Why is communicating through video calls so exhausting?

In the space of a few weeks, it has become second nature for us to jump onto video calls using tools like Zoom, MS Teams, Skype and alike. As social distancing limits face-to-face contact, video calling has stepped in as an obvious substitute. We are using it for work and also to stay in touch with friends and family.

However, I’m starting to notice something that has been coined as “Zoom fatigue” (and this applies to all video communications platforms not just Zoom). Many of my clients are talking about the drain of being on endless video calls each day. They talk about video being used for virtually everything even though a voice call would often suffice. I was interested to find out why this was and today, found an article on the BBC website called “The reason Zoom calls drain your energy”.

In summary, the article makes the following conclusions:

• Video conversations demand more energy than face-to-face as they make it more difficult to process non-verbal cues, body language and vocal variations.
• We are less comfortable with silence on video calls than we are in normal, day-to-day communications in person. This is partly because people assume there may be a technical issue when there is silence so we are quicker to fill gaps in the discussion. Silence is important in the music of conversation and, without it, there is less time to reflect and to emphasise points effectively.
• The intensity of being stared at by lots of other people can feel intimidating. Being watched makes us feel uncomfortable and adds social pressure. Big group calls feel particularly performative as if we are on stage. Also, does anyone else find their eyes drawn to their own image on these calls or is that just me?
• While we are all enduring lock-down, quarantine and social isolation, these video calls also remind us of what we are missing. The energy, buzz and spontaneity of being with others is something I think we all grieve the loss of, regardless of whether we are introverts or extroverts.
• By working from home, our work, friends, family interactions are all taking place in the same space. By conducting our external communications with colleagues and friends/family through the same medium of video calls, we are adding to the jumbling up of our identities. This adds to our sense of disorientation and unhappiness.

As the article concludes, it asks that we challenge the assumption that everything has to be via video call. Are there times where we can use the phone or other voice only tools and where this would be more effective? 

Can we make the camera optional and suggest that it does not need to be on all the time? Also, a useful suggestion is to look to the side rather than directly at the camera (a second monitor screen helps with this). After all, in a normal face-to-face meeting, we would not sit and stare intently at each other for an hour or more. 

Also, factoring time between video meetings to recharge our batteries and avoiding back-to-back calls is a good idea and something I’m trying to build in to my own communication habits.

Ultimately, I hope we reevaluate the assertion that video calls and remote working will completely replace the need for traditional face-to-face work in the same space. They are great tools but we are inherently social creatures and we work best when we are together, in the same room and communicating at our full bandwidth.