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What Causes Zoom Fatigue and How Can You Cure Zoom Fatigue - Body Language Expert Patti Wood

I have more insights or feel free to call me at 678-358-6160.

I speak on body language and zoom, including zoom stress and zoom fatigue.

 Rarely do we sit three feet from someone at work for an hour and stare directly at their face. Starring is such a strong cue that it is typically reserved for intimidation and elaborate flirting rituals where the stare calls forth the desired reaction. Being stared at by one person in face to face interactions causes our cortisol levels to rise and may also create an adrenaline rush.  On a zoom call having a zoom room full of people star at us is exhausting.  Also are ours were designed to go towards movement and scan for danger and food, so our limbic brains keep scanning everyone's zoom environment, remaining on high alert. Add to that that research shows we tend the majority of the zoom call looking at our OWN face and being self-critical, and you have a host of problems.

So to help first Stop change your setting on zoom so you don't see your own video, but others can still see you if you are afraid not to view your self use an extra-large double layer of sticky notepaper and put it over your box on your screen so you can lift it to check yourself when you want. I sauternes just not looking at yourself through the whole call will reduce your fatigue.

Next, have an excuse to look down and away from the screen that still lets the group know you are listening. My favorite recommendation is to have a pad or notebook, maybe a fancy leather-bound book that you can open and take notes in. Note-taking has been shown to increase recall because of kinesthetic connections in the brain that are tied to memory, so you also are more likely to remember the meeting.

Finally, getting your fellow zoomers to simply their backgrounds can ease the stress of long calls. Suggest that everyone creates an all-white Virtual background or a simple blue water background that you can switch in and out of. It works best if you have a green screen but it's not required. 

Called the "Gold Standard" of Body Language by the Washington Post and credited in the New York Times for bringing the topic to national attention 



 




Patti Wood, is a true expert. She creates high energy interactive programs, filled with humor, cutting edge information, and valuable "Take Aways." She is the author of nine books, and she speaks and consults with Fortune 500 companies and associations. You see her on National TV shows like Good Morning America, CNN, and FOX News, The History Channel, and The Today Show. She is quoted every week in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, Bloomberg Business Week, Fortune, Good Housekeeping, and USA Today.

 

Called the "Gold Standard" of Body Language by the Washington Post and credited in the New York Times for bringing the topic to national attention Patti Wood, is a true expert.She is the author of nine books and she speaks and consults to Fortune 500 companies and associations. You see her on National TV shows like Good Morning America, CNN and FOX news, The History Channel and the Today Show. She is quoted every week in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, Bloomberg Business Week, Fortune, Good Housekeeping, and USA Today.

 

 

 

 

 

Take Care,

 

Patti




Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Zoom Meeting Etiquette

By Patti Wood, Author of SNAP Making the Most of First Impressions Body Language and Charisma

1)     The host should send a zoom meeting link.

2)     Ideally, the link should include the agenda and the first and last names of everyone on the call.

3)     If the meeting is all new people or there are new people, it is proper etiquette to introduce each new person to the group. I will give proper in zoom person introductions later, but because often you have a limited meeting time and or to many people to give time to full introductions I suggest a new zoom etiquette of sending each person name ahead of time plus their job title or something about them and if you can a photo of them along with it. Your goal in etiquette is to make people feel comfortable, recognize the status, and unique qualities of and commonalities between members.

4)     The host should make sure each person knows how to use zoom before the call. They can send a how-to video and or do a dry run with the new member of the meeting and or assign someone else the task for making sure new members are comfortable with the technology.

5)     The host ideally makes sure each member knows how to dress and has the appropriate “background” for the call, follows security measures.

6)     The host should know how to follow security measures, allow guests in and know how to mute, or deal with video issues.

7)     The host should be first on and last off the zoom meeting. If for any reason they need to arrive late or leave early they should arrange ahead to give the host/meeting leader responsibilities to someone else. Think of being there as people get on as being at the door to take everyone’s coats and offering refreshments, instead of people standing out in the rain and ringing the doorbell and not being able to get in.

