I hate Zoom-I love Zoom-It's complicated
Welcome to 2022. Another week, another Zoom meeting.
We have been leaning into the virtual world for years now, and it looks like it's here to stay. Don't get me wrong, Zoom has saved my business, and I enjoy its convenience, but there are some serious disadvantages.
The first downside is seeing how I look to others. The truth is on my screen, and I don't like it. My bad hair, lighting, and all my smiles, frowns, and worry lines etched on my face are on full display. I don't think I'll ever get used to that.
I adjusted my settings and avoided seeing myself until a client told me that my image had slipped down and I looked like Dilbert (look it up if you don't get the reference) with only my forehead in view. Now, I am resigned to keep that pesky self-view window open.
While Zoom is pretty good, we only get limited information from our participants. For example, they might not have their video on--and even when they do, their body language is hard to interpret. People multitask, participation comes and goes, and group meetings can be a nightmare.
All virtual communication channels have challenges including:
Different generational norms
Confusion over channel-use
Cultural differences
Fortunately, Erica Dhawan has written Digital Body Language, a comprehensive guide for successfully navigating our virtual world.
Here are some of her most valuable suggestions:
Your choice of communication channel matters. Use these three factors to consider your choices:
Length of your message. (If it's more than a short paragraph, use email)
Complexity: How complex is your message?
Familiarity: How well do you know your audience?
The list of possible channels is long and growing longer:
Slack/Yammer/Discord
IM (instant message)
Livestreaming
Texts
Email
Phone call
Video call (Zoom, Webex, Teams, Meet, Skype, Facetime...)
Long-form written communication (web pages, blogs, articles, white papers, reports)
Townhall meetings
Web-based classes/seminars
When choosing the channel, consider organization norms, audience, content, timeframe, and context.
Most of us use email daily. Carefully construct your email messages to save time and win friends:
"...according to research done by linguist Naomi Baron, ...we comprehend less when reading on a screen than we do when reading print."
In emails, make it easy for skimmers to understand what you need. Use bullets, use white space, and make it very clear, what you need from the reader.
If the message is complex or, multiple emails fail to cut through confusion-pick up the phone and have a conversation."
Ask yourself these questions before you write your email:
Who really needs to be included?
What do I want the receiver(s) to do after reading the email? And by when?
What context or information do they need to take action?
When is the best time to send the message?
Email Formatting Guidelines:
The subject line is gold. Consider it carefully. Tell the reader the purpose of the email in the subject line:
FYI
Decision Request
Request for Information
Keep the subject line consistent as the conversation continues.
Begin long emails with a quick summary before diving into the details.
Avoid open-ended questions by offering a menu of choices.
Virtual Meetings:
Always define what success looks like for this meeting. What is the goal for the meeting?
All participants must be introduced at the beginning of the meeting.
Distribute your agenda at least 24 hours before the meeting. Assign leadership roles for the various meeting items.
Make sure all attendees know why they are attending.
Limit virtual group meetings to no more than 8 people.
If your meeting has a mix of in-person and virtual attendees:
Assign part of the program to the remote attendees so they have an active role from the beginning.
Start your Q&A by asking virtual participants to share their questions first.
Help introverts participate:
Offer question prompts to hear from all:
What's the bad news I don't want to hear?
What did we miss in our last discussion?
Schedule downtime between long meetings.
Wait five seconds before jumping in to speak.
Send discussion questions out a few days before the meeting.
Encourage thoughts and comments via emails post-meeting.
Use the chat bar or hand-raising to minimize interruptions.
Please grab Erica's book for more suggestions. The virtual world is here to stay, and using it well is vital to your career.