You Are on Mute
The most famous phrase in 2020 and 2021
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known..” — 1 Cor 13:12
“You’re Invited: Dinner.” That email subject line made me feel like a teenager going to a friend’s birthday party. Then the reflex kicked in. I scrolled down the body of the email, looking for the Microsoft Teams meeting link. Dress code?
Yes. It was a dinner, just like old times. We got to dress up, show up at the venue, eat and have face to face conversations with other people. It was a refreshing time, hanging out with colleagues and feeling that human connection again. We got to talk about family, things we do for fun and how we have been coping with the challenges of the pandemic. It was surreal to everyone that this was the first in-person team dinner we had for the first time in over two years.
We have been working, managing our teams and coordinating business all through Zoom and Teams platforms. We joked about how we mostly forget to turn on our mics during such meetings. And the constant reminders of “you are on mute.” The inevitable debate about the effectiveness of these meetings was a common agenda in the different cocktail discussions.
While most of us acknowledged that WFH is here to stay, everyone I interacted with expressed their frustrations with this “new normal.” Internet connection interruptions. People in the office dialling to the same meeting from different rooms. And the one that seems to generate the highest emotions — no camera on. One colleague was visibly animated while expressing her contempt for the no-camera folks. Even when I join our alumni virtual meetings, I hear comments like “I am not camera ready.”
I have a colleague who I secretly call the “camera police.” He will insist that all members switch on their cameras during meetings. And we have a “COVID” enforcer — masks on for all members sitting in the same meeting room and not maintaining the social distance. Can you relate to any of these?
I will like to hear your thoughts and views around virtual meetings — preferences, frustrations and best practices. Please fill out the poll from the link below — Your POV about virtual meetings:
