I'M ZOOMED OUT
I don’t know about you but some days I feel ‘Zoomed out,’ and I know I’m not the only one. On a weekly basis, I go from hour to hour on Zoom calls and I just feel exhausted.
I have also found myself more easily distracted during these video calls, or multi-tasking a little more than I should. Either my text messages are popping up right in front of me on my computer or I find myself being nosey checking out people's homes in their background. Worse yet, when I’m taking my call from home and the washer finishes, I'm turning off my camera to go put the clothes in the dryer - all while ‘trying’ to listen in on the call. Oye!
Even those that teach mindfulness, like myself, are constantly working on dismantling the human desire to multi-task and instead stay focused on what’s happening in the present moment. This is exactly why I teach this stuff, to continue to develop present moment awareness so I can in turn help others do the same.
All jokes aside, this Zoom fatigue is real, and the majority of us working remotely are experiencing some sort of fatigue from our new work environment and work from home set-up.
Harvard Business Review recently came out with an article with some ideas on how to combat Zoom fatigue. In this article the authors shared how Google searches for Zoom fatigue increased in March, and the theory is that we are more exhausted at the end of the day because video meetings require us to focus more intently on conversations in order to absorb information. I’d also like to add that in my experience, sometimes these meetings are so boring, I find my eyelids slowly close minute by minute.
So where do we go from here? We must do something knowing this is going to be our new normal.
With the new launch of BluWave Wellbeing, my co-founder and I have been immersing ourselves in studies about the power of play, specifically as it pertains to adults, and how a playful mindset impacts employee engagement and workplace culture. Studies continue to show that when we integrate play into our lives we are more creative, resilient, have stronger communications skills, and are better problem solvers. This in turn means that when we show up with a playful mindset at work we are more engaged, productive and customers wear smiles more frequently.
As a frequent meeting host, I’ve spent some time thinking about how to spice things up and make virtual meetings more playful in order to help combat Zoom fatigue and lighten the sometimes dire moods of my meeting attendees.
Have attendees bring a momentous item to the meeting, something that has meaning to them. Then go around and have everyone share why it is important to them (put a time limit on the share).
At the beginning of a meeting, add a fun ice breaker question such as, what superpower would you love to have and why? This helps attendees use their imagination, which never hurts when starting a meeting, can get a few laughs and helps everyone get to know each other.
Take a dance break. I experienced this recently on a call with 50 other adults (it’s important to emphasize it was not a call with kids!) and it was a blast. We picked a 30 second segment from the YMCA song and that was our break. Sure, some people were too shy to participate, but it didn’t matter. They still laughed and encouraged us to keep on boogey-ing, which is enough to heighten positive emotions.
For longer meetings, take a break every 50 minutes, do some stretching, or just take a break. Use the search term ‘chair stretches’ on YouTube and you should find a few ideas.
This one requires more planning, and might only work when there are fewer meeting attendees, but send everyone a surprise package and have them open them together on the call. It could be a small gag gift that is personal to them, or maybe a little afternoon treat that is sent over via GrubHub, DoorDash or Postmates.
Dress up to a theme for the meeting. We all remember the twin day in middle school, or 80’s day during spirit week in high school. Warning: this idea could serve as a bit of a distraction at first, but think about the long term impact on the team when you reminisce several months later about the goofy outfits.
Find a funny cat video (or another YouTube video of your liking) to launch the meeting.
Supporting our wellbeing requires more than just eating good foods, exercising and getting restful sleep. We also have to think about how to support our mental and emotional wellbeing, especially during a crisis. Creating opportunities for ourselves, and others, to experience more positive emotions through play is a simple, yet effective, way to help balance our mental wellbeing.
My challenge to you is to use one of the ideas above, or come up with your own playful idea, to spice up your next virtual call. I’d love to hear about how it went, so feel free to share your experience by commenting below.
What other ideas do you have to make virtual meetings more playful?