If you find it hard to stay awake during Zoom or Teams meetings with colleagues, you are not alone.
"If you have ever fought off yawns during a video call, don’t be too hard on yourself. In a 2023 American Psychological Association study of hundreds of virtual and in-person meetings at two global corporations, it was found that lots of people doze off — or find their minds wandering because the meetings don’t do enough to keep them involved," says Linda Trim, director at workplace design company Giant Leap.
She advises:
Before sending out invitations to yet another online meeting, make sure it needs to even take place;
Share all the meeting materials beforehand so the time is spent on productive discussions rather than listening to a person reading from slides;
Keep meetings short — no longer than 30 minutes. Studies show that even after 10 minutes people start feeling sleepy;
Ask people not to multitask as they will become disengaged from the discussion;
Encourage people to switch on their cameras so everyone can read vital facial expressions and other non-verbal cues.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.