Overview

This article will explore the differences between speaker view and gallery view in Zoom, and their uses, pros and cons within evexus virtual and hybrid events.

Active Speaker View

Active Speaker view will switch the large video window between who is speaking, and/or making any noises/sounds. 

This is referred to as an Active Speaker. The concept of an active speaker is relevant if you are sharing slides as well, meaning the slides will be visible to the audience while the camera will show the speaker who is currently speaking/making noise.

Gallery View

Gallery view allows you to see thumbnail displays of all participants in your Zoom meeting in a grid pattern, which expands and contracts as participants join and leave the meeting. 

Changing Video Layout 

In the top-right of the Zoom window, is the "View" button. Here is where you can switch between speaker view, and gallery view. 

Uses and Considerations of Different Layouts

What view should I use?

It is important to note that changing your personal view will not affect what anyone else sees, only your own screen. 

What view should I use when I am presenting remotely?

When you are sharing your screen to present remotely, you will notice Zoom gives you a different set of 'thumbnail' view options whereby you can see the other participants. Again, your preference and choice here doesn't impact how the evexus operator sees your content, and therefore how we display it as part of the live stream broadcast.

What view will the audience see?

For live-streams your evexus Operator will generally broadcast live remote speaker presentations in speaker view unless requested otherwise. In operated meetings, as described above, each individual participant will control what they see.

For individual presentations, there is no need to see other Zoom participants that may be in your Zoom meeting. Also, if you are sharing your screen (e.g. your PowerPoint presentation), it can become very cluttered with a side-by-side Powerpoint presentation, and a gallery view of multiple people. 

Gallery View can be helpful when you want multiple speakers on screen at the same time, for example during a panel discussion or Q&A. It is however recommended that the maximum number of participants in a Gallery View format is six, as the video can become very cluttered with faces.