What’s Irritating to Others When Using Video?

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In recent years I’ve polled hundreds of people about their work in the digital age. This week, it’s what’s irritating about video?

When people:

  • Don’t acknowledge others on the other side of the monitor.
  • Constantly look bored or continuously check their cellphone.
  • Don’t speak up.
  • Use cellphones to call which is usually a poorer connection.
  • Join in late.
  • Don’t set up pre-call arrangements and end up having to spend call time dealing with equipment or call setup issues.
  • Invite too many people to get on the video.
  • Have poor backlighting and contrast.
  • Talk louder than necessary.
  • Are not aware of their body language.
  • Don’t smile.
  • Have a background that is too busy or distracting.
  • On the other end start multi-tasking.
  • Talk over others.
  • Don’t mute their phone when appropriate.
  • Move excessively in and out of view.
  • Make statements like, “I know you probably can’t see this…” but then goes on to explain a graph or picture without giving details along with the point, i.e. “as you see here the numbers are…” versus “this graph shows a 30% growth rate”.
  • Don’t pay attention, fidget with laptop and cellphones.
  • Only speak to folks in the room not the people on the other side of the monitor too.
  • Talk all over each other because of time delay.
  • Are obviously having private side conversations.
  • Don’t look at the camera; act stiffly around it.
  • Shuffle papers noisily.
  • Do not pay attention to personal appearance.
  • Don’t operate the data systems correctly.
  • Eat or drink while on the call.
  • Use too much hand gesturing.

Now that you are reminded, reframe from doing the above!

Picture of Debra Benton

Debra Benton

D.A. (Debra) Benton has been helping great individuals and organizations get even better for over 20 years. Just as exceptional athletes rely on excellent coaching to hone their skills, Debra's clients rely on her advice to advance their careers. She focuses on what is truly important to convert what you and your organization want to be from a vision into a reality. TopCEOCoaches.com ranks her in the World's Top 10 CEO Coaches noting she is the top female. And as conference keynote speaker she is routinely rated in the top 2%. Her client list reads like a “Who's Who” of executives in companies ranging from Microsoft, McDonald's, Kraft, American Express, Merrill Lynch, United Airlines, and PricewaterhouseCoopers to the Washington Beltway and U.S.Border Patrol. *She is the author of ten award-winning and best-selling business books including The Virtual Executive and CEO Material. She has written for the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Fast Company. She has been featured in USA Today, Fortune, The New York Times, and Time; she has appeared on Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and CBS with Diane Sawyer. To learn more Debra advising leaders, coaching, facilitating a workshop, or speaking: www.debrabenton.com

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