Photo | Courtesy of Bowditch & Dewey
AiVi Nguyen is a partner at Worcester law firm Bowditch & Dewey. Reach her at anguyen@bowditch.com.
Updated: June 21, 2021
10 things
10 Things I Know About... Successfully building relationships via Zoom
By AiVi Nguyen
Though we all may be feeling a little Zoom fatigue, we cannot deny video conferencing is now forever woven into the fabric of the business world. This is a good thing. We adapted to video conferencing because we had no choice, but moving forward, it is an invaluable timesaving tool for building business relationships difficult to build before.
10) Treat it like an in-person meeting. Actively listen. Let your body language respond as if you are sitting four feet from the person.
9) Know the technology. Fumbling around with sharing your screen signals to a potential client you do not do your homework.
8) Backdrop matters. Your camera needs to be eye level. Your background cannot be distracting, blinding, or resemble a dungeon.
7) Audio matters. If we are in a room together with construction going on outside, it is somehow less distracting than if one person on a Zoom has construction going on outside.
6) Internet matters. When trying to make a good impression, spotty WiFi is the enemy.
5) Schedule for a time you would if it was a live meeting. Monday morning at 8 a.m. may be a more convenient time by Zoom than in person, but is it really that convenient?
4) Schedule for off times. A meeting that begins at 2:15 p.m. instead of 2 p.m. experiences less Zoom traffic and thus is less likely to have a bad connection.
3) Script a little more. When you are meeting someone in-person, there just tends to be fewer instances where one is talking over the other and fewer dreaded awkward silences. And if you are bringing a team with you to the Zoom meeting, make sure to plan ahead.
2) Think outside the box. The same way we celebrated birthday parties, reunions, family meetings via Zoom during the pandemic, is the way we should look at socializing with target connections with busy calendars. A cocktail over Zoom today is better than a penciled-in live meeting in a month.
1) Do not overuse Zoom. Treat it like you would a live meeting. You do not need to meet with anyone every single time you have something to say to them. Remember that they are fatigued, too.
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