Hello there! Are you ready to revolutionize the way you take notes in Zoom meetings? Tired of frantically scribbling or trying to recall important details after a long discussion? Well, you're in for a treat because Otter.ai is here to be your ultimate meeting assistant!
This incredibly powerful AI tool transcribes your conversations in real-time, making it effortless to capture every word, action item, and key decision. Let's dive in and learn how to seamlessly integrate Otter.ai into your Zoom workflow.
A Comprehensive Guide to Using Otter.ai in Zoom
Otter.ai offers several ways to integrate with Zoom, providing flexibility depending on your needs and Otter.ai plan. We'll cover the most common and effective methods.
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| How To Use Otter Ai In Zoom |
Step 1: Setting Up Your Otter.ai Account and Zoom Integration (The Foundation!)
Before Otter.ai can work its magic in your Zoom meetings, you need to set up your Otter.ai account and connect it with your Zoom profile. This is the crucial first step, so let's get it right!
Sub-heading 1.1: Creating Your Otter.ai Account
Visit the Otter.ai website: Open your web browser and navigate to
otter.ai.Sign Up: Click on the "Sign Up" or "Get Started Free" button. You can often sign up using your Google account for a quick and painless process, or use your email address.
Follow the Prompts: Complete the registration steps, which usually involve verifying your email address.
Tip: Reading with intent makes content stick.
Sub-heading 1.2: Connecting Otter.ai to Your Calendar (Highly Recommended for Automation!)
This step is key to Otter.ai automatically joining your scheduled Zoom meetings.
Log in to your Otter.ai account.
Navigate to your Settings. You'll usually find this by clicking on your profile icon or a gear icon in the top right corner.
Look for the Integrations section within Settings.
You'll see options to connect popular calendar platforms like Google Calendar and Outlook. Choose the one you use for your Zoom meetings.
Grant Otter.ai access to your calendar events by following the authorization prompts specific to your calendar provider. This is a secure process that allows Otter.ai to scan your schedule for upcoming meet
ings.
Sub-heading 1.3: Managing Zoom Settings for Otter.ai (Crucial for Hosts!)
If you're the host of the Zoom meetings you want Otter.ai to join, you need to adjust a few settings in your Zoom account.
Sign in to your Zoom account via the web portal (zoom.us).
On the left navigation menu, under "Personal," click Settings > Recording Tab.
Ensure the following settings are toggled ON:
Record to computer files: This is often required for Otter.ai's Notetaker to join and record.
External meeting participants (if applicable for your account type).
Auto approve their permission request (highly recommended to avoid manual approval each time).
Next, on the left navigation menu, click Apps.
Click Add next to Zoom.
Sign in to your Zoom account if prompted, and review the permissions Otter.ai is requesting. Click Allow to continue.
Voil�! Your Otter.ai account is now connected to your Zoom, allowing Otter's Notetaker to join the meetings you host.
Step 2: Leveraging OtterPilot™ (Automatic Meeting Attendance)
This is where Otter.ai truly shines for Zoom users – the OtterPilot™ feature automatically joins and transcribes your meetings.
Tip: Don’t skim — absorb.
Sub-heading 2.1: Enabling OtterPilot for Automatic Joins
Access your Otter.ai account settings (as you did in Step 1.2).
Locate the OtterPilot section within Settings.
Activate OtterPilot for Zoom. This typically involves granting Otter the necessary permissions to join your meetings on the Zoom platform.
Customize its behavior to suit your preferences:
Auto-Share Notes: Decide if you want OtterPilot to automatically share the meeting notes with attendees after the session. This is a great time-saver!
Auto-Join Specific Meetings: You can set OtterPilot to join all meetings on your synced calendar or only specific ones (e.g., meetings with a certain keyword in the title).
Now, sit back and relax! When a meeting on your connected calendar arrives, OtterPilot will automatically join, begin transcription, and capture all the important details. You'll see "Otter.ai Notetaker" appear as a participant in your Zoom meeting.
Step 3: Manually Adding Otter.ai to a Zoom Meeting (For Ad-Hoc Sessions or Specific Needs)
Sometimes, you might have an un-scheduled meeting or want to ensure Otter.ai is present even if your calendar isn't perfectly synced.
Sub-heading 3.1: Inviting Otter.ai to a Live Zoom Meeting
Start your Zoom meeting as usual.
From your Otter.ai dashboard (web version), click the "Record" button (often located near the top of the page, next to "Import").
Choose the "Join a meeting" option.
A pop-up window will appear. Here, you can paste the meeting URL directly from your Zoom invite.
Click "Join," and Otter.ai will begin recording and transcribing the meeting in real-time.
Sub-heading 3.2: Utilizing the Otter.ai Chrome Extension (Quick Access!)