8)     The host should be there early on the call so they can make people feel welcome and overcome that awkward silence that otherwise meeting members may feel when they are not sure they are in the correct meeting or that their technology is working.

9)   May I introduce...? The proper etiquette, rules, tips and guidelines for making introductions.

Using the proper introductions help to establish rapport when meeting people. Yes, they are not always easy, but they are important. And knowing how to introduce people to one another can make you not only more comfortable it can make other people feel more comfortable and make you look more confident!

 

In a very formal setting, you would say, “I would like to present to you....” Otherwise, it is fine to say, “I would like to introduce you to...” or less formally, Mrs.Garmen, Mrs. Tolbight,”
or more informally say Mrs. Jones, you know Mrs. Robinson, don’t you?” Or Sarah have you met Molly. Or Julie do you know my Mother?

In business at formal business, zoom meetings introduce individuals to each other using both first and last names. If you are in a casual zoom meeting it is fine to use first names. "Jim, I'd like you to meet my neighbor, Sarah." Or, very casually, "Sarah, Jim.", "Jim, Sarah".

Whose name do you say first? Though even Miss Manner and Emily Post disagree on whose name comes first I believe you should honor the highest person by saying their name first. So think authority defines whose name is said first. Say the name of the most important person first and then the name of the person being introduced.

Introduce people in the following order:
· Younger to older, “Mrs. Hopkins I would like you to meet my little sister Mary Jones.”
· non-official to the official,”Mr. President I would like you to present to you Mr. John Brown.”
· junior executive to senior executive, ”Mr. Iacocca I would like you to present you to our new junior executive Mr. Sam Horn”
· Colleague to the customer, “Mrs. Hawthorne (The customer) I would like to introduce you to my college Mr. Mike Frank.”
· 2 year employee to ten-year employee. Sam Coke I would like you to meet John Hordin.
 A customer Mr Camp visiting a zoom meeting. Mr. Smith is the CEO. Mr.Camp I would like you to meet our CEO Mr. Mike Smith. There are also choices to make. Let’s say that you are introducing people to a speaker that’s formally presenting a speech on the zoom call and not everyone knows the name of the speaker. You could either say. MS Patti Wood I like you to meet my teammate Mr. Mike Stewart. Mr. Stewart (or just plain Mike) I would like you to meet our speaker today Patti Wood or you could say the lower status person’s name first Frank Smith I would like to introduce you to our speaker Dr. James Nelson. Dr. Nelson this is Frank Smith he has been at the Atlanta Training office of UKS for two years. He works with Jennie Waddington. It is OK if you mess up the order. No small children were harmed, just keep going.

If you're in a formal zoom meeting introduce someone who has a title’s doctor, for example,’ include the title as well as the first and last names in the introduction. Use proper titles. Don't introduce your parents as 'Mom' or 'Dad' unless that is how they would like to be addressed. You can say, “I would like you to meet my mother, Ms. Jones.

If the person you are introducing has a specific relationship to you, make the relationship clear by adding a phrase such as 'my boss,' 'my wife' or 'my uncle.' In the case of unmarried couples who are living together, 'companion' and 'partner' are good choices.

Use your spouse's first and last name if he or she has a different last name than you. Include the phrase 'my wife' or 'my husband.' Mr. Jones I would like you to meet my husband Eric Mann.
Introduce an individual to the group first, then the group to the individual. For example: 'Dr. Noble, I'd like you to meet my friends Hassan Jubar, Kim Nordeck and Michael Smith. Everyone, this is Dr. Mark Noble.'

Give them something to talk about once you have introduced them, preferably something they have in common. For example:” Sara this is Paul." “Paul, Sara is the biggest Baseball fan I have ever met" Now you have them a conversation starter. If you need to go, once they get a bit of a conversation going you can excuse yourself politely

Introducing people by recognizing talent and giving praise is an important part of being a good leader, team member, and friend. And showing great respect In my book, "People Savvy Leadership," I give the following tips:


When you focus on other’s accomplishments and notice what is worthy of praise, your energy is lifted, and you build successful interactions.

