308 JUNE 20 – Gryffe Advertizer

can we reduce ‘Zoom’ fatigue
local community, local life .........
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Our lovely friend Mo Ferrington has been using her time in lockdown
to start writing a regular newsletter. Here’s an excerpt from her most
recent one, on a topic that most of us will now have experienced already,
video calls:
Video chat is helping us stay employed and connected. But what makes it so tiring
- and how can we reduce ‘Zoom fatigue’? I get asked about this so often, but it’s
something I don’t do, so please do not ask me to.
Your screen freezes. There’s a weird echo. A dozen heads stare at you. There are the
work huddles, the one-on-one meetings and then, once you’re done for the day, the
hangouts with friends and family.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, we’re on video calls more than ever before – and
many are finding it exhausting. But what, exactly, is tiring us out? BBC Worklife spoke
to Gianpiero Petriglieri, an associate professor at Insead, who explores sustainable
learning and development in the workplace, and Marissa Shuffler, an associate professor
at Clemson University, who studies workplace wellbeing and teamwork effectiveness,
This is what they had to say..
Is video chat harder? What’s different compared to face-to-face communication?
Being on a video call requires more focus than a face-to-face chat, says Petriglieri. Video
chats mean we need to work harder to process non-verbal cues like facial expressions,
the tone and pitch of the voice, and body language; paying more attention to these
consumes a lot of energy.
“Our minds are together when our bodies feel we’re not. That dissonance, which
causes people to have conflicting feelings, is exhausting. You cannot relax into the
conversation naturally,” he says.
Delays on phone or conferencing systems of 1.2 seconds made people perceive the
responder as less friendly or focused. Silence is another challenge, he adds. “Silence
creates a natural rhythm in a real-life conversation. However, when it happens in a video
call, you became anxious about the technology.” It also makes people uncomfortable. A
recent study showed that delays on phone or conferencing systems shaped our views
of people negatively: even delays of 1.2 seconds made people perceive the responder
as less friendly or focused.
In short folks, I just will not do this, I was trained to be with my Client, to listen and
observe every little movement, and I surely do, tiny unconscious movements are a
communication that you only get in a face to face IN the room, they are clues, signs,
that tell me so much of what that client isn’t saying verbally.
You cannot relax into the conversation naturally, the rapport changes, the dynamics
change, and lastly, if you have rubbish broadband as I do, then it’s a hit or a miss, so
why bother I’ll wait, my clients will wait and it’ll come along soon enough.
I could carry on writing all day, but I’ll save it for the next newsletter.
I hope you stay well and happily occupied till the next one, the very best to you,
Love and Stuff
Mo xxxxxx
https://www.facebook.com/mo.ferrington
COVID-19: Testing
Who can be tested
You can book a test online for anyone
aged 5 or over with symptoms in your
household.
Key workers, and anyone in their
household with symptoms, can access
testing through their employer in the first
instance and will be given priority.
The Scottish Government have published
guidance on coronavirus testing in
Scotland, including who can be tested
and how to book a test online.
When to test
The test is only reliable if you have
coronavirus symptoms.
You should get tested in the first 3
days of symptoms appearing, although
testing is effective until day 5. You won’t
normally be tested after day 5 unless it’s
for a specific reason. This will be agreed
on a case-by-case basis.
If you are self-isolating because a person
you live with has symptoms, you can
refer them for testing. By testing others
in your household we can be certain if
you should be self-isolating or can return
to work.
https://www.nhsinform.scot/