DTCI: Zoom is here to stay post-pandemic, so make the most of it

The last year has taught most of us that Zoom calls and videoconferencing are here to stay and that there are both positive and negative aspects to conducting business this way. What has surprised this attorney is that after spending hours in a Zoom conference or deposition, I find myself just as fatigued as if I had attended the event in person. I believe not a little of this fatigue is due to the sometimes amateurish and slap-dash participation of some conferees. As good attorneys, we want to avoid being the cause of this fatigue in others; it hampers the delivery of our message and can weaken our arguments. I have come up some suggestions that I have found helpful in preventing viewer fatigue and increasing the usefulness of videoconferencing.

Avoid Zoom and use the telephone. At the beginning of the pandemic, I found myself using Zoom simply because it was a novelty and I was interested in learning how to use it. However, I soon realized that I was using Zoom when a telephone call would have sufficed and been easier.

Frame your image and make a good impression. You can help out others on a Zoom call (and make a better impression) by paying attention to how you will appear on the call. Make sure that your face is well lit from the front, and avoid backlighting. If you find yourself with lighting problems, consider placing a light source in front of your face. There are even specially made videoconferencing lights available for purchase that will provide good lighting. Make sure your face is well framed in the camera and you are close enough to the camera to give your viewers the ability to read facial expressions.

Use a virtual background. It can be humorous how often people comment on the books or knickknacks seen behind Zoom participants. That simply proves that people are spending a lot of time looking at things that are completely unrelated to the call. For that reason, consider using a landscape photo as a virtual background. There are virtual backgrounds available on most videoconferencing programs that allow you to have a simple gray background.

Place the camera at eye level. Often, a camera will be placed too high or too low — resulting in good views of the top of heads or the bottom of chins but serving only as an additional distraction. In many Zoom calls, participants are in their automobile or using a hand-held cellphone. The bad angles, poor video quality and jiggling images of these calls can be very distracting.

Hide your image from yourself on video calls. Research indicates that participants on video calls spend most of their time looking at their own faces. This can be avoided by simply shutting down the video on your call. When you deny yourself the pleasure of viewing your own image, you will find yourself concentrating more completely on the speaker. However, be sure to remember that although your video might be turned off, others on the call can still see you.

Avoid multitasking. When first using Zoom conferencing, I thought I could read and respond to emails and texts while participating. Although it is possible to multitask, I found I was not concentrating because I was doing too many things at the same time. My guess is that this is true for most of us. I now usually close my email program if I am going to be on a lengthy videoconference.

Schedule downtime. On some days, I have had back-to-back Zoom meetings that last all day. If possible, schedule breaks between meetings so you have the opportunity to rest, refresh and prepare for the next meeting.

Invest in a good headset or earbuds. I use Bluetooth earbuds, which allow me to clearly hear the other speakers on the call and block ambient noise in my office. In addition to improving my focus, this also allows the other participants to hear me better.

Turn off your cellphone and place your office phone on do not disturb. If you are the presenter on a Zoom call, it almost guarantees you will receive a telephone call on your cellphone or a page on your office phone during your presentation. For that reason, I turn off my cellphone and set my office phone to do not disturb.

Remember that good attorneys who want to benefit from new tools such as Zoom need to squeeze every bit of available utility out of them. Just as automobiles did a century ago, Zoom has opened up new worlds of efficiency and expanded our capabilities. And no one would try to drive a car safely and efficiently without adjusting the mirrors and seats, turning off distractions, being rested and alert, avoiding “checking your hair” in the rear-view mirror, and turning down the music.•

• James W. Hehner is a partner in the Indianapolis office of Clendening Johnson & Bohrer. He is the Indiana representative to DRI and a former president of DTCI. Opinions expressed are those of the author.