Principles for Human Centered Meetings
This week’s posts will give tips on how to run human centered online meetings.
You can use these tips until the robots take over. At that time you can switch to my other blog called “Meeting Tips for Robots.”
These two principles shape the next few posts. We are all remote today so meeting can be tiring. We all suffer from “Zoom fatigue.” If you keep these two principles in mind, then you will have more human centered online meetings.
Make eye contact as much as possible
Focus on work best done in real time
Let’s start with the first principle: make eye contact as much as possible. Humans love eye contact. It provides us information on what the person you are talking to means when they are speaking. Making eye contact allows our team members to trust us and for us to try to understand them. Often during online meetings people don’t consider their ability to both make eye contact with their audience and see the eyes of their audience.
Things that block eye contact in video setups include the following:
Poor lighting
Not looking at the camera when speaking
Bad internet connection
Blurry or low quality camera
The second principle is: focus on work best done in real time. What tasks can be done *best* with both parties focused and face to face? When you are LIVE with someone or with your team you can deal with things that have a delicate emotional piece to them. You are creating a feeling with them.
Here are some examples of situations that should be held in a meeting:
Initial one on one meeting with a new team mate
Getting alignment on a tricky topic
Getting agreement on a decision
Motivating a team to execute a plan
Telling a team bad news
Finding out why your team member hasn’t done any of their work
Sharing how you are feeling
Training someone how to do something
Practicing and getting feedback on something
Coaching someone
Getting advice from someone
What can be done without a meeting?
Almost everything else!
Giving your staff an routine update
Getting a routine update from your staff
Creating a project plan in a spreadsheet
Creating an architecture in a PowerPoint/draw.io
Writing a strategy document
Brainstorming a list of possible solutions
All of these things can easily be done asynchronously. Some of them might be more “fun” in a meeting. Sometimes you can get more done because you can quickly ask questions understand context and subtlety. Be wise about how you use your team’s time. Zoom fatigue is real and exhausting.
Use these two principles and you will have more human centered online meetings.
Next tip will give the basics of running an online meeting.
