What are the Costs of Multi-Tasking During a Zoom Meeting?
[3-minute read]
I confess. I’ve done it. In fact, I’ve done it many times. Sitting in yet another long Zoom meeting, listening to someone drone on about something that doesn’t interest me… and there’s that Siren song of my second computer screen, with its enticing combination of emails, work, and online shopping. Surely, no one will notice if I just glance at my other screen, right? After all, every time I look at the Zoom meeting, there I am, paying attention!
My Epiphany About Multi-Tasking
I continued this terrible habit until I read the ground rules that bankruptcy attorney James A. Hinds posted for a Zoom meeting. They included:
Don’t multi-task. It’s rude. And it’s obvious.
OMG, I thought: People are noticing when I multi-task. Of course, that should have been obvious, but I had been deceiving myself. The next time I was on a Zoom call, I paid attention, both to the people speaking and to the people who were multitasking, clearly looking at their phone or a second screen while someone was speaking.
How Do We Look to Others?
And I saw how we appear to everyone else on the call when we focus our attention elsewhere during a Zoom meeting:
- Disrespectful
- Rude
- Perhaps suffering from Adult ADD.
Ouch!
Pros and Cons
So let’s weigh the pros and cons of checking your phone or working during a Zoom call. On the plus side, you get stuff done while boring people are talking. Score!
But let’s look at the minus column. While you’re busily getting stuff done, you are conveying an image to everyone else on the call that you are not respecting the others who have set aside their time — and their attention — to attend the meeting.
What is the cost of making this impression?
- Credibility.
- Reputation.
- Goodwill.
When people see that you are not respecting the words of others, they respect you less. That’s a high price to pay for getting that steal on EBay or hammering out one more email.
Suggestions from a Former Multi-tasker
So the next time you’re on a Zoom call, here’s my advice:
- If you cannot pay attention, then for heaven’s sake, turn off your video camera! People will suspect that you are multitasking, but they won’t know for sure.
- If your video is on, pay attention. Who knows, you might learn something! You will certainly gain the appreciation and respect of the others on the call.
We’re not even discussing bringing your phone in the bathroom during a Zoom call with the video on, as a Spanish cabinet minister did recently.
I’m really glad he did that… it makes checking my email look so innocuous!
©2020 Elizabeth Danziger All rights reserved
Take me to your leader! Communication woes drain the lifeblood from an organization. Connect me with your decision-makers and see how Worktalk can transform communication in your world. Contact me at lizd@worktalk.com or 310.396.8303. You can also book through www.calendly.com/worktalk.
