We simply don't use cameras. Sometimes a person would turn it on to show something, but that's it. There is absolutely no need to be visible at all times.
The Fatiguing Effects of Camera Use in Virtual Meetings [pdf]
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Re: The Fatiguing Effects of Camera Use in Virtual Meetings [pdf]
#72At this point I only turn my camera on for 1:1 meetings. It's distracting and useless for larger groups. Even in 1:1s I hate being unable to actually make eye contact, it's consistently confusing.
Re: The Fatiguing Effects of Camera Use in Virtual Meetings [pdf]
#73Anecdotal, and I don't want it to sound like my example is intended to disprove this research or anyone else's experience, but I personally find it extremely fatiguing if people _don't_ turn on their video. More specifically, when I'm talking in a meeting or giving a presentation, I find it very helpful to see other people, see their reactions, see whether they laugh at jokes or look confused when I'm bad at explaini…
You don't know if the look at something else and listen to you at all. If there are boring meetings it's quite common for people to use split screen or a second computer and browse something or read and vaguely paying attention.
For this reason we decided to not bother with cameras.
Re: The Fatiguing Effects of Camera Use in Virtual Meetings [pdf]
#74Now we need an investigation comparing VR meetings to flat screen meetings.
I find VR meetings much better, but it highly depends on the quality of the VR goggles and the software.
And of course you need some time to get used to VR.
Re: The Fatiguing Effects of Camera Use in Virtual Meetings [pdf]
#75bit of a different perspective, but I simultaneously believe:
a) Video is draining, like this study (and all the anecdotes in comments) attest to;
b) You need video at least a majority of the time to maintain any type of human relationship with people in a remote environment.
Maybe the problem isn't the video, but an abundance of meetings. Fewer meetings = less fatigue!
Re: The Fatiguing Effects of Camera Use in Virtual Meetings [pdf]
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
My manager would ask everyone would to raise their hands from keyboard randomly in a half-joking manner... to ensure everyone is focusing to the meeting, and not working. or, point out "hey you have something else on screen because white screenlight flashed on your face" Leaving this company in a month, although they're paying me 2x the local average SE salary here in Sweden.
There is nothing happy about working for control freaks, and slightly higher net salary won't magically turn it into a good place to work... sounds like a good idea to depart
2x is not "slightly". You can see it as the amount of premium an employer has to pay to get away with things like that.
A well-prepared meeting is fast-paced and keeps everyone genuinely involved.
Re: The Fatiguing Effects of Camera Use in Virtual Meetings [pdf]
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
Avatars should be solution for you then, right?
Yes, avatars would help me remember students better. They would need to be usable in Zoom, as that is the platform our university has chosen for the time being.
You can add a photo to your Zoom config so that it is displayed when you talk.
Re: The Fatiguing Effects of Camera Use in Virtual Meetings [pdf]
#78Anecdotal, and I don't want it to sound like my example is intended to disprove this research or anyone else's experience, but I personally find it extremely fatiguing if people _don't_ turn on their video. More specifically, when I'm talking in a meeting or giving a presentation, I find it very helpful to see other people, see their reactions, see whether they laugh at jokes or look confused when I'm bad at explaini…
I've worked from home for a decade now, and I've found the people who want cameras on in meetings are the folks who don't normally work remote. They're not used to not seeing reactions, so it throws them when nobody has a camera on. The people who have worked remote for a while - at least since before covid - don't ever use their camera.
I've worked remote for over a decade and our company has never used video, only audio. This year we used it in lieu of our yearly in-person get-together, and outside of the first 5 minutes of "long time no see" at least for me it added nothing to the actual meeting. For instance, I like to pace around the room during meetings to help think and with video that's just awkward.
Re: The Fatiguing Effects of Camera Use in Virtual Meetings [pdf]
#79I think it's because, in real life, you can tell who's looking at you and when. There's key components of body language that are based in who is paying attention to who. In a videoconference, this is all missing. You can't tell who's looking at you or not, so that mean anyone could be looking at you, so you act like everyone is looking at you all the time, you feel the need to control your presentation more, that cau…
This happened a lot with Zoom calls for my then-four-year-old daughter's classes too. All the kids hated it because they were looking at the picture of a friend and talking to them, but the friend didn't know they were so they weren't listening to them, and they all got incredibly frustrated. As adults we can have the theoretical knowledge about how these things work, but it does cut out a lot of helpful cues.
For me, I also think the slight audio / video lag is really difficult in a similar way. It makes conversational fluency really hard, such as when you can interject, or knowing when someone has finished. It means that conversations tend to become a series of monologues, and that's a really tedious way of having a conversation.
Re: The Fatiguing Effects of Camera Use in Virtual Meetings [pdf]
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think there is also the cultural assumption that you could always be away doing something else when on a call remotely. For instance, when everyone is in the same room, you’re manifesting you dedicated your time to the meeting. From there, even if participants look at their mail or do something that might not be related, or just look bored, there is some leeway given by the fact they are there in the first place. I…
My manager would ask everyone would to raise their hands from keyboard randomly in a half-joking manner... to ensure everyone is focusing to the meeting, and not working. or, point out "hey you have something else on screen because white screenlight flashed on your face" Leaving this company in a month, although they're paying me 2x the local average SE salary here in Sweden.
While calling it out like that is crass, I do wish people wouldn't do other things during meetings. I get that these meetings are presumably over-long, but perhaps that's because half the participants aren't actually paying attention...