While more than 300 million people use Zoom daily, the term “Zooming” has become synonymous with any videoconferencing. With the continuing pandemic, the number of virtual meetings has skyrocketed over the last few years. While the convenience of Zoom and other virtual conferencing platforms has been life-changing for some, learning to deal with Zoom fatigue is still a relatively new phenomenon.
What Is Zoom Fatigue?
Zoom fatigue refers to the overall sense of exhaustion after a day of video meetings. The more time you spend in a Zoom room, the more tired and burned out you’re likely to feel. Here are a few Zoom fatigue symptoms you’ve probably experienced:
- Headaches
- Sore eyes
- Blurred or double vision
- Forgetfulness
- A lack of focus
- Irritability
- Muscle tension and pain
- Insomnia
Knowing how to reduce Zoom fatigue can help ease or even eliminate these symptoms.
6 Tips for Avoiding Zoom Fatigue
When it comes to knowing how to manage Zoom fatigue, here are 6tips you can try so you avoid the symptoms altogether.
Tip #1 Eliminate Distracting Visuals
While seeing into people’s homes can be interesting, all the onscreen background distractions can be draining. When on a virtual call with multiple people, there’s an array of pictures, furniture, books, lamps, and other visual cues your brain is processing simultaneously. Rather than using Zoom meeting background images (even if they’re pretty!), try to remove distractions from your background by sitting in front of a plain wall or limiting what people see behind you on camera.
Try not to force participants to always be looking at each other in a Zoom room. There’s an unspoken pressure that, if we look away, even for a second, it appears as though we aren’t paying attention or that we don’t care. Maintaining intense eye contact is mentally and physically draining! Normalize taking notes, glancing out the window, or looking at Fido sleeping on the floor. It doesn’t mean you’re being any less attentive!
Being able to see your own face can be just as distracting. Even if you’re in a meeting with 45 other people, we spend more time staring at our own faces, making us hyper-aware of how every facial expression and movement is interpreted. Hiding your self-view is the quickest and easiest way to solve this issue.
Tip #2 Mix Up Delivery Formats
Sitting in a Zoom room watching one person talk is exhausting – it’s called Zoom fatigue for a reason! Mixing up formats helps our brains stay alert and be more engaged.
So, before scheduling that next Zoom call, in an effort to figure out how to reduce Zoom fatigue, ask yourself, “Does this really warrant a meeting?” If not, try out other forms of communication, like:
- Sending an email
- Starting a thread in Slack, ClickUp, Asana, or another project management platform
- Making a phone call
- Recording a video with important information that anyone can access at any time
- Creating a document with frequently asked questions and answers.
While your immediate response to a question or new project may be to jump on a quick Zoom call, in reality, mixing up the delivery format can go a long way in reducing Zoom fatigue symptoms.
Tip #3 Have Clear Start and End Times
Be clear about when a meeting starts and ends. After the first 10 or so minutes, our minds start drifting off, so it’s essential to share information in the shortest amount of time possible. Accommodate shorter attention spans by taking 10 minutes off the time of a traditional meeting. Keep one-hour sessions to 50 minutes or 30-minute meetings to 20 minutes. Keep it short and sweet, and your brain and body will thank you.
Tip #4 Build In Breaks
Easier said than done but making a conscious effort to take breaks gives your brain and body the chance to recharge. Here are a few ways to work more breaks into a Zoom-heavy day:
- Get up, walk around, step outside, and get some fresh air.
- Do a few jumping jacks or some stretches to get your body moving and your blood flowing.
- Look out the window for a few minutes.
- Play with your pet.
- When hosting a virtual conference or event, allow people the opportunity to step away for a few minutes or even turn their cameras off for specific durations.
Tip #5 Use Engaging Storytelling to Connect With Your Audience
When hosting a conference, event, or just a long day of meetings, storytelling helps keep attendees interested and inspired. The three key elements of a successful story are character, drama, and resolution. You can use storytelling in many different formats, including videos, blogs, emails, case studies, and more. Zoom fatigue symptoms can be minimized when people are more invested, and great storytelling helps.
Tip #6 Skip Zoom Altogether
Sometimes just the thought of logging into a Zoom meeting to join in with others, whether for a meeting or event, can feel impersonal and exhausting. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Avoid Zoom fatigue by reimagining how your company or team engages with each other. Consider partnering with a cloud-based digital production studio that can change the dynamic and bring your meetings, events, and conferences to life in a highly effective, branded, and entertaining way.
Avoid Zoom Fatigue with Your Own Branded Production
Whether attending or moderating a virtual event, learning how to manage Zoom fatigue is more important than ever. When putting on a hybrid or fully remote meeting or event, an experiential marketing and digital content creation agency specializing in virtual events can help you create an engaging experience. As events continue to evolve, finding creative ways to attract, retain, and engage with attendees, especially virtually, is paramount to your success.
At Reimagined Experiences, we are that agency. Our team of professionals has been in this space for over 25 years. We have developed highly effective ways to help your audience avoid Zoom fatigue, even when virtually attending all-day events. Visit our website and book a discovery call with us today to see how we can help you avoid Zoom fatigue while taking your event to the next level.
