Zoom polls and Q&A features transform meetings from one-way presentations into interactive sessions, enabling real-time engagement and feedback. Polls allow hosts to gather instant responses through structured questions, while Q&A provides a dedicated channel for participants to submit questions without disrupting the meeting flow. These tools are particularly valuable for webinars, training sessions, and collaborative discussions where audience participation is critical.

Key takeaways from the available sources:

• Polls can be pre-created or built during meetings, with options for single/multiple-choice, quizzes, and advanced question types like ranking ^[4][6]
• Q&A requires specific account types (Business/Education) and must be enabled in settings before use ^[7][9]
• Both features generate downloadable reports for post-meeting analysis ^[6][8]
• Poll results can be shared live with participants, while Q&A allows anonymous submissions and upvoting ^[9]

Implementing Zoom Polls and Q&A Features

Setting Up and Launching Polls

Zoom polls function as real-time surveys that hosts can deploy during meetings to gauge opinions, test knowledge, or break the ice. The setup process varies slightly depending on whether polls are created before or during the session, but both methods follow a structured workflow.

For pre-meeting poll creation, hosts must access the Zoom web portal and navigate to the "Surveys" section under their scheduled meeting. Here, they can add questions with multiple formats:

• Single-choice (radio buttons)
• Multiple-choice (checkboxes)
• Short answer (open-ended)
• Advanced options like matching or ranking ^[4][6]

During the meeting, hosts access polls through the meeting controls toolbar. The process involves:

• Clicking the "Polls/Quizzes" button in the meeting controls
• Selecting an existing poll or creating a new one by clicking the "+" icon
• Editing question text directly in the "Untitled Question" field
• Choosing between anonymous or identified responses ^[4][5]

Key operational details include:

• Only the original meeting host can create polls, though co-hosts can launch them ^[6]
• Polls support up to 10 questions per meeting in standard accounts ^[6]
• Results can be shared live with participants or downloaded later as CSV files ^[8]
• Older Zoom versions may not support advanced question types like matching ^[6]

The polling interface allows hosts to:

• Launch polls with a single click during critical discussion points
• Monitor real-time response rates through a progress bar
• Share aggregated results with participants immediately after closing the poll
• Save frequently used polls to a central library for reuse ^[2][6]

Configuring and Managing Q&A Sessions

The Q&A feature provides a structured alternative to chat for handling participant questions, particularly useful in large meetings or webinars where managing verbal questions would be impractical. Unlike polls, Q&A requires specific account types and advance configuration.

Hosts must first enable Q&A through the Zoom web portal by:

1. Navigating to Settings > Meeting tab
2. Locating "Q&A in meetings" under Advanced options
3. Toggling the feature on (requires Business or Education account) ^[7][9]

During meetings, the Q&A panel operates with these core functions:

• Participants submit questions through a dedicated interface separate from chat
• Hosts can respond publicly (visible to all) or privately (only to the asker)
• Questions can be marked as answered/unanswered for tracking
• Participants may upvote questions to highlight popular topics ^[9][10]

Critical configuration options include:

• Anonymous question submission (hides participant names from public view)
• Option to allow participants to view all questions or only their own
• Ability to assign questions to specific panelists in webinar settings
• Post-meeting report generation listing all questions and responses ^[9]

The Q&A feature differs from chat in several operational aspects:

• Questions remain organized in a dedicated panel rather than the chronological chat stream
• Hosts can prioritize questions by status (answered/unanswered) rather than timestamp
• Upvoting creates a crowd-sourced priority system for popular questions
• Responses can be drafted and edited before publishing ^[9]

For accounts without Q&A access, some hosts implement workarounds using:

• Polls with open-ended questions to collect queries
• Designated chat channels for questions
• Third-party integration tools that feed questions into the meeting ^[7]