Make Zoom more human, humane, effective and inclusive | Luci Englert McKean | TEDxBloomington
## Speaker Context * Speaker role: Presenter/Facilitator leading professional development seminars. * Setting: Meeting/Presentation (implied context of online work/collaboration). * Framing: Establishing the need to move beyond just "heads" to recognize the full physical self, and establishing a model for building belonging in remote settings. ## People * Daniel Kahneman: Mentioned as someone who advised slowing down thinking for better results. ## Organizations * None. ## Places * On land stolen from indigenous peoples: Location associated with the speaker's identity. ## Tools, Tech & Products * Screens: Tool associated with video calls, leading to trance and distraction. * Video call/Video conferencing: Mechanism requiring attention to personal appearance and having privacy/equity concerns. * Chat box: Tool that can be used strategically in online meetings. * Google Docs (or other collaborative applications): Tool to better frame conversations and invite more engagement. * Timer: Tool used to set aside time for the "transitions activity." * Breakout rooms: Tool recommended for small, interactive group work. ## Concepts & Definitions * Mammals: The biological category to remember that we are full physical beings with emotions, not just heads. * Prey response: The feeling triggered when someone feels unsafe, experienced viscerally quicker than rational thought. * Trance of screens: A state induced by screens, characterized by peripheral vision becoming a distraction. * Belonging: A state/goal to build within groups, requiring trust. * Silent witnessing: An imperative practice where no one leaps in to fix a situation, preserving the speaker's agency. * Online vs. In Person: Two modes of operation for connection and work that can be equalized. ## Numbers & Data * 21%: Percentage of time dominated the conversation (Speaker B). * 13%: Percentage of time representing the total participants for the previous measurement. ## Claims & Theses * Many knowledge workers have it in our heads that we are only our heads. * We are mammals, entire physical beings, with emotions. * Conventional wisdom holds that humans are at the top of the food chain. * Many people often experience life as prey. * The feeling of being unsafe is felt in the body, viscerally quicker than thought. * Hyper vigilant use of screens for work and play can put us in a sort of trance. * Peripheral vision can become a distraction rather than an asset. * Eyes need the exercise of focusing on things beyond arm's reach. * Bodies sitting attentively watching on camera can grow very uncomfortable and unhealthy. * Allowing people not to have their cameras on diminishes their representation in the group. * People staying off camera for a long time may grow to feel invisible. * Groups cannot collaborate effectively without building trust with one another. * Arrive in meetings having moved your body and hydrated and fed it, and arrive with the intention to move. * Leading a culture shift towards belonging takes time and focused effort. * My identity (white cisgender able-bodied, educated middle-class American who lives on land stolen from indigenous peoples) grants me power in this society. * Power itself is not necessarily a problem, but a lack of awareness of its consequences is. * Small groups are important online because each person is seen and has a voice. * Allowing 60 seconds of silence for everyone to think before anyone speaks is encouraged. * Participants in breakout rooms are seen and heard, leading to more belonging than in a giant lecture hall. * Structured conversations facilitate that type of engagement and allow for knowing that everyone is speaking in a group. * Small groups are important online because they are seen and heard. * Hearing your words spoken aloud in a meeting can be very impactful. ## Mechanisms & Processes * Feeling unsafe $\rightarrow$ Feeling in the body $\rightarrow$ Viscerally quicker reaction $\rightarrow$ Inability to think the feeling away. * Developing a sense of belonging: Requires building trust. * The recommended preparation routine for online meetings: Move body, hydrate, feed body, arrive with intention to move. * The "Transitions Activity": Setting aside minutes to allow participants to speak a thought, ask a question, sit in silence, or choose another option, designed to bring participants to the here and now/present moment. * Using breakouts/small groups: Mechanism to ensure everyone is seen and heard, counteracting the lecture hall format. * Closing meetings with anonymous feedback: Collecting data on what worked and what didn't work to improve future meetings. ## Timeline & Events * N/A. ## Examples & Cases * Example of feeling unsafe: Triggering the "prey response." * Case of the speaker's identity: Being a white cisgender able-bodied, educated middle-class American living on land stolen from indigenous peoples, granting power. * Example of poor meeting format: A "giant lecture hall," which is not good for collaboration or learning. * Example of effective alternative: Working in small groups, pairs, or having a walk and talk. