3 Ways to Reduce "Zoom Fatigue"

We get it. COVID happened so fast that no one could prepare for the new norm of meeting virtually. We had no time to design effective approaches for virtual meetings.

Take your meeting from mind-numbing to memorable by adding mind-body breaks throughout!

Incorporating micro-breaks into long virtual meeting days will retain participants' focus, keep them alert, and socially connected to others.

Regardless of whether you plan meetings or attend them, here are 3 ways to reduce “Zoom” fatigue and make your meetings and conferences virtually memorable.

1. Increase focus and retention with mindfulness breaks

It’s utterly unreasonable to expect any person of any age to sit still for hours without end. Give participants a 5-minute break every 60-90 minutes or between back-to-back sessions to reset and refocus.

Mindfulness breaks give participants time to pause, reflect on the information learned or observed and digest it. These reflections could produce questions or suggestions that participants may not realize they had until they had a moment to break away.

Additionally, the distractions at home are far different than those in the workplace. Breaks give participants a moment to check in with those at home who may need some refocusing too.

2. Break up the monotony with exercise energy boosters

Boost engagement and loosen stiff muscles with sweat-free exercise between the lengthy stretches (pardon the pun!) of your meeting.

Urge participants to step outside and take a walk during the lunch break. Fit in stretch breaks during, and between sessions to keep the blood flowing to the muscles and oxygen to the brain.

Think outside the step challenge box and remember that not everyone is a cross-fit champion. Your goal is to motivate participants to “get up, stand up, move more, move often” throughout the conference day so they remain alert from start to finish.

Taking frequent stretch, office yoga, chair abs and gentle strength training exercise micro-breaks will combat sitting and learning fatigue and provide a memorable meeting experience.

3. Cultivate camaraderie and human connection

Create new ways for participants to engage with each other and feel socially connected:

• Healthy happy hour activities
• Experiential activities such as virtual scavenger hunts, virtual charades, music and entertainment
• Social icebreakers inside breakout rooms and virtual roundtables
• Chat rooms with “Ask the Expert,” live Q & A and group coaching sessions
• Social media integrations with chat rooms and photo sharing

As you plan your virtual events, remember this:

Participants remember experiences over information.

Participants are inundated with information.

Participants want inspiration and transformation.

The reality is meeting virtually is the new norm. These three tips are a great start, but we’ve got more tips to help you optimize your meetings. Want to find out what else you could do to provide memorable virtual experiences that keep participants engaged and energized?  Take your meetings from yawn-worthy to share-worthy with our exclusive full list of success-driven tips.

CLICK HERE or click the image below to grab your freebie!

Be Well,

PS: If you're interested in seeing the kinds of micro-break videos and virtual wellness experiences I have available, you can take a video tour of my newly updated website, www.DrKimTV.com or grab my virtual wellness lounge info guide HERE.