Getting Started With Google Meet

This article introduces Google Meet, an audio-video collaboration tool. Google Meet can help the University community to conduct meetings, interviews, and workshops, or create training.

Saint Peter’s University uses Google G-suite, Meet is available for all students, staff, and faculty. Since it’s part of the G-Suite, it is instantly available to you when you sign in to your SPU Email Address. 

You can access Google Meet via saintpeters.edu/myapps. To learn more about using this page, read our article on "How to access Applications using your SPU Email Address". Additionally, you can download the Google Meet App on your mobile device or tablet via the Google Play or Apple App store.

In Google Meet, you can: 

  • Create meetings with up to 500 participants.
  • Generate links to your collaboration session to send to participants via email or Google, containing direct links to your session, and dial-in numbers for mobile devices. 
  • Share your screen or browser window with meeting participants.
  • Enable automatic closed captioning transcription of spoken audio during collaboration sessions.
  • Plan meetings ahead of time using Google Calendar.
  • Use the chat feature to share text, links, and resources. 
  • As a meeting organizer, you can control your collaboration meeting by inviting participants via email or via Google; and can mute or remove participants from the conversation. 

Creating a Meeting

Here are instructions on setting up a collaboration session in Meet directly from Google; from your SPU Email, or from your Google Calendar.

Note: if you set up your meeting using Google Calendar and use any file attachments in the calendar invitation, they will also be available to participants in the Google Meet! 

Here's how to find additional information from within a Google Meet, and also how to locate and access file attachments added to a Meet.

Inviting Participants 

Here are instructions on inviting participants to your Google Meet through Email, within the meeting, or Google Calendar

Sharing your Screen/Presenting 

Want to present to a group during your video call? Here's information on how to do this.

For more information, see Meet help.

Managing Participants in your Meeting

As a meeting organizer, follow these instructions to learn how to mute, pin or remove your Meet participants.

Recording your Meeting

Click here for instructions on how to record your Google Meet session, how to access your recordings, share them, and play them back. Both participants and organizers can choose to record a collaboration session, as long as they are using their SPU Email address to join the meeting. 

You can record all or part of your meeting right inside Meet. Recordings are saved to Google Drive and linked to your Calendar event.

After enabling a recording, after the meeting ends, the recording file is saved in the Calendar event, as well as in the Drive of the meeting organizer. An email with a link to the recording is automatically sent to the meeting organizer.

It is important to note that:

  • Enabled closed captioning will not be saved in your recording, but you can choose to save a transcript when recording. Here's more information on saving and accessing transcripts. 
  • Participants attending the meeting on their phones cannot record.
  • Students may not be able to record at this time. If you are a student and need the ability to record, please contact IT Client Services at servicedesk@saintpeters.edu. 

Using the Chat Feature

Click here for instructions on using the Chat feature in Google Meet to link to files and websites.

Best Practices

  • System Check -Test video and audio settings
  • Internet Connection - Participate from a location with a strong and stable Internet connection - wired connections are best.
  • Open Applications - Close all other applications on the computer that are not necessary for the presentation. This will help the software operate more efficiently, and will help to conserve the individual network bandwidth.
  • Quiet Location - Participate from a quiet location. To avoid disruption, post a note on your door, notify your roommate and/or family that you're in a web conference.
  • Be On-Time - It can take a while to get logged in and set up for a web conference, so plan to arrive a little early (~5 minutes prior to the conference start time).
  • Audio Quality - Use a headset with a microphone. It provides better sound quality and helps reduce background noise.
  • Mute - Mute your phone/microphone when not speaking. Every noise that is made, including paper shuffling, pencil tapping, typing, coughing, and chatting with others, will be heard by everyone else in the conference.
  • Stay Engaged - Follow the expectations and etiquette established by the presenter. For example, the presenter may ask to be interrupted with questions or comments on audio at any time, or post in the Chat.
  • Identity Yourself - Identify yourself by name when verbally asking a question or making a comment.
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Managing Google Meet Attendees
Google Meet has a built-in set of security settings to ensure that Saint Peter's Faculty, Staff and Students can create and join meetings, and can restrict non-Saint Peter's email addresses from joining a meeting unless admitted. The meeting organizer can also remove participants from a meeting. This article demonstrates how to invite, manage and remove Google Meet session attendees.