Top 10 ZOOM Tips – A Punny and Zoomorous 2020 Year in Review #8

We have had a rather intense start to this Year In Review series, with 7 posts so far dealing with Risks, Digital Transformation and associated Frameworks, etc. Let us lighten up a bit, because we deserve some respite at the end of a gruelling 2020. So, here is some light hearted fun with Zoom to cheer us all. Let us take a pun filled trip down the memory lane and see how Zoom changed our lives. Plus, Top 10 Zoom Tips to supercharge our virtual lives in 2021 and beyond. And, for the record, Zoom is used here in the generic sense. ‘Teams’ that ‘Slack’ should not mind!

Let’s ZOOOMM into the pun things that became a part of our virtual life in 2020 and associated Top 10 Zoom Tips.

#1 – ZoomWear

I have to start with this. 2020 saw the strongest trend that even the fashion world has not seen – ZoomWear. Although most people don’t understand the kind of clothes that fashion designers make, ZoomWear got us closer. Why waste time on anything below the waist seemed to be the most common refrain. Have you had those super awkward moments when people had to suddenly get up from their chairs during a meeting while wearing their choicest ZoomWear?

Zoom Tip #1

The inspiration of the first of the Zoom tips comes from WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) in software development. Adopt the principle of WYSIWIW – What You See Is What I Wear!

#2 – Zoometiquette

The internet helped us graduate from etiquettes to netiquette and email etiquette. This year, we saw the emergence of a new breed – Zoometiquette. Even after 9 months, we are struggling with the basic Zoom etiquettes. “Can everyone please put their audio on mute” carries on from the conference call era to the Zoom age.

Here is one that all people who hosted free webinars would hope to be added to the code of Zoometiquettes.

Code – “Please don’t put your linkedin profile in the comments box”

Decode – “I am here to sell and you are here to buy. Go sell in your own shop”

Zoom Tip #2

Decode the Zoometiquettes or face Code Red

#3 – Zoomutation

As a species, we keep evolving. This mutation can happen very quickly within the space of a few seconds on a Zoom call. Especially if you think you are on mute, but you actually are not. This is the everyday process of Zoomutation, where you suddenly mutate from being a civil colleague to the manifestation of your inner monster (pun intended). Or, whatever it is there inside you that mutates upon being unmute!

Think about the most embarrassing Zoomutation experiences of 2020 and have a hearty laugh. Leave some behind in the comments section and we can all have a laugh too. And in case you were at the receiving end, just make your boss the protagonist of the story. Christmas is payback time, isn’t it?

Zoom Tip #3

Alt A (mute/unmute audio) stands for Alter Ego Appear. Use it wisely to toggle between your Zoom personality and your alter ego! On the same lines, use Alt V (mute/unmute video) at your own risk to Visualize your alter ego.

#4 – Zoombies

Can you imagine walking into a meeting room where you see some colleagues joined by ghosts and zombies? Or imagine turning your chair away from the table in a real meeting, just because you have a bad hair day?

This is an everyday affair with people who refuse to turn on their cameras, aka (also known as) Zoombies. Well, if you don’t want to see each other, then why be on Zoom? You can deploy pigeons to transport your messages. Who knows, with the economic upheavals of 2020, they may be looking for jobs too!

Zoom Tip #4

Turn on your camera and avoid being a Zoombie. If not, then hire a pigeon to carry your messages!

#5 – Zoompathy

Then there is the other extreme. We get a visual peek so deep into the lives, families, living conditions of people that we can literally touch their soul. How can we not have empathy for someone whose toddler refuses to let go and insists on being part of the conversation? What about pets seeking attention too? There is a term for that – Zoompathy.

In fact, people who follow the Zoometiquette of turning on their cameras have a much better chance of drawing Zoompathy from their colleagues.

Zoom Tip #5

Virtual backgrounds should not hide the reality. People are working from imperfect homes. A little bit of empathy will motivate them and improve their sense of well being and productivity.

#6 – Zoomaholic

Would you use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Some people do precisely that, when instead of communicating and closing the loop over a simple email, they resort to an elaborate Zoom meeting. Here is the thought process –

“Oh, do we need to invite David for this meeting? He must be at home doing nothing. We might as well call him. Oh, and if we call him and not Diana, she may feel left out. We might as well call her too. In fact, if we are calling two of them, why not call the other three team members too. There are no travel costs involved and they can’t go out anywhere, in any case!”

