Adjusting our meeting habits in WFH era

The majority of tech companies have adjusted to a remote workforce during COVID-19. Some have even announced a permanent WFH option that extends beyond this pandemic.

Many of us (myself included) are spending more time than ever on video conferences that have replaced in-person meetings. As a consequence, some people have felt more disconnected than ever. Others might observe co-workers seeming more disagreeable than before. I spent some time trying to understand what might be causing this shift and how might we counteract it in order to create a more positive atmosphere in these turbulent times.

My hypothesis

It’s human nature for people to only speak up when they feel they have something to contribute. More often than not, these contributions are when they disagree with what’s being said or if they have something extra to add.

The potential negative effects are less visible when we are interacting in-person because people can “read the room” and sense the physical signals of agreement, such a gentle head nod or a subtle smile.

When we are meeting virtually instead of in person, it is much more difficult to give and receive physical signals of someone’s reaction to the topic.

• When there is silence, it’s difficult to tell if people agree or if they are just disengaged. Even worse, people might actually be confused and afraid to speak up due to fear of being perceived as ignorant or “not getting it”.
• When only people who disagree speak up even when the majority agree, the conversation seems more contentious than it actually is.
• When people only speak up if they have new information to add, the conversation might seem ill prepared because of what was missed.
• When too many people want to speak up, people are more likely to talk over each other because it is more difficult to use eye contact signals to direct who should speak next and give everyone a voice.

As a result, attendees walk away from a remote meeting with an inaccurate narrative of reality. They might think less people agreed with the topic or more things were missed than if the meeting happened in-person. Even worse, less things might move forward because people perceived there to be less alignment and we turn what was originally a false reality into the truth.

3 Ideas to counteract the perception of disagreement in the remote era

It is more imperative than ever to slow down in order to move fast and avoid unintentional consequences.

Be patient and make time to voice agreement

It will be beneficial for all of us to adopt the point of view that voicing agreements is just as valuable as voicing disagreements, especially because we can no longer express agreement and engagement via our physical signals.

Between the “can you hear me now” and “I forgot to un-mute” dialogues in video conferences, we might have the urge to have shorter meetings less often. However, I urge you to recognize the importance of making time for others to voice agreement instead of rushing through meetings in the name of productivity. You might notice your team members walking away with more energy and willingness to make forward progress if you invest the time to proactively seek verbal agreements.

More preparation and space for all voices

It is more important than ever to make sure everyone has a voice at the table in a focused and productive manner. When we had meetings in-person, it is often easier to moderate and notice who’s voice has been absent. However, it is more difficult to do so in a virtual setting. Therefore, consider having smaller and more structured meetings where it’s easier for everyone to engage and bring their unique voice to the table.

It will also help by setting clear meeting agendas with desired outcomes and even a pre-read doc. This will provide space for a structured conversation and give people opportunities to voice relevant opinions without derailing the conversation.

During the meeting, you can use note docs where everybody can collaborate and use as a virtual white board.

Tech can help

Product has tried to remedy the ability for humans to sense physical reactions with AI by processing images & facial expressions to give these signals. But this could easily be perceived as an invasion of privacy and “plain creepy”. You might end up with the opposite effect; people might turn off their camera more often and we end up with a world that is more disengaged.

But imagine if the attendees can consciously and intentionally give Facebook like reactions to express their feelings during a meeting such as like, slow down, confused, and/or interest. This is already a feature on Facebook live events. Why not bring it to Zoom or Google Meets? You can also consider using (and encouraging the use of) the chat functionality as a scrappy way of getting quick feedback.

What if we imagine further - the host who is giving a no interaction presentation can see a transcript afterwards to learn the spots people liked and where people got confused in order to improve the next presentation they give on the topic. Wouldn’t this be great feedback that would save us all a lot of time?

Conclusion

Regardless of where you stand and what you think of these ideas, I hope you walk away being a little kinder to yourself and to others as we all try to adapt our habits to this virtual meetings world.