How to Combat Virtual Meeting Fatigue: 9 Helpful Strategies
Ever since the pandemic took over the world, workplace settings have transferred from offices into homes. Employees and bosses can only see each other and discuss important matters through video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet.
While this approach is effective in keeping the communication lines open among co-workers, nothing still beats the effectiveness of in-person meetings. Virtual meeting fatigue is one prime example of the drawbacks of video conferencing.
This type of fatigue is caused by too many virtual stimuli which reduce the effectiveness of each team member as a meeting drags on. The saddest part is that there’s no need for statistics to show the prevalence of virtual meeting fatigue.
It’s because every one of us who has worked and works remotely has experienced this. We have no choice but to stick to this new normal. However, there are techniques to overcome virtual meeting fatigue. Read on to find out what they are.
1. Having “audio-only” breaks
Most meetings don’t require everyone to look at each other’s faces during the conference. If your team follows this rule, it can greatly benefit all of you. Why? It’s because reduced visual stimuli allow everyone to relax and focus on the agenda at hand through listening. Turn off the video feed of other team members if it’s allowed. You might as well turn your camera off.
2. Hide your self-view
If there’s a rule that mandates everyone keep your camera on, hide your self-view instead. This way, you can reduce your visual stimuli while making others still see you. The problem with having your self-view on is that you can easily get camera conscious even if there's nothing wrong with your image.
3. Set a time limit
The primary cause that makes virtual meetings tiring is that it drags on for too long. Nobody wants to get stuck sitting and facing a screen for 45 minutes and beyond. If you’re the one who scheduled the meeting, aim to finish it as soon as possible.
4. Always set an agenda
Long virtual meetings cause fatigue and meetings with no agenda lead to long meetings. Before you inform other team members to start a meeting, plan the topics to be discussed in hand. Make an outline out of them. Always put the urgent first, aim to finish the discussion as soon as possible, and save the non-essentials for the next conference.
5. Don’t multitask
Don’t do anything else during the video conference. Unless it’s part of the meeting like writing things down or presenting something through a shared screen. It’s easy to get distracted when facing a computer. As much as possible, close down all tabs, apps, and programs. If you have kids, try to keep them in a separate room to avoid being distracted.
6. Make the virtual meeting optional
Joining a virtual meeting should be a responsibility for each member of a remote team. However, it shouldn’t be mandatory. Other team members may get the gist of the meeting if given an agenda. And another advantage of making virtual meetings optional? You have fewer people to deal with, less visual stimuli, and the meetings can finish ASAP.
7. Schedule the virtual meeting at times everyone can agree on
Video conferences are good because it helps a team communicate even when everyone is far away from each other. The problem with that is team members could live in different time zones. As a meeting setter, you must talk to each member to agree about the best time to hold a conference. Try to find a schedule when everyone is awake and not tired from doing their tasks.
8. Keep the monitor away from you
The closer the monitor is to your face, the more likely you’ll feel exhausted during a video conference. It’s because your entire attention is focused on the screen with no chance to take short breaks. Yes, it’s good to focus on the meeting. But if you can’t give your eyes breaks such as taking glances out the window, you’ll eventually develop a headache.
If you use a laptop. Use a mouse and a separate keyboard. This way, you’re still able to interact with other members without being bombarded with a one-dimensional view.
9. Make the meeting fun
Using Zoom or Skype for virtual meetings is the norm. But such platforms can be boring to the point that it’s dreadful to think about it. So why not spice the meetings up? I personally suggest letting your team members download VR apps on their phones.
Phone VR headsets are affordable and some have free controllers. You can sponsor your members’ headsets or ask them to buy for their own use.
The next time you’re about to set a virtual meeting with your remote team, use these 9 strategies as your guide for a productive video conference. If you have a virtual assistant that does the scheduling, send them a link to this article for reference.
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