3 Ways to Make Virtual Meetings More Bearable

Well, here we are. 9 months into a pandemic. And for a lot of us, schedules look something like:

Zoom meeting, zoom meeting, zoom meeting, zoom meeting, zoom meeting, zoom meeting.

The screen time, awareness of your own facial expressions, trying not to let your eyes glaze over...it's exhausting, to say the least. I'm not going to lie, creating video content for a living is my passion - but, even I can see the overkill and burnout happening. So, how do we make things better? Awareness is key.

1. Remember - this is NOT an in person meeting. So, don't treat it like one.

We are creatures of habit, and change is hard, I get it - but, meeting with someone virtually isn't the same as in person. Body language is much harder to read, you're stuck at your computer and unable to move around, and no matter how awesome our blue light glasses are - our eyes dry out. This means we need to stop scheduling virtual meetings at the same length and in the same format as if we are sitting around the table together. We aren't. Most of us are at home, some with kids, and distractions abound. Keep it short, direct, and to the point. Send out an itinerary ahead of time, with potential questions, format, and timing - and stay on task. Aim to have some sort of interaction every 5 minutes or so to keep people from nodding off or bored, because in person and online attention spans vary considerably. If you have really long-winded co-workers, try having a timekeeper to keep you on task in the chat box. Which leads me to...

2. Use the tools at your disposal.

There is a reason why most virtual meeting platforms have a chat function. This can be a simple way to engage the team without fighting to hear people talking over each other. You can also use a collaborative space like google docs or padlet to foster collaboration in a virtual setting. Have attendees vote on topics with the emoji bar. And hey, I've heard some great things about the zoom breakout rooms. Take the time to do a quick google search about the platform you are using - or e-mail the vendor, and ask them their opinion about the coolest, most underutilized functions you should consider incorporating. Also, considering using f.lux as a filter on your screen. This was originally recommended to me by my neurologist after I suffered an eye/brain injury in a car accident, and had major light sensitivity. It helps save your eyes from a bunch of unneeded fatigue.

3. Encourage Toggling between On/Off Camera and Audio

Imagine giving every sales pitch, interview, presentation, and employee review...in front of a mirror. Ugh. Sounds terrible, right? That's essentially what it's like to be on camera throughout an entire meeting...the obligation to be "on" is anxiety producing. Not only are you studying the faces of your co-workers in reaction boxes, Brady Bunch style (eyes scanning, holy fatigue!) and juggling non verbal cues, but you are also forced to see your own mug up there as well. It's so difficult not to be critical when this is the case, and it can provide an immense amount of distraction. Don't forget...if you'd rather not see yourself on screen, simply right click (in zoom) on your video and choose "hide myself" in the dropdown. This means you are still visible to the other participants, but you might not feel as self conscious or forced to "perform" instead of simply "engage." Consider coming up with rules, such as: whomever is speaking hops on camera, and when you are done - take a visual breather, turn off your camera, and listen.

When it comes to audio, here is a trick to avoid all of the searching for your mute/unmute button: start in mute...then, whenever you have something quick to chime in, simply hold down the spacebar. This will temporarily mute you. This increases engagement, because it's one less step to take in order to contribute.

Overall, just know this: you are doing a great job. I've lived in this space for years, but for those you who are new - I get it, it can be so tiring. Keep things simple, quick, organized, and be considerate of the time of everyone involved. We are all in the same boat, and the additional stress is tough. It's OK to feel frustrated, because nothing about 2020 is normal. If you need help, just drop me a line.

Thank you for reading!

Erica Hanna | www.pukerainbows.com | Emmy Winning Video Director/Coach/Speaker