Video calls have become an indispensable part of life – we use them for everything from business meetings and conferences to virtual yoga classes and game nights with friends. As the leading video conferencing platform, Zoom makes it easy for hosts to conduct engaging online gatherings.
But juggling the myriad of technical and administrative tasks during back-to-back Zoom calls can quickly become overwhelming!
That‘s why mastering the co-host feature is so valuable. By designating trusted participants as co-hosts, you can share hosting duties to ensure your sessions run smoothly.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll unpack everything around Zoom co-hosts including:
- Exactly how the co-host role works
- When to assign co-hosts for different meeting types
- Step-by-step instructions to add co-hosts
- Creative ideas to leverage their helping hands!
Let‘s dive in to amplify your virtual meetups through strategic co-host assignments…
Why Zoom Wins the Video Call Race
Before we focus on meeting co-hosts specifically, it helps to understand Zoom‘s meteoric rise to the top of the video chat industry.
Founded in 2011 by CEO Eric Yuan after previous frustrations with WebEx, Zoom sought to make virtual conferencing more reliable and user-friendly. The now-household name grew steadily for nearly a decade before exploding in 2020.
The coronavirus pandemic drove a staggering 30x increase in Zoom usage practically overnight. Schools and offices turning to remote operations depended on its video call stability and essential features like screen sharing.
Despite heated competition from apps like Webex, Skype, and GoToMeeting, Zoom continues dominating the video conferencing landscape in 2022.
Zoom‘s quarterly revenue skyrocketed from $60 million to over $1 billion annually amid 2020‘s remote work boom.
As video calls become deeply ingrained in work and leisure, Zoom stands out for its:
- Simplicity – Easy to use platform with a consistent interface across devices
- Reliability – More stable calls than alternatives, especially for large meetings
- Flexibility – Robust features for varied use cases from webinars to classrooms
- Scalability – Support for meetings with up to 1,000 participants
With tens of millions relying on Zoom daily, understanding how to better leverage its capabilities around managing meetings is more crucial than ever for hosts.
That brings us to unpacking the specific powers and privileges of designating trusted co-hosts!
Co-Host Role and Responsibilities
Zoom co-hosts essentially act as a meeting‘s secondary host, taking on many administrative duties to keep sessions running smoothly.
Unlike normal attendees, co-hosts have elevated permissions allowing them to manage core call features without constantly relying on the main host.
Think of them like teacher‘s assistants in a virtual classroom or production assistants behind the scenes of a webinar.
Some key capabilities available to designated co-hosts include:
- Muting/unmuting participants
- Enabling/disabling participant cameras
- Removing disruptive participants
- Locking the meeting room to control entry
- Managing waiting room and approvals (in enabled meetings)
- Launching polls, Q&As and chats
- Screen sharing assigned content
The table below summarizes how the key permission levels between hosts, co-hosts and attendees compare:
| Action | Host | Co-Host | Attendee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mute Participants | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Stop Participant Share | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Start Breakout Rooms | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Remove Participants | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Admit from Waiting Room | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Make Another User Co-Host | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
This comparison shows how co-hosts enjoy elevated controls to help manage meetings, while hosts retain ultimate ownership.
The idea is that by designating one or more co-hosts, you lighten the hosting burden substantially. As the meeting host, you can focus energy on presenting content or leading substantive discussions.
Meanwhile, your appointed co-host allies can handle things like:
- Welcoming late joiners from the waiting room
- Monitoring and moderating chat discussions
- Managing live Q&A sessions and fielding questions
- Keeping tabs on any audio or video issues
- Screen sharing supplementary content and media
Of course the host still has overriding power if needed. You retain the ability to remove co-host status or take back overridding controls at any time.
But ideally, you put total trust in your co-hosts to exercise their administrative powers responsibly behind the scenes!
