In a Zoom webinar, you have the flexibility to manage both panelists and attendees during the session. Here are key actions you can take as a host:

During the webinar:

1. Click on “Participants” in your host controls to manage panelists and attendees.
   • Options include promoting a panelist to co-host or attendee, demoting panelists to attendees, unmuting, stopping video, and more.

After the webinar:

1. After the webinar concludes, you can view detailed reporting, including registration, attendee information, polling results, and more.

Managing Panelists Before the Webinar:

1. Before the webinar session starts, you have the option to manually add or remove panelists as hosts.

These actions provide you with control and flexibility in managing the participants in your Zoom webinar, ensuring a smooth and organized virtual event.

To manage attendees and panelists in a Zoom webinar, the following prerequisites are necessary:

1. Zoom Webinars Add-On:
   • The Zoom Webinars add-on is required. Make sure that the Zoom account has the webinar feature enabled, as webinars have additional capabilities beyond regular meetings.
2. Host Privilege for the Webinar:
   • You need to have host privileges specifically for the webinar you are managing. The host role provides the necessary controls and permissions to manage participants during the webinar session.

How to access the Participants panel

Certainly! Here are the steps to view participants in a Zoom webinar as the host:

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
2. Start a Webinar as the Host.
   • Begin hosting the webinar using your Zoom desktop client.
3. Click on Participants in the Webinar Controls.
   • In the webinar controls, you’ll find the “Participants” button. Click on it to open the Participants panel.
4. Participants Panel Layout.
   • The Participants panel will appear on the right side of your screen.
   • In the Panelist tab, you will see the host, co-hosts, and panelists listed.
   • In the Attendees tab, you will find a list of attendees.

The order in which participants are displayed in Zoom follows a specific hierarchy based on their interaction in the webinar. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Participants Allowed to Talk:
   • Participants who are currently allowed to talk, such as panelists or attendees who have been given speaking privileges by the host.
2. Participants with Raised Hands:
   • Participants who have raised their hands during the webinar. The order in which they raised their hands determines the display order, with the first participant to raise their hand appearing at the top.
3. Participants without Raised Hands:
   • Participants who have not raised their hands during the webinar are displayed next.

How to manage panelists

Press the More button once you have hovered over the panelist’s name. With regard to the management of participants, you will notice the following options:

In a Zoom webinar, as a host, you have various controls and options for managing panelists. Here’s a breakdown of the actions you can take:

1. Mute / Ask to Unmute:
   • Mute or unmute a panelist. The panelist needs to accept the unmute prompt before being unmuted.
2. Chat:
   • Open the chat window to send messages directly to the panelist.
3. Make Host:
   • Assign the panelist to be the host. Note that there can only be one host in a webinar.
4. Make Co-Host / Withdraw Co-host Permission:
   • Assign the panelist to be a co-host. You can have an unlimited number of co-hosts.
5. Change Role to Attendee:
   • Change the panelist’s role to an attendee.
6. Rename:
   • Change the panelist’s displayed name for other participants.
7. Assign to Type Closed Captions:
   • Assign the panelist to type closed captions during the webinar.
8. Allow to Record Local Files / Remove Permission to Record Local Files:
   • Allow or remove the panelist’s permission to start or stop a local recording of the webinar.
9. Allow to Multi-pin:
   • Allows the panelist to pin up to 9 videos within their view of the webinar.
10. Put on Hold:
    • Place the panelist on hold. This temporarily removes them from the webinar, and they cannot hear, see, or share content. They will see a message indicating they are on hold.
11. Remove:
    • Remove the panelists from the webinar. They won’t be able to rejoin unless you allow participants and panelists to rejoin.

These options give hosts granular control over the roles, permissions, and interactions of panelists in a Zoom webinar.

Changing a panelist to attendee

Here are the steps to demote a panelist to an attendee in a Zoom webinar:

1. Sign in to the Zoom Desktop Client.
   • Ensure you are signed in using your Zoom account.
2. Start a Webinar as the Host.
   • Initiate a webinar session as the host.
3. Access Participants:
   • Click on “Participants” in the Zoom webinar controls.
4. Navigate to Panelists Tab:
   • In the Participants panel, click on the “Panelists” tab.
5. Select the Panelist:
   • Hover over the name of the panelist you want to demote.
6. Access More Options:
   • Click on “More” next to the panelist’s name.
7. Change Role to Attendee:
   • From the additional options, click on “Change Role to Attendee.”

How to manage attendees

In a Zoom webinar, the Attendees tab provides a convenient way for hosts to manage and interact with participants. Here’s a summary of what you can expect on the Attendees tab:

1. List of Present Attendees:
   • The Attendees tab displays a list of participants who are currently present in the webinar.
2. Non-Verbal Feedback:
   • Next to each attendee’s name, you can see any non-verbal feedback they have selected. Non-verbal feedback may include options like raising hand, yes/no responses, etc.
3. Search Bar (for 7 or more attendees):
   • When there are seven or more attendees, a search bar becomes available at the top of the list. This allows hosts to quickly search for a specific attendee.

