Virtual meetings are not face to face
Virtual meetings are real
But they are not face to face
We can not call a virtual meeting not real, so it’s real but not presencial. We all know that Zoom became a verb like Google. The tendency that was observed in the last 10 years became true and was skyrocketed by COVID 19. All the fails and jokes about what happens in those meetings are coming to an end, now it’s time to play hard. What did we learn?
Virtual meetings demand more preparation and pre-production.
A list of all participants, their names and a two lines bio, the main objective of the meeting, what is expected from you to study before to put all people “on the same page” of information, and what kind of collaboration the leader is expecting you to contribute.
Introductions are long and ineffective.
If for any reason you have to introduce a new concept, a project or idea make it as concise and precise as possible. Practice before alone or with a partner. Follow the rules of rhetoric. They are LOGOS, or logical appeal; PATHOS, or emotional appeal; and ETHOS, or ethical appeal, or appeal based on the character and credibility of the author.
Most of the participants have no clue about how to behave in front of a camera and no idea of how to use lights and a dress code.
Don’t move too much, don’t cough, blink your eyes every second, or make any noise. Mute your mic while waiting and unmute before start speaking. Dress with solid colors don’t use zebras or narrow stripes or dangly earrings. You are at home but don’t be too much informal in any way including beard, makeup, and hairdressing. Don’t have a light, from a window or a bulb behind you. All lights should be behind the computer or aside.
Not seeing all the audience makes us confused and the focus on one participant makes things more difficult.
The fact that you are not seeing all the audience, especially using your phone, doesn’t mean that people are not there.
Extreme close-ups distract our attention to the teeth, eye brown, or bumps on a face.
Webcams are not that good, when you come too close they show every detail of your teeth, or bumps on your face. Anchors men or women do makeups not to show those details and usually have impeccable teeth. Don’t move your camera. Put it on a tripod or a stable place
There is no debriefing and things became vaguer in the aftermath.
When meetings end there are several things to follow up on and actions to take. You should know precisely what is your task and your to-do list. Don’t be afraid to ask and make it clear to all.
Leaving a meeting for whatever reason is not a good thing to do.
In-person is a problem, virtually is 10 times worth.
Surprises are not welcome and parallel discussions are unacceptable.
If you talk to someone near you all participants will hear. There is no “low voice” possible and no “speak secret in the ear”.
Backgrounds are important and should be meticulously chosen.
Don’t forget that you will be “framed”. All elements should have a meaning. In any political campaign, this subject is planned in detail.
Voice, correct pronunciation, and rhythm is different and need to be worked out.
Don’t try to speed up your speech. You end up tripping over your words. Don’t shake a tower’ (instead of ‘take a shower’). Don’t use too much jargon, remember that this meeting may be recorded and shown to other audiences.
Background sounds are irritant and must be suppressed.
Sounds coming from a different room maybe not be heard by you, if you are using headphones, but people will hear them. It’s annoying.
Those popular Apps like Zoom, Meets, Teams are like tools. They need a ”crew” to make it work properly. We are the ones who do this job, Call us on 203 5503003 Isabel Courtney Miami or 347 4972210 Antonio Carlos New York or send us an email to filming@iseetechllc.com
