The coronavirus persists. For many of us, it still means tele-working, tele-meeting and tele-learning. All those online meetings and training courses have their advantages: no more travelling, and thus no traffic jams, keeping in touch with colleagues from your own living room, you name it! But for many, these online meetings are physically and mentally exhausting. Still, those virtual meetings remain the norm even post-coronation, albeit (hopefully) to a lesser extent than now. Therefore, we better get it right so that we are prepared. We hereby share some do's and don'ts to meet online like a pro! Be mindful of the following three things:
01 Your body language
02 Your eye contact
03 Your voice
Your body language.
Communicating is done not only with words, but also with your posture. Your eye movements, your sitting posture, your facial expressions: things that are easy to read. And from which you can often deduce more than words. Video calls complicate all that. You cannot see what is going on behind the scenes (pun intended) or what the pixelated figures on your screen are thinking. So it requires more attention from you to translate or figure out your colleagues' body language.
How best to handle this?
By showing off. Get a central position in front of your camera. This way, you will be well in the picture and your colleagues will more easily read your body language. So less translation work for you and your colleagues 😊!
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Your eye contact.
Obvious, you might think. And yet your eye contact is one of the main pitfalls in online meetings. When you communicate - online or in 'real life' - eye contact is a must. It helps you give direction to your conversation. Is my conversation partner listening intently? Or is he already dozing off? Is everything clear? Or do I need to repeat certain things? Your eye contact gives you the necessary answers to these questions!
Online meetings, however, say no to this. The reason? Because you are not looking into the lens but at the screen. So you never make direct eye contact, but always keep looking at your screen - and thus your interlocutor. Something that does not apply in real life! There, looking away once in a while is not a problem! Because looking at someone for too long makes your conversation partner feel uncomfortable. And of course we don't want that either! 😉
How best to solve this?
Make sure you alternate your eye contact: if you are speaking, it is best to look into your camera. If you are listening to one of your colleagues, look at your screen. Having trouble with all the staring looks and faces on your screen? Then turn off your camera when you don't have to talk yourself.
Je stem.
Problems with your connection, a screen crashing: nothing new for online meetings. But this often creates awkward silences and doubts for you as a speaker. Did I say something wrong? Did they even hear me? Because of these technical problems, your message and consequently your voice do not always come across properly. As a result, you and your colleagues have to pick up the thread again and again and fill in the 'empty' gaps in the conversation. Very tiring for your brain!
How do you get out of this?
Schedule video meetings only when really necessary. Often, communication also takes place smoothly and easily via e-mail. Get some exercise in between meetings. That way your brain will rest and you'll be fresher for that next meeting.
Language courses focused on online meetings.
Are you currently taking online classes or planning to start your online language course soon? Then these tips will definitely come in handy! After all, online meetings are similar to online lessons, aren't they? Because there, too, you need to interact with your trainer or coach. Your eye contact, body language and voice are just as important here as in virtual meetings!
Would you like to learn the art of meeting and brush up your language level as well? Take a look at our training offer!
Or would you like to take another online language course? Get in touch!
Interested in the full article? You can read it here! You can read it here!