From team meetings to one-on-ones to virtual happy hours, Zoom has become a key tool for dealing with the challenges of remote work and communication. Even though Zoom has become an asset for companies, many remote and hybrid employees battle "Zoom fatigue," especially if constantly having to meet on screen is a big part of their jobs.
Members of Young Entrepreneur Council have also felt this struggle. Here, they offer their best tips on Zoom fatigue and transform your next virtual meeting into a more engaging endeavor for all.
With everyone battling "Zoom fatigue," what's one tip you have for how to transform your next Zoom meeting into something more engaging and fun for your employees?
1. Eliminate unnecessary meetings
Ensure meetings only include necessary people, and always have an agenda as well as an organizer. Meetings can be productive if your team is disciplined. If you give someone the responsibility of setting the meeting topic, then they should also be responsible for setting the attendee list. How many Zoom meetings could have just been an email that was sent out? —Arian Radmand, IgnitePost
2. Invite an unexpected guest
Invite a goat as a guest. I'm not talking about Tom Brady or Michael Jordan—I am talking about an actual goat. You can contact Cronkshaw Fold Farm to have one of its goats make an appearance in your next virtual meeting. I did this for one of our all-agency meetings and it lightened up the mood as the goat joined the conversation. —Ryan Stoner, Dendro
3. Set fun meeting themes
One tip for transforming Zoom meetings into fun, engaging experiences for employees is to set themes for the meetings. Encourage team members to set custom backgrounds, don costumes, or even come up with nicknames to liven up the online atmosphere in a fun way that lightens the mood. —Richard Fong, Bliss Drive
4. Encourage pet appearances
This may seem like a silly idea, but it brightens up a team's day when a dog or cat decides to photobomb a webcam. Oftentimes, a pet will want attention, and an employee is obligated to either shoo them away or move the camera. Encouraging some attention will make the team happier and more likely to follow along with projects and projected metrics. —Duran Inci, Optimum7
5. Promote employee interaction
You need to promote more interaction. No one likes being continually talked at. People in general are conversational and want to be included. Make sure questions and agenda are known in advance so that the meeting moves swiftly, and people can chime in with ideas or answers. —Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design
6. Create engaging content
When the pandemic hit, I had to think deeply about what it meant to remain engaging with my employees behind a screen. With a few ideas and some tweaking along the way, an epiphany hit me. Zoom fatigue isn't just a result of lockdowns or adjusting to screens—we already look at screens eight hours a day; it's a lack of creating engaging content on the screen. —Samuel Thimothy, OneIMS
More articles from AllBusiness.com:
- 10 Signs of Social Media Fatigue in Your Audience—And How to Fix It Quickly
- 5 Tips to Improve Your Next Zoom Sales Meeting
- 6 Effective Tips to Reduce Remote Work Fatigue
- 5 Tips for Better Online Meetings That Help Employees Feel Connected
- 5 Tips for More Effective and Engaging Zoom Meetings
7. Participate in round-robins
Having a quick round-robin or something really light to engage everyone at the beginning and at the end of the meeting is usually very honest, and begins and ends the call with a good level of interaction. These simple and fun ideas put no pressure on anyone to perform during Zoom meetings. For instance, ask the team to switch off their cameras and then ask them what another person is wearing. —Candice Georgiadis, Digital Day
8. Utilize Zoom's chat feature
In our meetings, we tend to have little side conversations in the chat feature as the main meeting is going on. Usually, this happens very quickly and consists of jokes, conversations around what people are saying, and questions people have. It's a great way to engage people during Zoom meetings. So, don't shut down any chat conversations during meetings as they can create fun. —Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
9. Add a Q&A session
You can make your next Zoom meeting more engaging by adding a small Q&A session to the end of the event. Use this time to answer your employees' questions and help them with any pressing issues. I've found that this part of the meeting is the most productive and engaging for us because it inspires conversations and helps us brainstorm new ideas. —John Turner, SeedProd LLC
10. Keep meetings on a time limit
Keeping Zoom meetings to 30 minutes or less is one way to combat Zoom fatigue. Sticking to a strict agenda on the call will help ensure you cover all topics in your meeting. —Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
11. Switch up meeting types
The best way to combat Zoom fatigue is to get off camera. Do this by having different versions of meetings—some that are voice only, some where the camera is optional, and then some meetings where the camera is compulsory. This will take some of the stress away. We save compulsory video calls for all-hands meetings and social events. —Zane Stevens, Protea Financial
12. Incorporate tangible exercises
Striking a balance between on-screen and off-screen time is critical for maintaining energy and combating fatigue, but in this Zoom era, it can be hard to avoid. At your next Zoom meeting, try incorporating activities that rely upon physical worksheets or moments of reflection on physical paper. Doing so keeps the team engaged, without having to spend 100% of the meeting looking at the screen. —Matthew Manos, verynice
