Is face-to-face over thanks to Covid?

Here at Shakespeare Communications, our business is built on the most powerful tool we know – talking. We love meeting clients old and new, discussing strategies, brainstorming and planning. We thrive in the fast-paced, fast-talking world of modern media communications. 

…..

But this has all been put on hold in 2020.

…..

Globally, the pandemic means people are less likely or unable to meet face-to-face. Who would have thought a year ago that we'd all be using brand new lexicon, talking of Zoom, Teams, and all sorts of virtual 'rooms'?

….. 

Online meetings are the new normal this year, and we’re on video calls more than ever before. But many of us are finding it exhausting.

 …..

It turns out there are basic 'cues' we all search for, and react to, on an often subliminal level. Talking to the BBC, Gianpiero Petriglieri, an associate professor at Insead, explained that taking part in a video call requires more focus than face-to-face chats. 

….. 

In short, taking business online means we have to work harder to process non-verbal cues like facial expressions, voice tone and pitch, and body language. Having to pay more attention to these consumes a lot of energy. 

….. 

“Our minds are together when our bodies feel we're not. That dissonance, which causes people to have conflicting feelings, is exhausting. You cannot relax into the conversation naturally,” he says.

 …..

The natural pauses – silences – that occur in everyday face-to-face chat also give us anxiety, as we immediately think there's something wrong with our technology. And studies have shown that a pause or delay of just 1.2 seconds or longer make us perceive people as less friendly or focused. 

….. 

Most of the technology we often use — computer screens, smartphones, and tablets —emits blue light, which can disrupt sleep. As we have become increasingly more dependent on these devices, researchers have suggested a way to avoid losing sleep – wearing blue-tinted glasses.

….. 

“We found that wearing blue-light-filtering glasses is an effective intervention to improve sleep, work engagement, task performance and organizational citizenship behaviour, and reduced counterproductive work behaviour,” Cristiano L. Guarana, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business told Futurity.

….. 

'Zoom fatigue' is the 2020 curse of the homeworker. Add in the security issues of working from home, and an upsurge in hacking, and you begin to see where we're heading with this article. 

 …..

Clearly, we must all work together to help stem the spread of the virus. Clearly, working from home is a good thing to help that global goal. We must all endure the 'new normal' until the virus is eradicated. 

…... 

But like so many people, we are acutely aware that the best way to communicate – and do business – is, and always will be, face-to-face. Video meetings fulfil a basic business requirement, but some of the nuances are lost, as is the business pre-amble and post-meeting gahwa and shisha. 

Of course, we can meet. We can make sure we are safe, in a sterilised, sanitised environment, and discuss business. With masks on. But with the pandemic hanging over us all, it's probably safer to stay home and keep enduring Zoom fatigue...just don't forget those blue glasses...