1 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: Welcome to How I Work, a show about the tactics 2 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,399 Speaker 1: used by the world's most successful people to get so 3 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: much out of their day. I'm your host, doctor Amantha Inba. 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:17,440 Speaker 1: I'm an organizational psychologist, the founder of behavioral science consultancy Inventium, 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: and I'm obsessed with finding ways to optimize my work day. 6 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: Today is a mini episode, but before I get into that, 7 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: I always ask for people to leave reviews right at 8 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: the end of the show, but I thought I would 9 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: do a little quick shout out that if you're enjoying 10 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:36,479 Speaker 1: How I Work, then I would love it if you 11 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: could take maybe five ten seconds at the end of 12 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 1: this episode to leave a little review. It might be 13 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: some words, or it might be a star rating wherever 14 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: you have listened to this podcast. I personally love getting 15 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,840 Speaker 1: feedback from listeners, and if you review the show, it's 16 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: a great way for more people to hear about it. 17 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,639 Speaker 1: So thank you in advance if you decide to do that. 18 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: Let's get on to today's mini episode. So pre COVID, 19 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: we used to talk about death by PowerPoint. One of 20 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,320 Speaker 1: the biggest workplace has as we are now dealing with 21 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: is death by zoom. Research is showing that the average 22 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: executive spends twenty three hours in meetings per week. This 23 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: amount has probably doubled now that we are in the 24 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: land of doing everything via virtual meeting, or at least 25 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: that's how it feels. And as if meetings were not 26 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: painful enough, virtual meetings are worse if you are the 27 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: one running it. Are you ever really sure people are 28 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: just in their inbox rather than paying attention to you? 29 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: And if you're participating, checking your emails is generally more 30 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 1: interesting than the meeting itself. We opt for virtual meetings 31 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: because it's meant to be better for feeling connected to 32 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: work colleagues. However, most of us are dying to go 33 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: back to phone instead of being stuck in front of 34 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: the screen all day. Now. Virtual meetings are probably not 35 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: going away anytime soon, so instead of lament them, here 36 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: are three ways to help you feel more connected, not less, 37 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:10,919 Speaker 1: to your co workers. The first thing that you can 38 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: do is stop asking how you're going. It feels like 39 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: every meeting starts with the question how you're going, and 40 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: this cliched question begets cliched answers good, okay, pretty well. 41 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: In other words, you are generally no more connected with 42 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: the person you ask this question of than you were prior. 43 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: Professor Jane Dutton suggests that to foster what she refers 44 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: to as high quality connections in virtual meetings, we need 45 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: to ask better questions. A good question elicits a deeper 46 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 1: and more genuine response and reveals something that you previously 47 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: did not know about the person. For example, you might 48 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: ask the question, what's been an unexpected upside during COVID 49 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: for you? Or what's been the best thing about working 50 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 1: from home this week. By asking better questions, you'll feel 51 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: more connected to your co workers and them to you 52 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: through sharing something personal about themselves or yourself. High quality 53 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: connections make us feel energized and litter, which is an 54 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: important ingredient for setting virtual meetings up for success. Now. 55 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: The second strategy is to please stop using a professional backdrop. 56 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: I must say, company branded zoom backdrops seem to be 57 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,959 Speaker 1: taking over virtual meetings right now, and while companies who 58 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 1: insist that their employees use these images, they are actually 59 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: impeding personal connections. So Research published in the Academy of 60 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: Management Journal by Professor Ashley Harden found that the gaining 61 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: of personal knowledge about other people you're interacting with leads 62 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: to better interpersonal interactions. So personal knowledge humanizes us to 63 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: the people that we're speaking to. So when it comes 64 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: to virtual meetings, don't be afraid to use your real 65 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: home as the background. Crazy as that sounds, having your 66 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: bed or your kitchen in the background of your Zoom 67 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: meeting will lead to better interactions with those that you 68 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: are meeting with. Now, my third and final tip is 69 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: to start your meeting with a two word check in. 70 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: So Brene Brown recently shared her strategy for opening virtual meetings. 71 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: She asks her thirty person team to write down two 72 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: words that sum up how they are currently feeling. The 73 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: beauty of this strategy is threefold. First, it allows people 74 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: to name their feelings without fear of judgment. Secondly, it 75 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: acknowledges that it is possible for people to feel more 76 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: than just one emotion at the one time, and third 77 00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 1: it is quick to do. So. To avoid your virtual 78 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 1: meetings feeling like they are depriving people of true connections, 79 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: ask some better questions, show off your bedroom, and try 80 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:46,360 Speaker 1: two word check in to experience real connections blossom. That 81 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: is it for today's show. I hope you've got some 82 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: useful strategies and if you liked these tips, maybe you 83 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: might want to share them with some coworkers or friends 84 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: of yours who you think could benefit. That is it 85 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: for today's show, and I will see you next time.