five years on zoom: here’s my tips

unlike most of the world, i didn’t just discover zoom. i have been teaching, meeting and existing on zoom for over five years.   here are my top ideas on how to survive and thrive on zoom:

• no more than 90 minutes of zoom at a time—anything more and screen/eyeball fatigue really sets in
• no more than two full (90 min) zoom meetings a day
• 90 minute break between meetings—you need to stretch, go outside, interact with 3 dimensional people or objects where possible. don’t sit and work as your break. stand up, pee, get some water at a minimum, then work.
• keep your camera on. it may seem less fatiguing to turn off the camera but in any meeting, including a really big one, it disengages you from the meeting, the people and the purpose. as the leader, you suspect that anyone with camera off isn’t really there so it also doesn’t impress the boss. its disconcerting to meet with people you can’t see. better to be on the phone. then you’re at least not looking at me while i’m not looking at you.
• brush your hair and put on make-up–it matters whether people are presentable. wake-up early and do it.
• never refer to what you’re wearing or not wearing below the waist
• use the chat a lot—there’s always someone over 70 who is “distracted” by the chat. that’s just too bad. people who are distracted by the chat can not look at it. it keeps you engaged and it’s a great way to share information without taking up extra time in the meeting. you can literally cut the time in of the meeting in ½ by using the chat for people to sign in, check in and share contact info and other key announcements. you can save the chat by clicking “save chat” at the bottom dots.
• keep it in gallery mode—fun to see everyone (cant really do it on devices)
• be on computer not tablet or phone—infinitely more engaging and connected
• if you’re sharing/presenting something through zoom
  • have it open on your desktop before you share
  • close absolutely everything that could possibly embarrass you if someone sees it on zoom.
  • never navigate through your desktop to something you want to share
  • unshare frequently and let people rest their eyes
• don’t record your meetings—many people will ask “will this be recorded?” the answer is no. no one will watch it or listen to it. the reason they ask is so they don’t have to go. it’s dangerous to record and inhibits free conversation. don’t do it.
• use breakout rooms wherever possible—it is super fun to talk to 3 or 4 people and to transit back and forth. highly recommend it.