Post-COVID meetings: see the person behind the avatarWeirdest statement I never thought I would type: I had my first in-person business meeting in an actual office this week in almost 2 years.It was somewhat of an impromptu working whiteboard session with a group of executives. I have been working with all of them every day since December (and getting a lot accomplished I might add), but had not met any of them in person prior to the meeting.Pre-pandemic, doing consulting or worked remotely always meant that there was always an element of disconnectedness to which you had to be accustomed. But the in-person meeting was always the go to form of connecting and would happen sooner rather than later in one shape or form.Think about it. In over 28 years of professional life, I have been in probably 1000-2000 in person business meetings just like this all over the world.In a post-COVID world, however, the game has definitely changed. Even with things seeming to open up again, Zoom has become an accepted (and for some, preferred) element of our professional interaction. Especially for those of us who don't like to wear pants.So when I accepted the call to meet in person after all this time, I found myself oddly experiencing a bit of anxiety. When you have never met co-workers in person they basically know and judge you from these five things: your voice, how you look from the chest up, what's in your background when you are on screen, the quality of your type written communications and the quality of your work. That's essentially it.In most cases, your voice is your voice -- unless you are a ventriloquist or a voice over actor/actress, you cannot control the impression of that too much. But the other four you can definitely influence. That means the majority of your interactions with others and the perceptions they have of you can be somewhat curated. When you think about this, you realize that most of the time we are really just an avatar to the people we have not met in person. They see the upfront curated image and the rest is left to their imagination.But meeting in person brings in a whole other set of inputs people use to understand who we really are. For better or for worse, they get a better sense of the real person behind the avatar. Here are a few things people learn about you when you meet in person for the first time:-- How tall you are: just like these Hollywood celebrities, I'm on the shorter than average side. But it has been proven that height matters in business.-- Your weight and body type: for many of us, the "COVID 19" is the new "Freshman 15." Like height, weight can influence how people view you in an in-person setting.-- How you dress from the waist down: in the Zoom meeting world how you dress is like a mullet -- it's business on top, party on the bottom. While I had worn a suit jacket, tie and business shirt on a number of occasions, I had not worn dress pants, socks or dress shoes in almost 2 years. Hell, I had not worn pants or socks at all in almost 3 months....-- Your handshake/how you greet people: the handshake is definitely back and how you greet people in person, especially for the first time, sets an impression. Firm handshake or limp one? Do you look people in the eye or not? Are you a close talker? These perceptions are all lost in online interactions.-- Your breath: my wife (who has been back in the office part time for a number of months) reminded me of this as I headed out the door. I don't know if it was just a friendly heads up or a bigger message she was sending, but in person, that everything bagel with tomato, avocado and onions you have for breakfast while on your Monday AM staff Zoom meeting may come back to haunt you.When you think about it, no wonder why so many young people suffer from anxiety today -- they spend so much time curating online personas and avatars they worry about how these perceptions are received in the real world. It's much safer to stay behind the avatar.Needless to say, I can confirm that there is still value in collaborating in a room together -- and I am definitely looking forward to doing that more in the future. But first, time to shed those COVID pounds and get used to wearing pants again.....Have a good one, Friends!XOXODave
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Friends of Dave #240: was it chubby rain?
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Post-COVID meetings: see the person behind the avatarWeirdest statement I never thought I would type: I had my first in-person business meeting in an actual office this week in almost 2 years.It was somewhat of an impromptu working whiteboard session with a group of executives. I have been working with all of them every day since December (and getting a lot accomplished I might add), but had not met any of them in person prior to the meeting.Pre-pandemic, doing consulting or worked remotely always meant that there was always an element of disconnectedness to which you had to be accustomed. But the in-person meeting was always the go to form of connecting and would happen sooner rather than later in one shape or form.Think about it. In over 28 years of professional life, I have been in probably 1000-2000 in person business meetings just like this all over the world.In a post-COVID world, however, the game has definitely changed. Even with things seeming to open up again, Zoom has become an accepted (and for some, preferred) element of our professional interaction. Especially for those of us who don't like to wear pants.So when I accepted the call to meet in person after all this time, I found myself oddly experiencing a bit of anxiety. When you have never met co-workers in person they basically know and judge you from these five things: your voice, how you look from the chest up, what's in your background when you are on screen, the quality of your type written communications and the quality of your work. That's essentially it.In most cases, your voice is your voice -- unless you are a ventriloquist or a voice over actor/actress, you cannot control the impression of that too much. But the other four you can definitely influence. That means the majority of your interactions with others and the perceptions they have of you can be somewhat curated. When you think about this, you realize that most of the time we are really just an avatar to the people we have not met in person. They see the upfront curated image and the rest is left to their imagination.But meeting in person brings in a whole other set of inputs people use to understand who we really are. For better or for worse, they get a better sense of the real person behind the avatar. Here are a few things people learn about you when you meet in person for the first time:-- How tall you are: just like these Hollywood celebrities, I'm on the shorter than average side. But it has been proven that height matters in business.-- Your weight and body type: for many of us, the "COVID 19" is the new "Freshman 15." Like height, weight can influence how people view you in an in-person setting.-- How you dress from the waist down: in the Zoom meeting world how you dress is like a mullet -- it's business on top, party on the bottom. While I had worn a suit jacket, tie and business shirt on a number of occasions, I had not worn dress pants, socks or dress shoes in almost 2 years. Hell, I had not worn pants or socks at all in almost 3 months....-- Your handshake/how you greet people: the handshake is definitely back and how you greet people in person, especially for the first time, sets an impression. Firm handshake or limp one? Do you look people in the eye or not? Are you a close talker? These perceptions are all lost in online interactions.-- Your breath: my wife (who has been back in the office part time for a number of months) reminded me of this as I headed out the door. I don't know if it was just a friendly heads up or a bigger message she was sending, but in person, that everything bagel with tomato, avocado and onions you have for breakfast while on your Monday AM staff Zoom meeting may come back to haunt you.When you think about it, no wonder why so many young people suffer from anxiety today -- they spend so much time curating online personas and avatars they worry about how these perceptions are received in the real world. It's much safer to stay behind the avatar.Needless to say, I can confirm that there is still value in collaborating in a room together -- and I am definitely looking forward to doing that more in the future. But first, time to shed those COVID pounds and get used to wearing pants again.....Have a good one, Friends!XOXODave