During a Zoom Meeting How To Create a Fishbowl Discussion/Role Play Activity

Role play activities and fishbowl discussions are a couple ways to make your Zoom class time more engaging.

In order to make this work in Zoom and ensure everyone has the same view, all participants in the room must follow the steps below. You can send these instructions to your students or walk them through it before you begin.

STEP 1: Make Sure You Are in Gallery View

If you are in Active Speaker view (Zoom's default), click Gallery View in the top-right corner.

Screenshot of Gallery View in Zoom meeting window

STEP 2: Turn Off Cameras

Besides the 2-3 people that are involved in the activity, have everyone else turn off their video by selecting Stop Video in their Zoom menu at the bottom of their screen.

Stop Video in Zoom Menu

STEP 3: Hide Non Video Participants

When you are in Gallery View, right-click on any participant that either has their video off or dialed in via telephone, or you can click on the 3 dots at the upper right of their participant box.
Choose Hide Non-Video Participants to hide all users with their video off. Everyone else will still be in the room, but you won't see them any longer.

TIP: If you're the host of the meeting and you set this view in your Zoom, it will record this way as well!