Zoom Tip #6

Seriously – Do you need Zoom Tips for this? People have a life, even at home and especially at home!

#7 – Zoomathon

The Zoomaholics have created a new sport. It takes inspiration from the marathon, triathlon and the decathlon. It is called Zoomathon. The objective of this sport is to win the trophy for announcing to the world that you are extremely busy and “had to” attend 10 Zoom calls during the day.

FOMO came into prominence few years ago with people suffering from the fear of missing out. Zoomathon is the new age child created by this fear.

Zoom Tip #7

I will pass this one. And, before you move on, let me explain. PASS stands for Pick Another Sport, Stupid!

#8 – Zoomification

There is another side of trying to Zoom through everything. It is to conduct engagement activities and customize games to somehow fit into the Zoom ecosystem. Playing games and engaging teams on Zoom in the form of Zoomification became a new trend in 2020. Zoomification became the true successor to Gamification.

Zoom Tip #8

Ironically, here is one of the serious Zoom tips and it comes in the Games section! Try using Break-Out rooms to plan games and team building activities. It is important to do this for the mental well being and social engagement needs of the team members. I have personally leveraged Zoom and its Break-out rooms to conceptualize and implement fun filled and engaging activities. In case you haven’t yet found a creative use of the Break-out rooms feature, now is the ideal time.

#9 – What will you call your colleagues on Zoom?

If you join a college class, you can expect to meet new classmates. In the New Normal, we are meeting ZoomMates. If the colleague is a Zoombie, then all you have is an alias and a profile pic.

Similarly, many people have joined the workforce remotely during this period. The batches of new joiners are now Zoomployees, instead of being employees. Earlier there were companions, until the advent of the Zoompanions!

Zoom Tip #9

Think hard and deep about Zoomentor – mentoring for new joiners. Think about it from their perspective. They need even more hand holding in a remote environment and no mentor has been through what today’s new joiners are going through.

#10 – Zoom in Society

Most of the above examples relate to the world of business. But, what about other aspects of society?

Look at how marriages have transformed in 2020? Earlier, we had the bride and the bridegroom. We now have the Bride and the Zoom!

Thankfully, there is something in the world that hasn’t changed much. This is for people who love doing the Zumba. Even if they are on Zoom, it will still sound like Zoomba!

Zoom Tip #10

The more we change, the more we remain the same. Find elements that are perpetual and time tested. Basic principles of humanity and foundational building blocks of society don’t change with the advent of new technologies.

Outlook for 2021

This brings us to a very important aspect of change. It is time to examine how we are changing the course of our social interactions. As we are spending increasing proportion of our time in these virtual meetings, our etiquettes here assume paramount importance. The technology in our hands makes it very easy to by-pass the well established norms of society, without being noticed.

The acid test to follow as we Zoom into 2021, is to ask ourselves one simple question. Would we do this with the participants in public view in a regular physical meeting? Remote working and virtual meetings are going to remain an integral part of our lives and so should this question.

We still are nowhere near having perfect meetings in the physical world. But, we have not even started to get our act together in the arena of virtual meetings. Hopefully the Top 10 Zoom Tips will help us take a few steps in the right direction.

Let us end this post of the Year in Review series with the thought, “Character is who you are when no one is watching”. Remember this and have a nice Zoomutation in the New Normal!

Year In Review 2020

Check out the master article for the Year in Review 2020 that contains links to all the other posts in the series. Also, bookmark the master article on the browser to read more about each of the 20 thoughts from 2020 and lessons for 2021.

About The Author

Rajiv Maheshwari is a business and start-up advisor, and the co-founder of From The Experts Mouth. He is a management professional with over 25 years of experience, and worked as CEO for a decade, and in leadership roles with NYSE listed companies such as Accenture and WNS.

He is a Chartered Accountant and MBA (Director’s Merit List from IIM Bangalore) and an autodidact, who is on the path of self-directed life long learning and sharing. He is a thought leader, author and keynote speaker and has developed several frameworks to bridge the gap between academia and industry.