The Zoom Years

 

Online communication is a necessary part of each of our lives, while the level and extent each person experiences may be different, the need to navigate the virtual world is universal. Whether in school, work, or even social situations the ability to engage on Zoom, Teams, or other virtual platforms is a valuable skill. 

To get some ideas I hit the podcasts. One I found particularly interesting was called Fast Talk, Smart Communication, a podcast led by John Abrahams, a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He talks on a variety of topics including AI, how emotions impact communication, podcasts, and the one I listened to which offered a variety of tips to communicate effectively online called, How to Shine Online and Excel Excel at Virtual Communication. 

One example which is great for those leading training sessions or meetings is to artificially induce connections and set up instances for people to engage which encourages self-disclosure and builds trust with the participants. Self-disclosure is the process of making intentional disclosures about yourself (Green, 2023) and is important for interpersonal relationships, finding when and how in virtual situations can be a difficult task. 

Other tips that stuck out for me for leading zoom sessions: 

• Keep your audience engaged, and change activities often
• Plan in advance, pace yourself
• Make slides appealing and less cluttered
• Reduce cognitive overload by breaking sessions into smaller pieces

When it comes to participating in virtual spaces and meetings:

• Fill up half the screen with your head and the top of your body
• Make sure room between the head and the top of the box
• Make sure you are well-lit and not covered in shadows
• Raise the camera up to eye level, looks like looking directly at you when looking at you
• Make eye contact to build trust
• Add variation in your voice, not monotone and change rate, 
• Add emotive words and adjectives.
• Don't forget about gestures.
• Leverage paraphrasing in meetings to show your engagement 

Overall this podcast offered some quick and easy tips on ways to interact and engage in online settings in a way that was straightforward and interesting. It was to the point without a lot of fluff and offered opinions of a variety of professionals for different settings.  I would certainly recommend this podcast if you're looking for communication tips! ☺

GSB, S. (2021, April 16). Think fast, talk smart: Communication techniques: Quick thinks: How to shine online and excel at virtual communication on apple podcasts. Apple Podcasts. Retrieved February 25, 2023, from https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/think-fast-talk-smart-communication-techniques/id1494989268?i=1000517406053

Green, Julia (2023). Communicating Online: Communication 211. McGraw Hill Create. pp 41