Like many of us, I’m spending a lot of time with people who are in other places. One of the best things about this is that so many people are reaching out, looking for connection, making time to sit down and talk together. Being present when you’re not physically present is hard. I have a … Read more
Virtual
As we all know by now, Zoom fatigue is real. Every person I know who is conducting their work over a video platform day and day out testifies to the strange exhaustion it leaves in its wake. As best as I can tell from the research that’s out there now, moving our lives to video is tiring for … Read more
Have you noticed that we’ve started waving to end video calls? As someone said to me yesterday, “I’d never wave when I left an in-person meeting; what is that about?” My guess is that it’s closely related to this post from last week, about rituals. When you’re meeting in person and the meeting ends, … Read more
Most facilitators are familiar with this experience—you’re running a meeting, and one person keeps piping up. They have an opinion on everything, and once they take the floor, it’s tough to get them to give it up. When this happens in person, there are a few tricks you can use to rein the monologue … Read more
I participated in an online cooking class last week. A chef was leading about 50 of us through cooking a meal (fish tacos and margaritas) that had many steps and a lot of chopping. I think the whole class was about 90 minutes. The chef is a woman who usually teaches in a big kitchen, … Read more
A couple of weeks ago I advised you that when you’re speaking to a video call, you need to look right into the camera to approximate eye contact. This is still true, and you can see people doing this really well on calls. The result is that you feel more connected, more seen. The other … Read more
We are always seeking security, assessing where we are safe, when it is all right to trust another person. Most of our communication habits and needs grow out of this search. Before we can get down to business, we have to know: Can I trust this person? Will she have my back? Is he as … Read more
There is no eye contact in video conferences. This is a major way that we establish trust and build relationships, so the lack of eye contact is a pretty big deal. So here’s a tip: Look in the camera. Well, first, make sure you know where your camera is! Then, when you’re presenting or when … Read more
Are you finding your energy waning as the day goes on? Need to inject some pep into your fifth Zoom call of the day? Ignite coach Neela Muñoz has a great tip!
When you go to a play or watch a TV show, the environment you’re seeing on stage or screen has been carefully selected. The music playing as you take your seat, the books on a bookshelf, the wallpaper, the collar of a shirt—it’s all in service of the story you’re being told. When you … Read more