A simple way to give praise is with an introduction. For example, when you introduce your friends, coworkers, and business associates to someone new, share their name and an accomplishment. "Jim, this is Sara Beckman, she just headed up the committee for our new quarter sales meeting and it was fantastic." "Tom, this is Morgan Tyler, she just spearheaded the new marketing project." "Karl, this is Veronica Mann, she works with our top client Prudential." Or “Pam, this is my dear friend Karla, we have known each other since we were kids and she has the best sense of humor” “Karla this is my co-worker Pam, she has designed our new social media platform to rave reviews from the team or “Mark this is my colleague Jim, Jim he is our go-to expert on customer loyalty, he really knows his stuff.” Jim, this is my friend Mark, Mark and I met at Top Golf benefit he was in charge of last year and it was a huge success and did us proud.” 


If you are introduced to someone respond. You don’t have to say, “Nice to meet you.” It is a polite response, but you may not be sure yet if it will be nice. You don’t have to say, “It is a pleasure to meet you unless it is a pleasure. You do have to say something. You should repeat the person's name back; In a formal setting saying "Hi" or " Hello" is not enough. Instead, say, “Hello” "Do you prefer being called David or should I call you Dave?"

here 
http://www.pattiwood.net/program.asp?PageID=7830

Posted by body language lady at 12/11/2008 02:05:00 PM   

 

The host should state the agenda, that they sent ahead of time and set ground rules/etiquette guidelines for the meeting both in an email before the meeting and at the start of the meeting. For example, “Here are the guidelines for private messaging members of the meeting while we are on the call.” And or “We want to make sure everyone has time to talk and everyone feels heard and understood. Make sure your zoom box is not coming up and filling the screen more than other members of the meeting unless you are presenting. I may hop in and suggest that other people contribute. The host should guide the meeting making sure no one dominates the zoom call and that if someone hasn’t spoken you call on them and or send them a private message asking if they would like to contribute.

11.)  The host should give a final thought, goal, motivational statement, story, or a bit of humor to formally end the zoom call and thank people for attending, give special individual thanks for important contributions to the call. Tell the group you will stay after for further questions and visiting time and will be the last to leave the call and ideally, if you can bid each individual off the call so there is not a haphazard clicking off at the end and people don’t know when to say goodbye.

 

Zoom Meeting Etiquette



Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

How Does a Riot Happen? Crowd Theory, Peaceful Protest and Rioting.

There is a powerful unifying force in a group during a peaceful protest. John Lewis certainly, Gandi and Martin Luther King and knew about as does Greta Thunberg and unifying protest leaders throughout history. We feel grace-filled unity when we sing together when we dance together when we applaud and or give a standing ovation for a wonderful speech, concert, or play. There is also a darker possibility in the power of crowd contagion.

Crowd theory states that in the crowd the individual identity and the capability to control behavior disappears and people are open to contagion. They are unable to resist any passing idea, and because intellect and rational thought can be obliterated, any passing emotion. They catch it like a cold and they go to the primitive limbic brain and have the spontaneity and the potential violence and enthusiasm of primate beings. That's why we so easily roar and cheer for our team and against others at football games. Anger is known in persuasion theory to be the strongest persuasive and most highly contagious emotion. And that explains rioting behavior. One person or a few people in a peaceful crowd that breaks away and does something in anger pulls the group. That also explains why a violent angry reaction by one officer from the police or military or prison guards or private police can spread to all the police.

Hitler Understood Crowd Theory and Emotional Contagion and he Used the Mob to Energize His Speeches.

Hitler was familiar with this and new you could take advantage of crowd mentality and manipulate a crowd to his own ends. He would have a stage in the middle of a town square, have marching bands push people tightly together to the center square from all the outlying streets, stir the crowd with marching music sometimes for as much as three hours before he spoke. He knew you can direct a crowd in that primitive emotional state, by simplifying his ideas, Appealing to emotions rather than intellect, exaggeration rather than fact, and by repeating the same message over and over again.