To manage attendees, hover over the attendee’s name and click More. You will see the following options:

In a Zoom webinar, hosts have various controls to manage attendee participation. Here’s a breakdown of the options related to allowing attendees to talk:

1. Allow to Talk:
   • Allow the attendee to unmute and speak in the webinar. The participant receives a prompt to confirm if they want to unmute or stay muted. If they choose to stay muted, you can use “Ask to Unmute” to prompt them again.
   • Note: While unmuted, the attendee’s profile picture and name are displayed to the host and panelists, while only their name is displayed to other attendees.
   • If you allowed the attendee to talk, you will see these options:
2. Mute / Ask to Unmute:
   • Mute or unmute the attendee. They need to accept the unmute prompt before being unmuted.
3. Disable Talking:
   • Revoke the attendee’s ability to talk. This mutes the participant and prevents them from unmuting themselves.
4. Lower Hand:
   • Lower the participant’s hand if raised. Their position in the participants will move down after those with their hand raised.
5. Chat:
   • Open the chat window to send messages directly to the attendee.
6. Promote to Panelist:
   • Make the attendee a panelist, granting additional privileges.
7. Rename:
   • Change the attendee’s displayed name for other attendees.
8. Remove:
   • Remove the attendee from the webinar. They won’t be able to rejoin unless you allow them.
   • At the bottom of the list of attendees, you will see the “Lower All Hands” option, which lowers all raised hands without muting attendees.

Promoting an attendee as a panelist

Additional controls

In a Zoom webinar, the Panelists tab provides additional controls for hosts to manage panelists. Here are the additional controls available at the bottom of the Participants panel in the Panelists tab:

1. Invite:
   • Invite others to join your webinar as panelists.
2. Mute All:
   • Mute all panelists and any attendees who have been given permission to talk. This helps in controlling the audio environment during the webinar.
3. More:
   • Clicking on “More” reveals additional options:
   • Ask All to Unmute:
     • Unmute all panelists and any attendees who have been given permission to talk. Attendees without permission to talk will remain muted.
   • Lower All Hands:
     • Lowers all raised hands of panelists. This action has no effect on attendees’ raised hands.
   • Mute Panelists On Entry:
     • Mute all new panelists upon entry. They can unmute themselves. Attendees are automatically muted and cannot unmute unless promoted to panelists or allowed to talk.
   • Play Join and Leave Sound:
     • Play a chime whenever a new panelist or attendee joins or leaves the webinar.
   • Lock Webinar:
     • Prevent any new panelists or attendees from joining the webinar until you unlock it.

Allow Panelist to

1. Unmute Themselves:
   • Allow panelists to unmute themselves at their discretion. This gives panelists the freedom to control when they want to speak.
2. Rename:
   • Allow panelists to rename themselves in the webinar. This can be useful for clarity and identification during the session.
3. Start Video:
   • Allow panelists to start their video if they wish to. If this option is unchecked, it will not stop the video feed of any panelist who already has their video on. It only affects the ability of panelists to initiate their video.

Allow attendees to:

1. Raise Hand:
   • Allow attendees to raise their hand in the webinar. This feature is commonly used to indicate that an attendee wants to ask a question out loud.
2. View Participant Count:
   • Allow attendees to see how many panelists and attendees are present in the webinar. The participant count, including the number of panelists (including the host), will appear at the top of their screen, following the meeting ID.

1. Hover Over Attendee’s Name:
   • While in the Attendees tab, locate the name of the attendee you want to promote.
2. Click More:
   • Hover over the attendee’s name and click on “More.” This will reveal additional options for that attendee.
3. Promote to Panelist:
   • Among the options, click on “Promote to Panelist.”

Additional controls are provided at the bottom of the Participant window.

• Mute All:  All panelists and all attendees who are allowed to speak are muted.
• Unmute All: Unmute all panelists and all attendees who are allowed to speak. Attendees who are not allowed to speak will remain muted.
• Mute Participant Entry: Mute the panelist when entering a new panelist. However, panelists can unmute themselves. Attendees are automatically set to mute.
• Play Charms: A chime sounds each time a new panelist or attendee joins.
• Lock Webinar: New panelists or attendees can not join the webinar unless unlocked.
• Allow panelist to start video : Allows panelists to start video. Uncheck this option to stop the video feed for the panelist playing the video.
• Raised: Allows viewers to raise their hand on the webinar. This feature is usually used when you want to know if you want to ask a question.
• Show attendee numbers to attendees: Allows attendees to view the number of panelists and viewers in the webinar. The number of panelists includes the host. This is displayed at the top of the screen following the meeting ID.
• Set Participant Video Layout: Set the layout of the video  that attendees will view in the webinar. By default, the active speaker view is displayed.
  • Follow Host View Mode:  Participants see the view used by the host (active speaker view or gallery view).
  • [Active Speaker View]: The active speaker (host, panelist) is displayed.
  • Gallery View: Shows the host and all panelists (if video is on).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do panelists count as attendees zoom webinar?