Optimize your virtual work performance
I spend a lot of time talking to women about communication and negotiation, how to feel confident in their skin, and get their points across at crucial moments. A year and a half ago, the conversation was about how to accomplish all that when walking into a conference room or meeting a colleague for coffee. Things have changed.
Since the pandemic companies set up their workforce to working from home at least part of the time. And it’s clear that virtual meetings aren’t going away. So now, we’re talking about how to present ourselves well over the course of a full day on Zoom. It turns out, the task is harder than we thought, and getting the lighting right is the least of our worries.
The Primary Consequences of Virtual Work
In February 2021, Professor Jeremy Bailenson of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab published “the first peer-reviewed article that systematically deconstructs Zoom fatigue from a psychological perspective.” He set out to understand the technical limitations of video conferencing platforms that cause what we all now call “Zoom fatigue.”
You likely know what it feels like – after four back-to-back meetings, you’re mentally exhausted, unable to focus, and maybe even feeling physical pain.
In the study, Bailenson identified “four consequences of prolonged video chats that he says contribute to the feeling commonly known as ‘Zoom fatigue.’” Here were my key takeaways.
When You Can’t Look Away
One of the primary reasons Zoom meetings are so exhausting is because they require more close-up eye contact than most humans can tolerate. Think about the last time you were in a physical meeting with your coworkers. You weren’t all sitting around the table staring directly at each other the whole time. Instead, you looked away, took notes, shifted your attention from person to person. And you certainly weren’t spending the entire meeting looking into a mirror at your reflection.
Seeing yourself on screen all the time can lead to negative emotional consequences and increased self-doubt. So it’s not surprising that the nip-and-tuck industry has seen a massive uptick in nose corrections over the last year – your facial features can appear up to seven times larger on Zoom than they actually are. (Unfortunately, the dangers of self-view tend to be worse for women, which I’ll discuss more in-depth in my next post.)
Your Mobility Is Taking a Hit
As I mentioned in several posts, movement isn’t only beneficial for you physically, but it improves cognitive performance. Unfortunately, Covid robbed us of the simple but critical daily movements we made when we were all in the office together – the walk from your car to the building, your office to the kitchen, the conference room to the bathroom.
During a lengthy in-person meeting, you probably stood up and walked around the room a few times to stretch. You may have even taken a ten-minute break to use the bathroom or walk around the building. Unfortunately, the chances are good that you’re not even standing up once during Zoom meetings because you’ll end up out of the frame.
Reduced mobility can lead to a laundry list of physical symptoms like dry eyes, stiff joints, sore muscles, lower back pain, and hip issues from prolonged sitting. Even with an ergonomically perfect set-up – and who has that – you’re bound to do some damage.
Zoom Meetings Require You to Think Harder
Virtual meetings limit our non-verbal and unconscious communication streams. According to Bailenson, “You’ve got to make sure that your head is framed within the center of the video. If you want to show someone that you are agreeing with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up. That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate.”
In an in-person meeting, nodding in agreement or raising your hand to speak aren’t actions you necessarily need to think about. Zoom has changed that for all of us.
Bailenson also notes that physical gestures require additional interpretation on Zoom. For example, when you turn to look at something that your colleagues can’t see or you respond to a noise they can’t hear, you create a disconnect that requires explanation and cognitive processing.
Remember, the latest video-conferencing platforms have some level of noise cancelation built-in, so what irritates you to the point of reacting, can’t be heard on the other side. You have to do more work to explain that you’re checking on your kid, or the dog, or that car backfiring down the block – and your colleagues have to work harder to understand – otherwise, you risk looking disconnected or even disinterested.
What Can We Do About It?
Bailenson offers some simple workarounds for users to lessen the cognitive burden and get the most out of virtual meetings. Here are a few:
Assess Your Set-Up: An external camera, keyboard, or mouse can help you create distance between yourself and the screen and allow more room to stand, stretch, or doodle during meetings.
Turn Off Self-View: Make sure you’re properly framed, and then use the “hide self-view” function so that you’re not staring at yourself for the next hour.
Schedule Breaks: Bailenson says, “Just because you can use video, doesn’t mean you have to.” Every now and then, turn off your video or call into the meeting. And if connectivity allows it, do so while walking outside.
Once you’ve done everything you can to maximize your tech, the next hurdle is to make sure that you’re showing up in your best light - literally and figuratively! To help my clients do just that, I’ve partnered with a Zoom makeover expert. She knows all of the best practices to ensure that you get your point across and your colleagues aren’t distracted by how you appear on screen.
Don’t let virtual hold you back. Let’s discuss how this service can help you feel more confident in your skin when negotiating and communicating virtually.
First published Aug 19, 2021