Hitler and Goebbels understood the power of anger and Isoopraxisim. Hitler is said to have gotten got the idea for his “fight song” and salute from American football. Specifically, the cheerleading and Harvard’s fight song so "Rah rah-rah," became “Sieg Heil” It is interesting that the nonverbal frenzy that is whipped up in a football stadium appealed to him and he wanted that energy. The nonverbal principal “ISOPRAXISM” states that nature animals are pulled to the strongest energy. That explains why fish swim together, birds fly in formation, the wave in American football, and is related to MOB behavior. Anger is the strongest “pulling” emotion. Meaning anger is the strongest persuasive or most highly contagious emotion


Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Why We Are Ticklish? Why We Laugh When We Are Tickled by Body Language Expert Patti Wood

My sister Jan was a great big sister, well, except when it came to tickle fights. Nine years older than me, she had a defiant advantage and so I would be left laughing and crying, Uncle. Well, it was actually tougher, my family had lived in Okinawa so I had to say Uncle using the term the family used when we lived there. Not real Japanese work ."Oji" or "Ossan" but Uncleokasimio." It was a challenge to stay in the best of circumstances and daunting when being tickled. Did you get into tickle fights as a kid?
I just submitted my notes for a possible Readers Digest story on Tickling. I did research on Sneezing when I was the national spokesperson for Benadryl and have written about laughter and find the limbic system response to tickling fascinating. Here are some of my rough notes.

Our primitive brain is wired to respond quickly to danger. Tickling, which typically involves touching the skin at vulnerable parts of the body, (stomach, side, armpits, feet, neck) stimulates the hypothalamus into a freeze, fight, fight, fall, or faint. The touch nerve receptors can register the tickling as pleasure, surprise, and or pain.
Some people have more sensitive nerve receptors so they may register the tickling as more painful and sometimes the tickler may not stop tickling or use another more aggressive body language on the tickle victim, causing the person tickled to feel more danger and escalate their danger response to feel more pain.
What I find most interesting is that people laugh when they are tickled, even when they are tickled by a machine. The laughter serves two purposes. It acts as a defense mechanism, automictic nervous system response to pain and danger that communicated your submission so the tickling stops, submissions without aggression. We may be unable to access the neocortex, the logical thinking brain, where word language resides to be able to stay stop and or cry Uncle so the laughter is are submissive cry to make it stop. The laughter also serves a bonding ritual, even creating a mirroring response of laughter in the other person.

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Taking off Shoes at the Door of Home Means More Than You Might Think

Leave your shoes at the door, may sound like the chorus of a country song, but giving up your shoes when you enter someone's home communicates more than you might think.


Shoes are part of our “armor” that protects from harm and injury in the outside world
They are also  part of our “uniform’ to communicate status, and wealth as well as an “artifact” that communicated our style and personality.
When we take our shoes off we feel safe physically and psychology and can shed our need to communicate are artifices like status and style.
For years as a body language expert, I have noticed how most people become more comfortable and relaxed when they take off their shoes in a house and interact.
The shedding seems to help us become kids again, unpretentious and more vulnerable and playful.
Now shoe bottoms have been proven to carry germs, bacteria and other pathogens so taking them off as we enter our home actually has a new meaning.
I first noticed a shoe shelf at the door of my Physician nieces family house years ago and it made me realize how serious
And that is my home and or your home is sacred and I want to help you keep it safe so I shed the dangers I am carrying on my shoes when I enter your home.
So now the act of taking off shoes by friends and home service personal like plumbers and appliance personal seems an act of consideration and honoring of
of your home.
I encourage shedding shoes at my house by having a special pretty carpet and stand by the door where they see two pairs of shoes already there and place for theirs
I don’t even have to say anything the “shoe station” communicated the ritual for me. 


Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.