One thing that’s changed our work lives for ever is online meetings. They have some advantages (you can work from home) but also some disadvantages. It’s sometimes difficult to find the right time to speak when you can’t see everyone in the room, for example.
In this post, there are a few techniques to help you with Zoom meetings. These also work well for all types of online meetings.
You can read from your notes
If you’ve got something important to say or you’re worried about making a mistake, it’s fine to read from your notes. If you look at the camera every so often it won’t be so obvious that you’re reading. You can even say something like:
“I’m going to read this out because it’s so important.”
“I hope you don’t mind me reading from my notes.”
Visual clues are important
Because you should mute your microphone if you aren’t speaking, people don’t know if you want to say something unless you do something like raise your hand or use a reaction button.
Make sure you nod your head (move it up and down) to show you agree, or even lift a finger to show you want to speak. This is just one of the reasons to keep your camera on when you’re in a Zoom meeting! Experiment with the meeting settings so that you can see everyone else in the meeting and not just the speaker.
Use ‘fluency phrases’ so that people listen to you
Some phrases “hold people’s attention” so that they’ll wait for you to speak. They’re also good because they give you a little bit of time to think before speaking. Here are some of my favourites:
“There are a couple of things I’d like to add.”
“I have a couple of comments about this.”
“Sorry to interrupt but …. (Can I ask a question / Can you clarify)
“Can I interrupt you for a moment?”
Get all the phrases you need for easier conversations
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