Moderating Live Video Interviews

Anyone who will be participating in a live video interview, including the Host, should be encouraged to use the System Check several minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

Starting 15 minutes before the designated start time of a Live Video Interview, a  Join Meeting button will appear on the interview activity page for the host, the participant, and any other administrator with the permissions to join the backroom of the meeting. 

Clicking on this button opens a tech check page prior to entering the meeting. Here, attendees can confirm that their camera/microphone are working, and can choose to disable either of these before officially entering the meeting. 

While the participant is automatically taken to the front room of the meeting, any administrator who is not the official meeting host will be taken to the backroom by default.

The meeting host has the option to join the front room or the backroom of the meeting.    

If they join the backroom, they will need to open the directory and select Host Meeting to begin hosting the meeting.

As soon as both the participant and the host have joined the meeting, the recording begins. 

Starting the Meeting Audio Early

When backroom audio is enabled, observers can collaborate with each other and the Host in the backroom audio channel. By default, the backroom audio channel does not start until the participant and Host join the meeting. 

If observers wish to collaborate in the backroom audio channel before the participant joins, the Host has the option to start the meeting early. The option to start early will be visible to the Host at all times while waiting for the participant to join:

Starting the meeting early will consume Live Video Minutes. Once the meeting has been started, the participant may enter at any time.

Meeting Interface

Once in the meeting, a number of settings and options are integrated into the interface for easy access:

1. Audio Channel Controls: Live Activities can have multiple audio channels, such as a backroom with observers or a channel for simultaneous translation. This button allows you to determine which channel(s) you would like to hear. You can also select the Adjust Volume option to set custom volume for each available channel individually. 

2. Microphone: This button can be used to toggle your microphone on and off, or, to change your audio input device.

3. Camera: This button can be used to toggle your camera on and off during the meeting, or, to change which camera you are using.

4. Screen Sharing: Hosts can use this button to share their screen with the participant or request that the participant share theirs. Once screen sharing is enabled, the user sharing their screen will have the option to choose whether to share their entire desktop, a specific application window, or even a tab within an application window.

5. Meeting Chat Toggle: The meeting chat toggle can be used to open or close the chat.

6. Meeting Chat Window: The meeting chat can be used to communicate in writing with the participant, share prepared content, or communicate with members of the backroom using the backroom tab within the chat window. The chat window will automatically open on the right side of your screen. You can use the pushpin icon in the upper right hand corner of the window to pop out the chat in a floating window (the same icon can be used to snap the chat back to the right as well).

Click here for a more detailed look at posting prepared content.

If the text-chat area is hidden, the icon will indicate when someone else is typing and when a new unread message has been sent. The chat message will also appear on screen as an overlay. 

7. Backroom Chat tab: Click on the Backroom Chat tab to toggle between the Front room chat and the backroom chat. The front room is visible to everyone in the meeting including the participant while the backroom is only visible to administrators. If you receive a message within a tab that you do not currently have open, a number will appear on that tab to indicate the number of new messages you have not viewed yet.

You can read our Live Video Interview Backroom article for more information on the backroom of Live Video Interviews!

8. If a user is experiencing technical difficulties during a live meeting, they can click on Having Issues? to launch troubleshooting procedures. The user can choose between refreshing their page to re-join the meeting, or, running a System Check to diagnose their issue. 

The Having Issues? button will only be visible to a user if and when performance issues have been detected.

9. The Participant Menu is where you can see everyone who is attending the meeting, including the participant, Translators, and Backroom Observers. Clicking on the participants name will automatically open the chat window. Hosts also have the ability to force mute participants and the backroom from this menu. 

10. The Exit Activity button can be used to exit or end the meeting. Exiting the meeting will impact you only, as the meeting will continue to run in your absence and you can rejoin as needed. If you choose to end the meeting, it cannot be resumed.