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives * Trade-off: Staying with conventional views (human at top of food chain) vs. recognizing physical reality (mammal). * Trade-off: Relying on individual "head" focus vs. recognizing the whole "physical being." * Trade-off: Keeping cameras on (potential for displaying appearance/culture/religion issues) vs. allowing people to turn them off (diminishing representation). * Trade-off: Large lecture hall format vs. Small, interactive groups. * Trade-off: Thinking immediately vs. Slowing down thinking (as advised by Daniel Kahneman). * Trade-off: Being visible in a large group vs. being seen and heard in a small group. ## Counterarguments & Caveats * The feeling of being unsafe cannot be thought away. * The use of cameras can raise intense privacy and equity issues. * If we allow people not to have their cameras on, it diminishes their representation in the group. * Being in breakouts rooms requires leaders to send broadcast announcements to keep people on time and track. * The speaker's identity grants power, but the awareness of this power is needed to mitigate it. ## Methodology * Observation of common work practices (e.g., video calls, group meetings). * Recommendation to use protocols, structured conversations, and specific activities (e.g., transitions activity, breakouts). * Analyzing meeting structures: Using data (like report-out analysis) to identify who spoke (e.g., Speaker B spoke 21% of the time). * Implementing anonymous feedback surveys at the end of meetings. ## References Cited * Daniel Kahneman: Cited for advising to slow down thinking for better results. ## Conclusions & Recommendations * Arrive in meetings having moved your body and hydrated and fed it, and arrive with the intention to move. * Arrive heart forward with the intention to build belonging. * Lead activities so that others can do all of the above. * Lead a culture shift towards belonging. * When leading online meetings, use transitions activity: Set timer, invite speaking a thought/question, sitting in silence, all designed to bring you to the here and now/present moment. * The only allowed responses during the transition activity are non-verbal responses. * Silent witnessing is imperative. * It's much better to interact in small groups around content than in large lecture halls. * Don't be afraid to use the tools: Breakout rooms, chat box strategically, and adding collaborative applications. * When doing breakouts, give very clear instructions, set a time limit, and give a prompt/question. * Allow 60 seconds of silence for everyone to think before anyone speaks. * Let people know in advance if you will ask the breakouts to report out verbally or in writing. * Close meetings with a survey asking for anonymous input on what worked and what didn't work. * Do not have to feel remote from our colleagues or classmates; we can build belonging online as well as in person. ## Implications & Consequences * Failure to build trust $\rightarrow$ Groups cannot collaborate effectively. * Being constantly under observation (cameras on) $\rightarrow$ Potential for triggering pre-flight response, and generating privacy/equity concerns. * Diminished representation $\rightarrow$ Negative effects on the group. * Not addressing power dynamics $\rightarrow$ Lack of awareness of consequences. * Not using small groups online $\rightarrow$ Missing opportunities for belonging. * Failing to notice silenced voices $\rightarrow$ Missing valuable input. * Ignoring the need for physical movement $\rightarrow$ Remaining stuck in a trance. ## Open Questions * What could this world look like if every person felt like they belonged on this planet? * What could life be like if everyone learned to value people that seem very different from them? ## Verbatim Moments * "It's easy to forget that we're mammals." * "I work to build a sense of belonging from the very beginning." * "Arrive in meetings having broken the trance of screens, having moved your body and hydrated and having moved your body and fed it and arrive with the intention to feed it and arrive with the intention to move." * "Silent witnessing is imperative." * "it's much better to interact in small groups around content." * "allow 60 seconds of silence for everyone to think before anyone for everyone to think before anyone speaks." * "these are designed to bring you to the here and now to the present moment." * "that is actually fundamental to good collaboration or learning."