Zoom Meeting Q&A

Description

The Zoom meeting Q&A feature organizes participant questions into categories (open, answered, and dismissed) for hosts and co-hosts. It allows participants to post questions anonymously, view only those questions that have been answered, or view all posted questions (which can then be upvoted or commented on by participants). 

The Zoom Q&A feature has been available in webinars and is now also available in Zoom meetings.

In this document:

Access

Application

Zoom meeting Q&A features 

Zoom Q&A Settings

 Zoom meeting Q&A limitations

Avoid these Pitfalls

Resources

Access

To enable the Q&A feature:

1. Sign into the Zoom web portal. https://uwmadison.zoom.us
   
   
2. Click Settings in the navigation menu, then click the Meeting tab.
   
   
3. Under In Meeting (Advanced), click Q&A in meetings to enable or disable (toggle). Available with version 5.12.6 or later.

When scheduling a Zoom meeting:

1. Click + Schedule a Meeting.
   
   
2. On the Schedule Meeting page, click Show (located to the right of Options).
   
   
3. Select the Q&A checkbox (and any other required meeting options or enter alternative hosts). The Q&A checkbox must be selected prior to starting the meeting for Q&A to be available.

To open the Q&A window as a host, co-host, or participant during a meeting, click the Q&A icon in the Zoom control panel.

Application

The Zoom Q&A makes it easier for hosts and co-hosts to identify, organize, and respond to posted questions.

Zoom meeting Q&A features

The Zoom Q&A window as seen by meeting hosts and co-hosts is shown below. Q&A features are listed and described below the image.

Note: Features 1-5 listed below may be changed at any time during a Zoom meeting. 

1. The Q&A feature can be opened and closed by hosts and co-hosts at any time during a live meeting.
   
   
2. Participants may post questions anonymously.
   
   
3. If participants are allowed to view all questions posted in Q&A, they can optionally upvote questions to alert the host which questions are most important to them.
        3a. The number of upvotes a question receives appears next to the thumbs-up icon under each posted question.
   
   
4. If participants are allowed to view all questions posted in Q&A, they can optionally comment on posted questions, including their own. Questions can be answered by hosts or co-hosts only.
   
   
5. Allow participants to see posted questions after they have been answered only. (This disables participants' ability to upvote or comment on questions).
   
   
6. Posted questions are categorized as open, answered, or dismissed for hosts and co-hosts. Questions are categorized into a list of all questions and "my questions" for participants. 
   
   
7. To answer a question, the host or co-host can choose to answer live or type a response. 
       7a. Questions that will be answered live display a microphone icon and are not considered answered until the host clicks Done. 
   
   
8.  If an answer is typed, it may be viewed by all participants or sent privately. A message of "Private answer" displays to participants who receive private responses. 
   
   
9. To dismiss or delete a question, click the ellipsis next to that question. Dismissed questions may be reopened from the Dismissed tab. Participants cannot comment on or upvote dismissed questions. Deleted questions are immediately removed from participants' Q&A window and are not recoverable. 
   
   
10. Questions can be ordered by most recent or most upvotes independently by hosts, co-hots, and participants. 

Zoom Q&A Settings

Zoom meeting Q&A settings can be changed prior to or during a meeting.

To change Q&A settings prior to starting the Zoom meeting:

1. On the meeting information page, click the Q&A tab.
   
   
2. Click Edit and make desired changes.
   
   
3. Click Save.

To change Q&A settings during a Zoom meeting: 

1. Click the Q&A icon in the Zoom controls panel. 
   
   
2. Click the gear icon in the Q&A window.
   
   
3. Make any required changes. There is no Save button, and all changes will take immediate effect in the meeting. 

Zoom meeting Q&A limitations

• The Q&A feature is not available to participants in breakout rooms. 
• Participants cannot delete their posted questions from Q&A.
• Rich text editing, emoji reactions, and file and screenshot attachments are not available in Q&A.
• Hosts and co-hosts cannot post a question, they can only respond in Q&A.

Avoid these Pitfalls

If both the Zoom chat and Q&A features are available during a meeting, consider being explicit with participants about how each should be used within the context of the meeting. 

Resources

LDT Zoom Meeting Q&A Feature video

Zoom Support articles:

Enabling Q&A for Meetings

Using Q&A in Zoom Meetings