ZOOM AND WEBINAR FATIGUE – Part 1

ZOOM AND WEBINAR FATIGUE

It’s actually “a thing” now… and you’re not alone if you’ve observed Zoom Fatigue/Virtual online fatigue in yourself – and by that I don’t mean you’re ‘over’ all this online/virtual/zoom time. It’s that drained feeling I’m referring to. Why is it?

Here are the reasons we have found and observed and compared to other online articles.

• These online zoom meetings force us to focus more intently on conversations so that you follow and understand what’s being shared. Think of it this way: when you are sitting in a conference room, you can rely on whispered side exchanges to catch you up if you get distracted or answer quick, clarifying questions. During a video call, however, it is impossible to do this unless you use the private chat feature or awkwardly try to find a moment to unmute and ask a colleague to repeat themselves.

• Plus, video calls make it easier than ever to lose focus. I’d hazard a guess that most of us are guilty of it! We multitask i.e. we listen intently, check our email, text a friend, and post a smiley face on Social media all at the same time.

• However, I think we are fooling ourselves as we may have done all these things simultaneously, but we don’t end up doing much listening at all when we’re distracted and getting the full picture.

• Adding fuel to the fire is many of our work-from-home situations. We are no longer just dialling into one or two virtual meetings. We are also continuously finding polite new ways to ask our loved ones not to disturb us or tuning them out as they army crawl across the floor to grab their headphones off the dining table. For those who do not have a private space to work, it is especially challenging.

Finally, “online fatigue” stems from how we process information over video. On a video call the only way to show we’re paying attention is to look at the camera. But, in real life, how often do you stand within three feet of a colleague and stare at their face? Probably never.  I for one am not 100% used to it yet – that constant gaze at the camera – slightly uncomfortable initially and draining by the end of the day.

In F2F meetings we are able to use our peripheral vision to glance out the window or look at others in the room. On a video call, because we are all sitting in different homes, if we turn to look out the window, it looks like we are distracted and not focused on the conversation.

Another thing is we are also at the same time looking at that small screen of ourselves and I think it makes us super aware of every expression, every wrinkle and how it might be interpreted! I for one think the outside ‘distractions’ aren’t all bad at times!

“So… check in back here on our blog in a few days time for our scientific tips on how to ease this Online Fatigue we are experiencing currently.”

Content inclusions per Harvard Business Review – HBR.