If there is one thing that is certain about the Corona days, it is that it has accelerated digitization processes. If in January I had to invest time and energy in convincing and explaining that personal training, professional training, or facilitating Zoom meetings is really cool, and many would have raised an eyebrow, explaining that they have to feel the person up close and that it is not possible, not everyone, not always, not and not…. Corona came and turned the tables. Suddenly the abnormal seemed normal and possible. Corona created a profound mental change in the perception of online meetings. Now go explain to people that it may be right and worth it to also approach them face to face, that it is different and…
So yes, everyone knows Zoom, although there are other methods and apps of course, but the idea of online conversations not only one-on-one but also group meetings, family, community, organizational, team and any other format, have become as understandable as any other meeting. Understandable in terms of familiarity, but not really fully understood what happens to us inside these Zooms.
I assume that soon the neat and precise studies will be released that will explain the process and provide some sort of organized method and appropriate diagram, but until then, I decided to compile a number of interesting insights that have emerged over the past two months for your use. 🏎️
The perceptual shift regarding online conversations, Zoom, created in the wake of the Corona crisis and how it affects us:
1. We are all squares 🔲 😱 . We are all equal and we all lose height. This is what happens to us in Zoom. All of us, all of our personal energy, everything enters and is populated in a small square that gets smaller and smaller as the number of participants increases. One square is equal in size to all the other squares. And this feeling that we are all the same size affects people in different ways. The group funnyman falls silent, the group silent can disappear, the tall one does not hide from anyone, and the group role that everyone experiences in different groups changes a lot. It is jarring, it is new and different, and it affects the dynamics, participation and avoidance.
2. Flattening the hierarchy 💃🏻 . One of the great things that Zoom has made possible is the meetings of large groups, communities and organizations from different physical spaces. It is true that transatlantic companies have done this before, but they also did it in small teams, usually with people who are technologically skilled in the matter. The amazing innovation is that people without much technological knowledge are taking part in such conversations today! People at all ranks and levels of the hierarchy of a community and organization can be partners in meetings and receive knowledge in a more open and enabling way. The possibility of giving a variety of voices to be heard, voices that were very difficult to hear before. The idea that a large group’s discourse becomes part of an organization’s routine allows for the flattening of the hierarchy, the flow of knowledge and information to a wider group of people, and the creation of new connections.
3. Speech is mostly oral 🗣️ As the saying goes, there are no hands to wave, it’s hard to raise your voice or play with your vocal range, pathos doesn’t work as well, walking in space is impossible, babbling on the board is impossible, the shorthand has nowhere to run but to the words themselves. Yes, everyone is focused on your square.
4. Visual is king! 👀 As in any meeting, initial visibility also affects us on Zoom. Not in terms of beauty, but the aesthetics of the space – light, background, noise, environment, movement in space, clothing. We pay even more attention to this because we do not have a general environment to refer to, we focus on the environment of the other, the speaker. Which reflects back on ourselves. Our choices in the environment from which we operate indicate something about ourselves, or at the very least allow others to learn something about us through it. So choose carefully what the unspoken message that passes from you to the environment is.
5. Technology rules 👩💻 As a facilitator of such a meeting, you should make sure you have all the knowledge required to operate the space while guiding well, or to enlist the help of others. For example, how to silence noises that come in while speaking, how to show materials, split into rooms, redirect to chat, browse between screens, add elements like Padlet, and other cute patents.
6. Zoom time ⌛ is a different time. What can be spread out in a regular meeting and feel comfortable to most people, is not possible in Zoom. The level of attention is lower, the patience in sitting on the chair is limited, the space in which the conversation takes place harms intimacy and it is impossible to gossip with the person next to you about something or someone!. Which means that patience is much lower, and therefore an hour-long meeting in live is equivalent to about 40-45 minutes in Zoom, no more.
7. There is no room for improvisation 🤦♂️ . Because the speech format is different, you can’t get into each other’s words, the usual mingling doesn’t really work, tactical aids work less, it is important that there is a goal for the meeting, a topic, a question, some kind of title / invitation for which the meeting is taking place. And because of this, it is important to be clear how you are going to conduct this meeting. Because time works differently, and the energy is different, people experience the meeting differently than in a live meeting, and the way to engage them in the conversation and be partners in the meeting in a meaningful way needs to be planned. If in a regular meeting of a team or community you can feel things as they happen and organize yourself differently with them, flow where you need to, slow down, hurry up, activate as you go, in Zoom conversations it is much more difficult. Therefore, the preparation of the meeting, what is the purpose for which we gathered, what is their structure and holding are very important. There is no room for improvisation. Or less space.
8. The latecomers, the sleepers, and the self-destructors 🙇♀️ 🦹 . As in any good meeting, these characters are also present on Zoom. The question is what to do with them on Zoom as in life itself. Haha…you were waiting for the answer. I don’t have one yet.
9. Pace, and once again pace! 🙇♀️ 🦹 So yes, since this is the media and this is the framework, and you can be made to disappear in a second or ignored, which in life itself is possible but less pleasant, more noticeable and a little excruciating, the pace of speech of the presenter and the participants themselves must be faster. Not a freeway, just less haha and woohoo and hmmmmm but clear sentences.
10. And finally, energy! 💃🏻 🕺🏻 It is true that one of the indescribable things in this process called a good, meaningful, fascinating, interesting, useful meeting, etc. is the energy. You feel it in the room, in the dynamics between the participants, this feeling that we are finishing something exciting and we want to continue further. And yes, it is different on Zoom. Significantly different. But here too, there are several elements that can affect the possibility and experience of people leaving with high energy and a feeling of having experienced something significant here. It has to do with the level of attention of the facilitator, the correct management of the meeting, the ability to captivate and interest, the correct preparation, the correct connection of people to the topic and the understanding of group processes and facilitation processes that a professional facilitator knows how to bring to the physical and virtual room. So if you felt that this was missing in your meetings, and if it is important to you to improve the meetings, help with professional facilitators.
That’s it for now. You are welcome to add to the light and bring your own experiences. ❤️
