As we settle into our new work from home routines, Zoom and other video conferencing tools have become the default medium for meetings. In person stand-ups, project updates, one-on-ones, team meetings, and offsites are now taking place over video. While I strongly advocate for using video in place of its more analog conference call counterpart, Zoom fatigue can start to set in for those not accustomed to working remotely and even for battle-hardened remote workers.
In order to keep the cameras on and maintain high levels of engagement, I wanted to share a few tips to prevent Zoom fatigue. Much of what I suggest stems from the past 15 years of working a significant number of hours remotely where it was critical to keep energy and focus high to ensure I could hit my work and life goals. Below are 8 Tips to Avoid Zoom Fatigue as well as a video highlighting a few of the key elements.
Tips to Avoid Zoom Fatigue
Shorten the Length of Zoom Calls: There is a natural tendency to book more time than we need for a meeting. Try challenging your standard conventions and shorten hour-long meetings to 45 minutes and increase the use of 30-minute meetings and even 15-minute check-ins. For those of us who are not time management zealots, we tend to allow the meeting to expand to fill the time that was booked. How many of the meetings you have attended over the last year ended early? Exactly. To ensure you still achieve meeting objectives in smaller time slots, be sure to confirm the meeting goals at the outset of the call, have a firm agenda, and minimize unproductive cross-talk.
Maintain Meeting Hygiene: Virtual teams don’t have the constraints of conference room availability like in person teams and meetings can tend to overflow beyond start and end times. Be sure to maintain good meeting hygiene and start and end on time. Doing so will reduce the time spent on Zoom by minutes and possibly even by hours per day.
Do More Work Upfront: One way to shorten Zoom meetings while improving their efficacy is to do more of the work upfront. To do so, send out any relevant documents and status update emails in advance for meeting participants to consume. Also, establish a team guideline that everyone needs to come to the meeting prepared by reading each email and document in advance. Then use the time on the Zoom call to connect with team members and collaborate on new ideas and solutions as well as to debate specific elements that were provided in advance.
Stand Up: The use of stand up desks has become the rage across Silicon Valley and in corporate America given the medical and psychological benefits of swapping out sitting for hours on end with standing up. If you haven’t outfitted your home office with a stand-up desk, try standing up on your next Zoom call. You might need to create a makeshift stand (try those old textbooks you can’t seem to get rid of) to create the right angle for the camera, but standing up for some or all of your calls will help keep you more alert and engaged. As a secondary benefit, when it is your turn to speak, you’ll be more dynamic given you’ll have more space to use gestures.
Minimize the Use of Gallery View: One of the most draining aspects of Zoom calls is the feeling that all eyes are on you at all times. That is not the case of course, but if you are using the “Gallery View,” it looks like all eyes are looking directly at you. In reality, meeting participants are focused primarily on the active speaker. To relieve some of the anxiety from the feeling that all eyes are on you, try to avoid the use of Gallery View except at the start of a meeting, when seeing all of your team members’ friendly faces can help create connection and a strong sense of team.
Provide Breaks: An office environment lends itself to many mini-breaks throughout the day. Time to walk to your next meeting. Time spent in the company cafeteria or kitchen chatting about weekend plans and the latest binge-worthy show. Virtual office time tends to result in calls stacked upon calls and minimal breaks. Be sure to schedule planned breaks on your calendar each day to go for a walk, engage with your spouse or roommate, or to work out. I go for a jog or work out on the elliptical during the early afternoon when my energy and focus start to fade. With my kids at home during the quarantine, I also have scheduled time to play baseball or kick the soccer ball around during lunchtime. Doing so creates an afternoon boost to productivity so that I can finish the day strong.
Zoom with a Friend or Family Member: Zoom calls require us to be “on” the entire time given people can see our expressions and gestures at all times. Try to break up the day and do a Zoom call with a friend or family member to stay loose and focus on lighter personal topics - though admittedly, many of those conversations these days can focus on the stress resulting from being quarantined. That said, try to keep it light and share a funny moment from the day to lighten the mood.
Pump it Up: Building stamina for Zoom calls is similar to developing the energy to facilitate team offsites, run full-day training sessions, or even to lead regular meetings. When I first started to lead half and full-day coaching and training sessions, I noticed that I was exhausted at the end. I had no idea how I would be able to develop the stamina to make that a big part of my work calendar. Over time however, I became less and less tired at the tail end of each one as I was spending less mental energy prior to each session as well as in the moment. The same thing applies to Zoom meetings - reps will boost your stamina over time.
The use of Zoom is a great way to connect and engage with virtual team members, but it can also lead to fatigue and potentially even the dread of the next one. Try some of the tips above to boost your energy and reduce the fatigue.
RELATED BLOG POSTS
Webinar Replay: How to Lead a Virtual Team
10 Tips for Leading Virtual Teams
How to Be a Great Leader During Turbulent Times
*Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash