Communication and The Coronavirus

Life as we have known it is changing. Businesses are changing how they deliver their services. Restaurants are now take-out venues. Meetings are hosted by Zoom. Working remotely is the way businesses are continuing to operate. With these changes comes communication challenges. 

 Social distancing requires us to communicate differently with our colleagues, customers and clients.  Meetings are using a variety of video-conference or video-telephoning programs and apps. That means people are listening and looking at you. You are on their computer screen as a participant or appearing up close when you speak.

 Are you able to clearly and effectively communicate through technology? Video-conferencing presents challenges that an in-person meeting or phone call doesn’t. At meetings most people look at the leader/presenter. The participants are in the background. With video-conferencing, your face might be on the screen the whole time.

We are social beings; isolation is difficult. Because of social distancing, people want face to face communication. Replacing a phone call with Skype, Zoom, FaceTime or other types of video-telephoning helps with engagement and helps people feel less isolated.

The ‘bad news’ is when others see you, they focus on ‘how you look,’ ‘how you communicate,’ and ‘what you are saying.’ They will remember ‘what they saw; even more than what they heard. It is crucial that your intended message is the one received. Your emotions are front and center when video-conferencing. Others see your fatigue, distractions or frustrations because they are highlighted on the computer screen.

Now is the time to hone your communication skills whether you are a participant in a video-conferencing meeting, leading a webinar because a face to face meeting was canceled or speaking to your Board or Donors since the annual meeting or fundraiser has been postponed. Remember “it’s more than what you say; but how you say it.”

As a communication coach, I will hone your effective communication skills. Teaching you how to improve your non-verbal skills and helping you refine your verbal skills. Perfecting how you communicate across all platforms will ensure you are successful in today’s video-conferencing world.