Next let‘s cover how to activate this special designation…
Activating Co-Host Capabilities
Before being able to assign meeting co-hosts, there are a couple requirements around your Zoom account:
- You must be using a paid Zoom plan – co-host settings are disabled on free basic accounts
- The co-host feature specifically needs enabling in your account settings
As long as you‘ve upgraded to a premium Zoom tier like Pro, Business or Enterprise, you can switch on co-host permissions as follows:
- Visit the web portal at zoom.us and login
- Click on "Settings" in the left sidebar
- Open the "In Meeting (Basic)" tab
- Check the box to enable “Co-Host”
Make sure co-hosts are enabled under the "In Meeting (Basic)" settings tab
With the option now activated in your account preferences, all future Zoom meetings you start will allow adding fellow participants as co-hosts.
It‘s really that simple to unlock more meeting management muscle!
Now let‘s walk through the live process of assigning co-hosts mid-meeting…
Designating Co-Hosts Step-By-Step
Once your Zoom meeting kicks off, you can promote any attendee to co-host status on the fly by:
- Click on "Participants" at the bottom to open the people menu
- Hover over the chosen participant‘s name
- Click the "More" dot icon next to them
- Select "Make Co-Host" from the dropdown
Access the “Make Co-Host” option for a participant via the More menu
- Confirm your selection in the prompt window
That‘s it! The user will now gain those special privileges to help manage core meeting functions.
You‘ll see their name update automatically with a (co-host) label for added clarity on their elevated status.
Verified co-hosts will be denoted with a (co-host) label next to their names
Some additional tips around assigning Zoom co-hosts:
Add Multiple Co-Hosts – No limit here, the more helpers the merrier! Great for bigger meetings and events.
The Host Has Final Say – You retain overriding capabilities like removing other co-hosts. Choose helpers wisely as they can eliminate your control too!
Test Features First – When granting co-host initially, have them try muting a test user to ensure it worked before assuming full duties.
Grant Selectively – While hosts can share screen and mic control, avoid assigning this willy-nilly unless you fully trust someone.
Check-In Occasionally – Ping your co-hosts privately via chat to get status updates and see if they need any other support.
Now let‘s explore creative meeting scenarios where empowering co-hosts can really amplify your Zoom sessions!
Creative Ways to Use Co-Hosts
Designating trusted co-hosts goes beyond basic shared workload – it opens creative doors for more engaging, dynamic video calls!
Here are just some ideas to inspire your next Zoom gathering:
🎤 Presenting Duets
Have your co-host manage audience questions, queues and transitions so you can fully focus on delivering a flawless presentation or speech.
🎬 Movie Watch Parties
Your co-host becomes video DJ, queueing up Netflix synced across attendees while you lead fun discussions and commentary.
🏫 Virtual Classrooms
Teacher‘s assistants act as natural co-hosts, handling breakout rooms, student issues, Q&A and other classroom logistics.
🗳️Webinars & Events
While you present center stage, co-hosts moderate live chats/Q&A with hundreds of attendees.
🥳 Multiplayer Game Nights
Your co-host manages game rules screens, score-keeping, player disputes and other hosting duties during fast-paced sessions.
🎉Networking Mixers
Have your co-host manage virtual ice-breakers, audio channels and messaging so you can focus solely on connecting with attendees.
These are just a handful of examples where dividing meeting management via co-hosts takes your Zoom sessions to the next level.
Infographic by Zoom summarizing creative co-host use cases
The possibilities are endless when it comes to better leveraging your co-hosts‘ unique capabilities!
Key Takeaways and Next Steps
We‘ve covered a lot of ground when it comes to amplifying your Zoom prowess with designated co-hosts!
Here are some key tips to remember:
🔑 Co-hosts act like mini admins, helping manage meeting tech and logistics
🔑 Enable co-hosts under Settings > Meeting > In Meeting (Basic)
🔑 Assign co-host status to a participant by selecting "Make Co-Host"
🔑 Have co-hosts handle chat, Q&A, removals and other helpers
🔑 Get creative with co-host roles – dual presenters, video DJs, classroom TAs and more!
To recap, designating trusted co-hosts allows you to distribute meeting management, ensure smoother virtual sessions, and focus energy on delivering quality experiences.
Ready to elevate your next Zoom gathering? Follow the steps above to start assigning co-hosts for more engaging, collaborative video events!
I hope this guide serves you well on your journey toward Zoom mastery. Feel free to reach out via email or comment below if you have any other questions.
Happy video calling!
