How to Set up Meetings to Avoid Zoom Fatigue

Given the pandemic, the 'work from home' culture has become the norm. With that, the discussions which used to take a two-minute conversation at the desk in the office now require a meeting to be set up.

Be it a one on one meeting or a discussion with a group of people; the default expectation now is to have a video conference. People presume you have your video turned on during the meeting. I have seen where the organizer asks the team members to switch on their cameras, even if they are not very comfortable about it at the given time.

Research conducted by Microsoft has established that video conferencing is more taxing and stressful for the attendees. Hence, if you are organizing a meeting, you should be cautious about when to have a video call and when to do it audio-only.

Here is one simple point to keep in mind as an organizer while setting up a meeting.

Don’t Presume Everything Is a Video Meeting

While setting up a meeting, don’t expect that everyone will be ok with turning on their camera. It is always good to give a clear indication of your expectations while sending the calendar invite.

Hence, be prescriptive about the format expectation in the subject line of the meeting request.

Here is a simple yet effective way to make your video related expectation clear. Add one of the below statements in the subject line of the invite email.

Video Required

Add the statement 'Video Required' to the subject line when the attendees must switch on their camera during the meeting. Anyone who is not comfortable with using their camera will have time to let you know beforehand.

This way, you can adjust the video requirement as per the attendee's interest. There are situations such as remote interviews where you want to make sure you are talking to the actual candidate. In such cases, if the attendee refuses to be on a video call, you can speak to the attendee and convey to them the reasons you want it to be a video call.

Making it explicit on the meeting invite helps everyone to be on their best get up and also keep their surrounding clean before they join the call.

Video Preferred

'Video Preferred' statement is needed when you prefer a video call, but you are ok if people do not switch on their camera. This gives a chance for people to decide which mode of communication they will prefer during the discussion.

People always prefer to have options to choose from when attending a meeting. Being on video often feels like an invasion of privacy, especially when most of us are now working from home. By giving attendees the option to chose from, you are already creating a cordial environment for the discussion.

Audio with Screen Share

Add the statement 'Audio with Screen Share' to the subject line when you do not want a video meeting, but you expect people to share their screen when required. This will let people know that they should not switch on the camera, but they can expect some screen sharing.

Many of our teammates do not feel good when a lot of people switch on their video when it is not required. First, it consumes a lot of bandwidth and slows down the internet speed. Second, it makes them feel uneasy when they are the only few who are not on video.

Hence, when the meeting organizer makes it clear that video-sharing should be disabled, it helps everyone attend the meeting comfortably without feeling the obligation to turn on their camera.

Audio Only

Add the texts 'Audio Only' to the meeting invite when you do not want attendees to switch on their cameras or share their screen. This will give everyone a clear indication that they should not use video or start a screen share during the meeting.

Audio only calls are always helpful for people with slow internet speed. Hence, it is advisable to have the video or screen share to the meeting only when it is absolutely necessary.

With hundreds of calls that I have attended in the last eight months of work from home, I have seen most participants never switch on their camera. It is quite clear that audio-only calls are the most preferred way of communication for regular meetings among team members.

Final Thought

Try the above-mentioned simple points when you send your next meeting invite. It will help you and your attendees to have a less stressful meeting. Your discussions will be more productive, and the participants will appreciate your thoughtfulness.