The COVID-19 pandemic forced most professionals around the world to begin working from home in early 2020. Suddenly teams were separated and had to communicate over video call services. It’s hard to feel connected that way. And it’s hard to build relationships and maintain the trust that today’s business depends on.
Since this situation may continue for quite some time, we need to figure out how to make it not just work but work well. Katy Lindsay of Aptimore suggests a couple of things to do on a virtual call to create a sense of “active listening”. Vocal cues won’t work when the software tracks whoever’s speaking—the whole meeting is disrupted by people listening actively. So Katy recommends gently nodding and smiling to communicate that you’re paying attention. If you don’t consciously make a point of looking engaged, you’ll probably just have a blank face, which is really dispiriting for a speaker. Especially if everyone on screen looks like that!
And although it’s tempting when you’re not in the same room with the rest of the team, don’t try to multitask. It’s all too obvious when you’re looking down at your phone instead of paying attention to the speaker. And you just might miss some important information while checking those emails and text messages.
