How to Change Zoom Culture
Vivi’s off gallivanting on the east coast with her dad’s family for two weeks. Every day, like clockwork, she calls me on Facetime — usually right when I’m knee-deep in a product marketing meeting.
Facetime with a 6-year-old is an adventure in itself. You get a grand tour of her bedroom, animal face filters galore, and way-too-close close-up of her nose. Attempting to hang up (because, you know, work) is met with fierce resistance..
It’s a lot like trying to wrap up a Zoom meeting that’s gone over time when there are still 20 agenda items left, and top executives resist punctual ends. Sound familiar?
With no physical meeting rooms to walk to or elevators to ride, our digital meetings have no buffer between one ending and another beginning.
As someone who prides herself on punctuality, I find both Zoom meeting culture and 6-year-old Facetime culture quite the struggle.
The secret to ending a “meeting” with Vivi without a meltdown? Promise to talk again tomorrow AND give her an immediate task. Plus, a heads-up a few minutes before hanging up works wonders. Perhaps we can apply this to Zoom culture as well.
Here are a few tips for better Zoom meeting punctuality:
➡ Promise to Talk Again Tomorrow: Set up a follow-up session or a Slack message thread to keep the conversation going. Don’t leave people hanging.
➡ Assign Tasks: Clearly list out any action items so everyone knows what needs to be done.
➡ Give a Heads-Up: With five minutes to go, give a polite warning, then recap the meeting to ensure everyone’s on the same page.
What about you? Got any tips for ending meetings on time? Share your wisdom!
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