. Krisp cancels out the echo for maximum clarity — giving you the option to work from wherever you like.

In pursuit of effective hybrid meetings, Krisp monitors talk time so that meeting leaders can keep tabs on participation. You also get meeting insights and historical data points to review the impact of hybrid meetings.

Use Krisp in tandem with more than 800 popular communication tools, including Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and others. This audio-enhancing software acts as a “smart” layer between devices to cancel distractions — and to empower effective hybrid meetings, day after day.

Are you ready to host stellar hybrid meetings? Try Krisp for free.

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The post 9 Ways to Lead Effective Hybrid Meetings in 2022 appeared first on Krisp.

However, as convenient as they are, video conferencing apps also come with their own set of security and privacy concerns. In this blog post, we’ll be sharing our top ten Zoom security tips.

1. Protect Your Account

Out of all of our Zoom security tips, protecting your account is one of the easiest and most preventive. Like all online accounts, your Zoom account is not an entirely secure platform. Hackers are known to exploit vulnerabilities in the software, leading to information leaks and other security breaches.

Choosing a strong password that includes a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols is the best place to start. You should also enable two-factor authentication for an extra layer of security.

Additionally, it is best to keep your software updated to the latest version, as Zoom regularly releases patches to fix potential security issues.

2. Use Your Work Email

When registering for a Zoom account, it is best to use a work email. This will help ensure that your account is set up properly and that you can access all the features you need. In addition, using a work email will help you maintain a professional appearance when communicating with clients and colleagues. 

By contrast, a personal email account will share your personal contact information with anyone you communicate with through Zoom, which could lead to privacy issues down the road.

3. Beware of Fake Zoom Applications and Invites

In the past, there have been fake applications that masquerade as Zoom. These fake applications are designed to trick users into giving away personal information such as credit card numbers and login credentials. Some of these fake applications have even been used to install malware on victims’ computers.

Fake Zoom invites are also commonly sent to users via email as phishing scams. These invites often contain links that lead to malicious websites. To avoid falling victim to these scams, only download Zoom from the official website and be wary of any suspicious-looking emails you receive.

Make sure you have DMARC setup correctly to avoid phishing and email fraud. Only accept invitations to join Zoom meetings from people you know and trust. If you are unsure about an invitation, reach out to the person directly to verify that it is legitimate.

Furthermore, you should only download Zoom from official sources such as the App Store or Google Play.

4. Don’t Share Zoom Links on Social Media

While it may be tempting to share your Zoom meeting link on social media, it is best to avoid doing so. By sharing the link on a public platform, you run the risk of someone else joining the meeting uninvited.

For optimal Zoom meeting privacy, only share the link with the people who are supposed to be in the meeting. Then, you can send the link via email or another secure messaging platform.

If you are hosting a webinar or a meeting with several people outside your organization, create a funnel that allows users to RSVP. Then, you can send the link to those who fill in their information. This will help to ensure that only the people who are supposed to be in the meeting have access to the link.

5. Password Protect Every Meeting

During the pandemic, “Zoombombing” was a common issue that online educators faced. A “Zoombomb” is similar to a photobomb; someone unexpectedly joins your Zoom meeting and disrupts it.

Unlike most of our Zoom security tips, password protection is usually a default setting. To check, open up your Zoom settings and go to the “Meeting” tab. Then, scroll down to the “Passcode” option and make sure it is on.

Password protecting your meetings is one of the best ways to prevent Zoombombs. By setting a password, you can ensure that only people with the correct information are able to join the meeting.

6. Set Up a Waiting Room

A waiting room is a feature that allows the host to control who joins the meeting. When you set up a waiting room, everyone who tries to join the meeting will be placed in a holding area.

As the host, you can then admit people into the meeting one by one. This means that you can screen each of the participants before they join the meeting, which can help to prevent Zoombombs and other unwanted disruptions.

For example, if you are a college professor, you could use this feature to cross-reference each person who joins the meeting with your class roster to ensure that they are enrolled in your class.

To set up a waiting room, open your Zoom settings and navigate to “Meeting Settings.” Then, check the box next to “Enable Waiting Room.”

7. Disable Private 1:1 Chats

In some cases, 1:1 chats may be necessary, but in most, they are not. If you do not want any attendees to be able to chat privately with each other during the meeting, you can disable this feature.

To do so, open your Zoom settings and navigate to “Meeting Settings.” Then, scroll down to the “In Meeting (Advanced)” section and uncheck the box next to “Private chat.”

By disabling private chats, you can help to ensure that all conversations during the meeting are visible to everyone in the group.

8. Disable the “Join Before Host” Feature

The “Join before host” feature lets people funnel into a Zoom meeting before the organizer joins. While this may be convenient for some people, it can also increase the chances of Zoombombs and other disruptions. If you want to be able to prescreen everyone who comes into your meeting, you must disable this functionality.

If you want to disable this feature, open your Zoom settings and navigate to “Meeting Settings.” Then, scroll down to the “Join before host” section and uncheck the box next to “Allow participants to join before host.”

9. Disable “Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin”

If you remove someone from your Zoom meeting, you usually do so for a reason. Whether they are being disruptive or you simply don’t want them there, once you remove someone from the meeting, you probably don’t want them to be able to rejoin.

Fortunately, Zoom gives you the option to disable this feature. If you want to prevent removed participants from rejoining your meeting, open your Zoom settings and navigate to “Meeting Settings.” Then, scroll down to the “In Meeting (Basic)” section and uncheck the box next to “Allow removed participants to rejoin.”

10. Disable Recording of Meetings

Recording your meeting can be a helpful way to create a record of what was discussed. You may need to record your meeting if it is a:

• Webinar
• Sales presentation
• Classroom lecture
• Interview
• Conference keynote

In many cases, however, recording your meeting is unnecessary. For Zoom meeting privacy, it is best to disable this feature.

To disable local recording, open your Zoom settings and navigate to “Recording.” 

Then, uncheck the box next to “Local Recording.” You can also choose to save recordings to the cloud instead of locally on your computer.

If you do need to record your meeting, you can do so by starting the recording from within the Zoom application.

Bonus tip: Use Krisp noise cancelling app as a meeting insurance to remove background noises from your calls and stay productive.

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Final Thoughts on Zoom Meeting Privacy

By following the tips in this article, you can help to ensure that your Zoom meetings are private and secure. While no system is perfect, these tips will give you a good starting point for protecting your Zoom meetings from unwanted disruptions and security breaches.

Do you have any other Zoom security tips? Let us know in the comments below!

The post 10 Best Tips for Zoom Security and Privacy in 2022 appeared first on Krisp.