Online meetings are weird
“I can´t hear you!”
How many times have you said this when meeting someone. Probably never. But in the world of online meetings it is a daily occurrence. Sometimes it can take several minutes before everyone can both hear and see each other. Of course it does something to the interaction.
Then there´s the constant battle of attention as we´re so used to multitasking that workplace surveys show that a vast majority of people multitask in online meetings. In a survey in 2020 in the UK with 400+ people, 99% admitted to multitasking some or all of the time during online meetings.
Sure, it happens in face-to-face meetings but at a much lower degree.
Without eye contact, body language and peripheral vision, our brains register video calls completely different to physical meetings, potentially causing fatigue, stress, lower engagement and quality as a result.
How to nail that online meeting
Choose one, several or all of the ideas below to make that online meeting a success.
- Turn on the video. And ask others to do the same
- Look into the camera when speaking. It might feel strange but if the speaking person looks into the camera, the others can “look into their eyes” if they look at the screen.
- Hide self view. Constantly looking at your own face is both un-natural, but also draining. Most platforms have this function, and if not, cover your own face with a post-it!
- Get early involvement from all participants if possible
- Build in breaks into the meeting
- Be open about it. We cannot straight off replace a physical meeting with an online one. Talk about how to make the meetings positive, engaging.
- Un-mute all microphones. What? Yes you read correctly. It is not natural to be in complete silence with only one person speaking. We are used to hearing someone cough, scratch their chin, or accidentally interrupt.
- Single task. Perhaps most difficult, but if you set your mind to it – it can be done! Focus on just the meeting. If it goes off topic and you feel your attention drift away, point that out.
- Only invite relevant people
- Have an agenda, purpose and goal with the meeting
I’m sharing regularly on the topic of how technology is impacting our lives and how to find a better balance. If you likes this post, check out my book Tech-Life Balance: 101 Ways to Thrive in a Digital World.
Taíno Bendz is the founder of Phone Free Day and his own consulting business, and his message on mindful and intentional technology usage has reached and inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the world. He is a public speaker, workshop facilitator, and conducts research on digital technology usage. Taíno holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management and has spent the last 10 years working in technology sectors such as renewable energy, healthcare IT, and software automation. He currently lives in Sweden with his family. He is the author of Tech-Life Balance.
