A manual I recently read listed the “cons” of having a meeting virtually:
- Limits options for engagement
- Engagement can be less meaningful
- At home distractions
- More difficult to read body language and ensure participants are engaged
- Technical difficulties can impact the quality of the training
To be accurate, every one of these points should have “so far” added.
The videogame market is far bigger than the box office of Hollywood films. The people who play video games at home for hours at a time have no problem with engagement, with meaning, with distractions or with body language.
That’s because a well-designed videogame solves for all these problems.
If, even once, you’ve had a virtual meeting that engaged you and made you feel connected to someone else, then it’s clearly possible.
The hard work is deciding to put in the effort to have it happen more often. Lazy simulations of in-person meetings are not a worthy substitute.
March 3, 2024
6 times 1/2 doesn’t equal 3. It equals zero.
We’re tempted to do a little less than we need to. Perhaps we’re busy, with too many options. Perhaps it’s resistance, pushing us to hold a little bit back.
Whatever the reason, when we show up just a little, we get zero credit.
The smallest viable audience plus focus and care is additive. Less than 1 is still zero.
March 2, 2024
In the old days, companies had a suggestion box. It was immortalized in cartoons, but the idea that an employee could anonymously submit a suggestion to make things better is a first step in engagement. Some companies took this much further and paid employees for suggestions that generated profits.
Digital communication and more open workplaces have made the necessity for a box like this decrease. But we’re still often hung up on the odd cultural stigma around seeming dumb. So people don’t raise their hands, don’t ask questions and work in frustration and ignorance instead.
Something we learn as teenagers.
Perhaps we can begin with a teenager-focused solution. When your kid turns 12, give them a blank notebook. “Any time you have a question that’s embarrassing or you’re not sure who to ask, just write it down in this notebook and put it on my bed. I’ll write out an answer and return it the next day.”
By taking off some of the interpersonal pressure, this creates a useful channel for questions and answers.
And what happens if we bring the same medium to work?
March 1, 2024
