Zoom Mediation: The Safety Net of the Waiting Room

Using Zoom in Mediation: The Safety Net of the Waiting Room

Online mediation has become a standard part of family dispute resolution, and for good reason, the flexibility, accessibility, and reduced travel time benefit everyone involved. Zoom, one of the most widely used platforms, offers features that help mediators maintain both security and process integrity. One of the lesser‑known, but very handy settings is the automatic waiting room re‑entry when the host drops out… It happened to me this week in the middle of a Parenting Coordination joint session!

Why it matters in mediation
In any online session, technical glitches can happen, internet dropouts, device restarts, or even a sudden power loss. In a mediation, an unplanned host disconnection could otherwise leave participants unsupervised in the main meeting room, potentially creating a high‑risk situation.

By enabling Zoom’s option to place participants back into the waiting room if the host leaves unexpectedly, you create an automatic “pause button” for the process. When you reconnect, you can re‑admit each person individually, ensuring the mediation resumes in a controlled, respectful environment.

Best practice tips for mediators

• Activate the setting, it’s found in your Zoom account’s security options.
• Let participants know at the start: if there is a dropout you’ll go to the waiting room and be re‑admitted shortly.
• Use the pause to reset yourself: check your notes, confirm the last discussion point, and re‑establish ground rules if needed.

For mediators, this simple feature offers peace of mind. Even if technology hiccups, you can keep the room and the conversation exactly where it should be. It’s one more small way to preserve safety, structure, and trust in an online environment designed to resolve conflict, not create it.