Missing Cues and Context Clues

As our shared, work from home / Zoom experiment continues to unfold across the globe, we at Bridging Distance have uncovered some interesting phenomena about the role of context – or, more precisely, the lack thereof. 

In short, as live interactions over the past several months have defaulted to faces in stacked boxes on a screen, everything begins to feel the same. Absent the “context cues” that occur naturally in in-person settings – decorations on a conference room wall; pre- or post-meeting hallway conversations; variations in what people wear, how they stand, how tall or short they may be, etc. – it has become more and more difficult for each of us to remember what was discussed or agreed upon and differentiate among countless virtual meetings and conversations. 

Taken together, this wholesale move to the two-dimensional has forced people to rely heavily on notes, meeting minutes, and transcriptions, just to keep things straight and remain productive. Indeed, managers are finding it increasingly necessary to remind team members of deadlines and deliverables that may have been overlooked entirely. 
 

Am I Living in a Movie? 

The in-office experience provides more value than just free coffee.  

The virtual world offers little of this. We jump from meeting to meeting as if switching television channels, with little transition time and few cues to distinguish one event from another. Seeing ourselves on platforms like Zoom and Teams furthers distorts the experience. As one participant grumbled during our recent research on Digital Isolation and Loneliness, “Is this real? It feels like I am living in a movie.” 

Virtual meeting fatigue exacerbates all of this. The sameness, the repetition, the boilerplate and cookie-cutterness of both formal and informal interactions is exhausting and cyclic – the longer we are in it the worse it becomes.  
 

How to Provide Context to Virtual Meetings 

The lack of physical experience creates challenges across many levels. Here are some suggestions for meeting them: 

#1. Differentiation.  

Most of us have established a single Zoom location (home office, spare bedroom, etc.). Many of us use the same company background screen again and again. Varying the location within our respective homes and turning off virtual backgrounds helps differentiate between events – for us, as well as for those on the call who will now see us in a variety of settings. Even just rotating the computer 45 degrees to the side will provide a different view.

A quick, informal check-in among meeting participants – something we do naturally in the physical world when filing into a conference room and getting settled – can also help create visual memories that last.  

Finally, using different modalities depending on the information exchange required – phone, email, Slack, etc. – can go a long way. Everything doesn’t have to be on Zoom. 
 

#2. Intentionality.  

All of this is a nonissue in the physical world – connections are made and memories are created organically. The virtual world requires intention, particularly by leaders who have primary responsibility for setting the stage. 

For example, by deliberately leaving time in-between meetings, participants have the opportunity to take notes and have a mental break. This lessens fatigue and allows discussions and decisions made to gel. 

Structure matters. Slowing down the hour-to-hour frenzy can help your team speed up overall. 
 

#3. Self-Awareness.  

The switch to a virtual environment has affected different people differently.  

Hands-on learners, as well as those from cultures that rely on a great deal of nonverbal communication, have (generally) found the transition more difficult. Those who tend to be more verbal probably have had an easier time. 

In all cases, it’s incumbent upon each of us to compensate based on our individual needs, so that we can maximize context cues and, as a result, our productivity and satisfaction.  

That may mean being more deliberate about notetaking, committing to the review of transcripts after the fact, or sketching out a “Zoom map” during calls to specify which participants were in which box, as a means of artificially creating context. 
 

Context is Content 

Information doesn’t exist in a vacuum – it’s part and parcel of the environment in which it is shared. When the in-person cues and clues are removed, much of the memory and value can fade with it. This will grow in importance as companies move to hybrid in-person and remote teams, causing those on site to possess cues that others may not. 

Going forward, successful organizations will be those that can help team members adjust smoothly and compensate effectively in our ever-increasing, always evolving, virtual environment. 

Deb Pourali