Common Components Help

AEF Help

Leaving, Ending, and Closing a Meeting

Overview

When you, a meeting attendee who is not the host, leave a meeting, the meeting window closes so you no longer see the exchanges that take place between the remaining attendees. But unless the host ends the meeting, the meeting is still In Progress and the remaining attendees can continue their exchanges. Until the meeting host closes or ends the meeting, anyone can rejoin a meeting after leaving it.

If you are the meeting host, you cannot leave a meeting unless you assign a new host or end the meeting. If you assign a new host, then you become a standard attendee and can leave without ending the meeting. Only the current meeting host can end a Web meeting. When a meeting ends, the meeting attendees can no longer communicate through the meeting window.

When the original meeting host (the person who scheduled the meeting) leaves a meeting either by assigning a new host or ending the meeting, Team Central asks if the meeting should be closed. Closing a meeting, which is not the same as ending a meeting, means that no new attendees can join the meeting. As the meeting host, when you end a meeting, you should always close the meeting so no one tries to join a meeting that has ended.

But when you leave a meeting by assigning a new host, you might not want to close the meeting because there may still be attendees who need to join. Or you might want to close the meeting to prevent anyone else from joining. Closing a meeting that has not ended has no affect on the current participants. If you do not close the meeting when you leave it, you need to remember to close it when the meeting has ended or when you want to prevent people from joining the meeting.

Leaving a meeting

To leave a meeting for which you are an attendee (not a host)

1. In the meeting window, choose File > Leave Meeting.
2. Click OK to confirm that you want to leave.

The meeting window closes and the system returns you to the Meetings page. As long as the meeting state is In Progress, you can rejoin the meeting by clicking the Join Meeting icon.

If you are the meeting host, you cannot leave the meeting unless you end it or assign someone else as a host.

To leave a meeting for which you are the host

1. In the meeting window, choose Tools > Assign Host and assign one of the participants as the host. If prompted, enter the host key that is displayed on the meeting window.
2. Choose File > Leave Meeting.
3. Click OK to confirm that you want to leave.

The meeting window closes. If you are not the original meeting host, you are finished leaving the meeting. If you are the original meeting host (the meeting creator), the system asks if you want to close the meeting. Proceed to Step 4.

4. To let other attendees join, including letting people who leave the meeting rejoin, click Cancel. The system returns you to the Meetings page. The meeting state is still In Progress and the options to Join Meeting and Close Meeting are available.

Or

To prevent anyone else from joining, click OK. The system returns you to the Meetings page. The meeting state is now Complete.

If an accidental promotion to the Complete state occurs, the meeting owner can demote the meeting back to the In Progress state. Attendees will not be removed from the meeting upon completion so that all have access to it.

5. If you didn't close the meeting when you left it, remember to close it by clicking the Close Meeting icon when you no longer want people to join it or when it ends.

Ending a meeting

Only the current meeting host can end a meeting.

To end a meeting you are hosting

1. From the meeting window, choose File > End Meeting.
2. At the confirmation message, click OK.

The meeting window closes. If you are not the original meeting host, you are finished ending the meeting. If you are the original meeting host (the meeting creator), the system asks if you want to close the meeting. Proceed to Step 3.

3. Click OK.

The system returns you to the Meetings page. The meeting state is now Complete.

If an accidental promotion to the Complete state occurs, the meeting owner can demote the meeting back to the In Progress state. Attendees will not be removed from the meeting upon completion so that all have access to it.

Closing a meeting

Use this procedure to close a meeting that you did not close when you first left the meeting. Only the original meeting host can close a meeting.

To close a meeting for which you are the original host (meeting creator)

• From the Meetings page, click the Close Meeting icon.

The meeting state is now Complete and no one can join the meeting, even if it has not yet ended.