For most of us, Zoom has become a normal part of life in one capacity or another. We’ve all been on Zoom with someone who clearly has put effort into creating the perfect backdrop with the perfect lighting for their Zoom meetings. That is not what this blog post is about. Rather, below is a collection of five tips for simply making the most of your Zoom meetings (i.e. maximizing communication so meetings are no longer than they need to be) so everyone can feel comfortable, heard, and understood. Enjoy.
Make eye contact – just not too much.
Have you ever been on a Zoom call with someone who is making constant eye contact with you? It often makes you feel as though you should be making constant eye contact with them as well, which quite frankly, is exhausting. When we’re out in the real world, we generally won’t look into the eyes of the person we’re talking to nonstop (take notice sometime – it’s interesting to observe the natural ebb and flow of eye contact) so why should we do so on Zoom?
Make sure you’re not backlit.
As humans, we gather information from other people not just from the sound of their voice but also from their facial movements. This is almost impossible when the person you’re talking to is backlit (i.e. there’s light behind them, turning them into a silhouette where you can’t see their facial features at all). If you try to do one thing intentionally with your Zoom setup, make sure the other people in your meeting can see your face. This will make understanding what you have to say infinitely easier for them.
No need to interject with Yes, Mmmm, I see, etc.
When communicating offline, it’s very natural to interject while someone is talking with sounds/words like “Mmmm,” “Yes,” “I see,” and the like. However, in a virtual meeting, these interjections can often startle or throw off someone who’s speaking to you. Have you ever interjected a “Mmmm, I see,” only to have your Zoom counterpart say “Sorry, did you say something?” Although it might feel less natural, in the online space, it’s better to just zip it while another person is talking and save your reply for when they’re done.
Resist the urge to multi-task.
How tempting it is to, at times, take a quick look at your inbox while someone else is talking during a Zoom meeting (particularly if there are multiple participants). But the truth is, if everyone in an online meeting stops multi-tasking and focuses only on the conversation being had, the meeting will be more efficient and end sooner, allowing you to get back to your other work. Resist the temptation to multi-task and just pay attention.
Learn the Zoom basics.
We’ve probably all had an experience where 5-10 minutes or more during a Zoom is used just trying to explain to someone how to share their screen. Let’s all do everyone a favor and learn the basics of Zoom. Here are some simple instructions for how to share your screen. If you’ve never shared your screen before, start a test meeting by yourself and do so to make sure your preferences/settings also allow you to do so. This handy 13-minute-long Zoom Basics Tutorial Video is also a great watch!
In Closing
To me, creating the best and most productive Zoom meetings isn’t about the perfect microphone, lighting, or backdrop. Rather they’re about minimizing technical issues so we can focus on what’s most important: connecting and communicating! I feel these five tips above help us to do just that.
