Videoconferencing, Morning, Noon, and Night – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter

my-strategy-for-this-conference-call-is-to-roll-over-and-play-dead.-anonymous

Working from home, I face a schedule filled with never-ending, back-to-back videoconferences. I am constantly busy, but my productivity has fallen. Tangible results are lacking at the end of business, and I work longer hours. With everyone banished from traditional offices, regular meetings are vital to keeping the ball rolling. We are experiencing a learning curve, but I’m already discovering best practices.

First-rate meetings have an agenda, provided by the meeting host. The call lasts as long as necessary, but not longer. I appreciate a 5, 10, or 20-minute talk, instead of droning on to fill artificial half-hour increments. Respectful participants help the conversation by muting themselves unless they are speaking. The mute feature helps reduce background noises that can override the speaker’s mic, causing them to repeat themselves. Using the mute and off-camera options, lessen the chance of awkward situations and potential embarrassment.

At the kickoff, the host should outline the objectives, introduce any new attendees, and set clear expectations for asking questions, and when comments are appropriate. As an attendee, don’t be that person checking email, or performing some other task, who must then ask for the question to be repeated. The last five minutes should summarize the discussion’s key points, and deliverables, and provide an opportunity for clarifications. The presenter should also email recap notes to the team.

After multiple videoconferences, I log out, and turn on my favorite program, ready to unwind, only to discover it is being televised via a conference call.

Do you have videoconferencing pet peeves?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

13 thoughts on “Videoconferencing, Morning, Noon, and Night – Daily Quote”

  1. It’s all new to our writing group, and there are no important decisions contingent on the meeting. (Just as well, since only half of us braved Zoom and two of those had connection problems). One of the non-attendees wants to publish some of her poetry and should have been meeting about it when lockdown struck. With luck, she will have Zoom downloaded by the time the group meets again, unless she wants to shelve the idea until… who knows when.
    With newbies still nervous about the whole idea, it will be a while before we can suggest muting until one wants to talk (we’ll just forget to unmute and wonder why we’re being ignored) … although I can see the benefit where some are concerned. Video-conferencing is a good strategy to teach some of us to wait our turn before speaking (I include myself).
    It was good though to actually see and talk to people instead of waving from afar.

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    • Cathy, how wonderful your group is still managing to meet. With the strain on the internet many of us are having connection problems. If you are using Zoom, joining a meeting is simple, you only have to click on the meeting invite to be connected. I have some issues with Zoom’s back end security, but that is another story.

      If you are a small group, then muting may not be an issue. You are right to get everyone comfortable with joining the group and participating. Adding in the more advanced features can wait for another day. The best part is seeing familiar faces, oh and the critique part too.

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    • I think a writing group is a distinctive kind of meeting and is thus absolved from of the desired strictures for business-type meetings. My family wants to have a Zoom conversation, which I’m all for. But I expect it to go in fits and starts and end because it does. I will still enjoy it mountains more than a gathering around an agenda in an office.

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  3. I got a good smile from this and felt sorry for you too. I’ve always disliked “in person” meetings, especially when there were a lot of them… so to have to do video conferencing on a regular basis, would drive me batty. I feel this way with online courses, my attention span is LOW and I don’t like when we take an online course and have to see zillion of unknown faces on the screen while we listen to the instructor — it is very distracting. Hang in there!

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  4. I have a philosophy about meetings that they are evil. That we have them only because we must and that when they are over, we get to resume living. That said, this is a different time with different requirements. And thus meetings have to happen more since even less formal office conversations (or conversations anywhere) cannot happen. That said, if it’s for a formal reason, then I so much agree that the meeting should go as long as required then stop. I’m sorry if you are needing to fill a half-hour each time because you’re all supposed to fill a half-hour each time.

    Excelsior.

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    • I like how you think, Christopher. Some meetings really are evil. I just think it is funny how some television screen is beginning to resemble my work day screen. I do like to keep meetings to a minimum, but it is not always within my control.

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