Install the Otter.ai Chrome Extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Once installed, you can often initiate recordings or access meeting notes directly from the extension icon in your browser, streamlining your workflow, especially if you join meetings from a web interface.
QuickTip: Stop to think as you go.
Step 4: Managing and Interacting with Your Transcriptions
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Once Otter.ai is actively transcribing your Zoom meeting, the real power begins!
Sub-heading 4.1: Following Along with Live Transcription
During the meeting, you can open your Otter.ai conversation in a separate browser window. You'll see the words appear in real-time as they are spoken.
Look for the red "LIVE" indicator in the top-left corner of your Zoom window. Clicking on the "Otter.ai Live Notes" dropdown next to it and selecting "View Stream on Otter.ai Live Notes" will open the live transcript.
This allows you to highlight key points, add comments, and even assign action items directly within the transcript as the meeting progresses.
Sub-heading 4.2: Post-Meeting Access and Editing
After your Zoom meeting concludes, Otter.ai will process and finalize the transcription.
Log in to your Otter.ai account and navigate to "My Conversations" from the left panel.
Click on the conversation you want to review.
You can then edit the transcript for accuracy (Otter.ai has high accuracy, but nuances can sometimes be tricky!).
Click the Edit button in the top-right corner.
Hover over the text to see a pencil icon and make changes.
Add takeaways, tag speakers, and organize conversations into folders for better management.
Sub-heading 4.3: Sharing and Collaborating
Otter.ai makes sharing your meeting notes incredibly easy.
Click the "Share" icon on the top-right corner of the conversation page.
You can invite specific people via email or generate a shareable link.
Set permissions (view only, comment, edit) to control how others interact with the transcript.
For teams, Otter.ai also allows for collaboration within shared transcripts, enabling multiple users to highlight, comment, and add insights.
Step 5: Utilizing Advanced Otter.ai Features for Zoom (Power User Tips!)
QuickTip: Stop scrolling fast, start reading slow.
Beyond basic transcription, Otter.ai offers powerful features that enhance your meeting experience.
Sub-heading 5.1: Otter AI Chat (Your Meeting Co-Pilot!)
Otter AI Chat allows you to ask questions about the meeting discussion and get instant answers from Otter.ai, even during the live meeting!
You can also use it to generate content like follow-up emails, action item lists, or custom meeting summaries. This is a massive time-saver for post-meeting tasks.
Sub-heading 5.2: Capturing Slides and Screen Shares
Otter.ai's Notetaker can automatically capture slides and screen shares presented during your Zoom meeting and insert them directly into the transcript, providing visual context alongside the spoken words. This is invaluable for presentations and shared documents.
Sub-heading 5.3: Exporting Your Transcripts
Need to work with your transcript outside of Otter.ai? No problem!
Click the three dots menu at the top-right corner of your conversation.
Choose "Export Text" and select your preferred format (TEXT, DOCX, PDF, or SRT for captions).
You can also export the audio as an MP3 if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 10 common "How to" questions about using Otter.ai with Zoom, along with quick answers:
How to connect my Zoom account to Otter.ai?
Go to Otter.ai Settings > Integrations, then click "Add" next to Zoom and follow the authorization prompts.
How to make Otter.ai automatically join all my Zoom meetings?
Connect your calendar to Otter.ai (Settings > Integrations), then enable OtterPilot and configure its auto-join settings.
How to manually invite Otter.ai to a Zoom meeting if it's not on my calendar?
From your Otter.ai dashboard, click "Record" > "Join a meeting" and paste the Zoom meeting URL.
How to see the live transcription of my Zoom meeting in Otter.ai?
During the meeting, open your Otter.ai conversation in a browser or click the "LIVE" indicator in Zoom and select "View Stream on Otter.ai Live Notes."
How to edit a Zoom meeting transcript in Otter.ai?
After the meeting, go to "My Conversations," select the transcript, and click the "Edit" button in the top-right corner.
How to share my Zoom meeting notes from Otter.ai with others?
In the conversation view, click the "Share" icon and invite people via email or generate a shareable link.
How to get a summary of my Zoom meeting from Otter.ai?
Otter.ai automatically generates a summary. You can also use Otter AI Chat to ask for specific summaries or content generation based on the transcript.
How to ensure Otter.ai captures slides shared in my Zoom meeting?
Otter.ai's Notetaker (OtterPilot) automatically captures slides when it joins a meeting. Ensure OtterPilot is enabled.
How to export my Zoom meeting transcript from Otter.ai?
In the conversation view, click the three dots menu in the top-right, then select "Export Text" and choose your desired format.
How to remove Otter.ai Notetaker from a Zoom meeting?
Otter.ai Notetaker will leave the meeting when the meeting ends. If you want it to leave mid-meeting, you can remove it as you would any other participant in Zoom (if you are the host) or stop the recording from your Otter.ai dashboard.
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