Is ZOOM Fatigue Real?

You bet it is! Many of us have been spending hours on Zoom meetings, often back-to-back. Why do we feel so exhausted after Zooming? It’s all about the way we communicate with each other when on Zoom.

In our past lives, we would meet around a large conference table, and we would respectfully pay attention to the speaker or leader of the group. We were free to have our own thoughts, even as we tracked the meeting, and we were aware that we weren’t “on” in the same way as the speaker was. Our sight lines were mostly oblique. Except for our ability to pay full attention to the speaker and maybe a PowerPoint presentation, we weren’t even able to look at each other much, especially if the tables were arranged in classroom style.

Zoom is different. We are all full-faced to each other. Without our knowledge, any one of the members of the group could be looking at us electronically. Subliminally, we stream these thoughts--Do I dare look away for a minute? Will someone think I’m not paying attention? Do I need to monitor my “listening face” (or what some of us call our “resting b**** face”?) Yes, the answer is, “Yes, we do.”

On Zoom and other remote conference media such as Skype, GoToMeeting, MicrosoftTeams, and WebEx, we are “on” in bigger and more profound ways than we are around a conference table. Private Chat capability encourages a double layer of attention, as we respond to private messages and carry on conversations while trying not to look like we’re doing it. Scrolling between pages of images on the screen also splits our attention, as does the “scrambling” of people’s photos when we are in Speaker mode.

If Screen-sharing is engaged on Zoom, you can only see about six images of people on the screen, in addition to the content being shared. As you pay attention to the presentation, you are simultaneously wondering what those you can’t see are thinking about the shared information, and you often scroll to see their faces, too, while you are still paying attention to the content. This splits your attention even more.

We’ll likely get used to the new remote communication channels and their multi-layered pressures on our attention. Time will help us. Right now, though, we could just take a nap…

Dr. Jan Palmer, founder of Communication Excellence Institute, is a communication specialist who focuses on Executive Presence, Persuasion, and Body Language. She coaches executives remotely to build their Leadership Communication and works with attorneys to help prepare witnesses for credible testimony. You can reach her at jan@talk2cei.com or (909) 599-5900.

#zoomfatigue #CEI #CommunicationExcellenceInstitute #bodylanguage