UnZooming ... Turn off to stay engaged

If anyone every tells you that their dog had the "zoomies", then you will probably picture something like this...

Dogs with the zoomies are the epitome of high energy, enthusiasm, excitement and joie de vivre. Not so when humans get the zoomies. Then we have a feeling of depletion, low energy, anxiety and more.

Why does meeting online get so tiring?

The other day the report below came across my desktop. They had me at "the elephant in the room" because... well, I love elephants. The report, from Clicksuasion Labs highlights some of the reasons that being on conference videos all day is quite as exhausting, left me feeling a little down. Most of my coaching is online and none is in person. Most of my speaking gigs in the last few years have been online - rarely in person (although that is starting to change). So is online fatigue destined to be part of my everyday existence? Maybe it is online fatigue that is causing the frequent tiredness that has been variously attributed by doctors to sleeping too little, sleeping too much, post Covid long haul syndrome, vitamin D deficiency and age!

Reading the list of causes in the article, I identified with most of them.

• Yes, I find being online intense
• Yes, I hate to see myself on video and use a great deal of energy trying to not notice that my visage (and my aging skin) are right there.
• Actually, I don't think I find it harder to pick up on cues but I can understand why many people would.
• Certainly I feel more locked in place on camera. Leaning back, or moving around causes at least a distraction an in the worst case gives away that I am in my pajama bottoms or shorts as people get a glimpse below the top of the waist. On the occasions when I have stood at my desk to get at least SOME feeling of activity and movement, I have seen myself on camera swaying from side to side or leaning first on my right leg and then on my left. Very distracting!

Turn off to stay engaged

So, today I googled "turn off my self view in Zoom". And discovered what some of you probably already know - that that is a thing!

So I have been trying it.

To do it yourself (these are the Zoom instructions, I am sure other platforms have a similar feature)

1. Sign into the meeting
2. Click on your image in the meeting
3. Click on the ellipsis (...) top right of your image
4. Select Hide Self View!
5. Eh voila! YOU are gone from your own view, but other people in the virtual room can still see you.

Tips:

Check your background before turning off the view of yourself.

This works for the host AND participants.

Don't forget that it is exactly like sitting face to face with someone - THEY can still see you!

I LOVE it because it feels so much more like a normal conversation. I can see myself from the same perspective that I usually see myself - from inside my head, behind my eyes. And I can focus on the other person or people.

Add setting your view option to speaker view and you will also be able to focus on the person who is speaking instead of an array of participants all at once.

In two 1:1 coaching sessions today, it felt as though we were in the same room. I was 100% focused on my clients and 100% not focused on me. In video meetings previously, I have been using a great deal of energy to not pay attention to the fact that I can see myself.

At the end of a day on Zoom I felt energized, and ready to do the next job of the day instead of in desperate need of a good long nap!

Turning off self-view is not the answer to all online woes but it feels like a good start! I look forward to making this my usual practice.

What tips would you add to make online meetings less tiring and more effective? Please share in the comments!

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In addition to speaking about human skills in?#projectmanagement, and?#Linkedinlearning?instructor,?Ruth Pearce?is a coach. She loves to work with non-traditional clients who want executive coaching but that may not think of themselves as executives (yet). Want to find out more about working with her?

Book a chemistry call here:?Ruth Pearce Calendar

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