Stop Hiding Under Your Desk
In Never Stop Learning this week I will be covering the following 1-2-3:
Well, I know you’re not really hiding under your desk.
Well actually I don’t know that as I haven’t rigged your house full of cameras. You could be under your desk right now for all I know.
Anyway, I digress but only a little.
Would you sit in a meeting in the office and hide under the desk so people couldn’t see you? Maybe you’d put a blanket over your head? Or pull your jumper over your head?
No. You wouldn’t.
So why do so many people not put their cameras on in meetings? I find it very strange.
Firstly, I will try and understand why this may be the case and then explain why this behaviour really needs to stop. (minus a few exceptions).
Look, I can see how it could have started.
Let’s rewind a little. It’s April 2020. We’re deep in COVID. Suddenly you have invited your office into your kitchen. You’re in your PJs and the plates from last night are still left unwashed on the side. I get it.
The world has shut down.
News flash. It’s now mid 2023. We’ve all moved on from that. And, so too does your approach to work.
Let’s think briefly about how it looks to everyone else on the call.
You’re a blob at the top of the screen. People aren’t 100% sure you are paying attention so they start to ignore you in conversations. People naturally talk to those people they can see.
So you miss out on the opportunity to engage and be heard in meetings. Not intentionally but it will happen.
If they aren’t engaging with you they aren’t getting input from you and so you don’t get the opportunity to show what you can do.
This starts to harm your career.
I’ve been there in meetings presenting to 20 blobs and one person with their camera on. It’s demoralising.
Are they listening or have they gone off to load the dishwasher?
If you’re actually being seen you will naturally start to engage in the conversation and use body language to participate in the meeting. A gentle nod or a smile. Human stuff. Be human.
You could be on your way to another appointment and squeezing in this meeting while you walk. Or you could be feeling a little ill having a camera on would just be a little cruel.
But my point is, if you can put your camera on and participate fully you really should.
And for bonus points, if you are in a quiet place, come off mute too. It needs to be quiet or you need a noise cancelling microphone but you’re more likely to participate in a conversation if you don’t need to come off mute each time you speak.
Keep that spontaneity.
So, please put your camera on. Be present. Engage in discussions. You will thank yourself for it.
What’s your view? Should we keep our cameras on?
From early on in the evolution of Never Stop Learning Tobi and I have recommended each other’s Substacks. Over this time Tobi has developed his writing immensely.
Writing about life, sabbaticals and making the most of our time, his posts have become an inspiration for me. I suggest you check it out and add this to your list of Substacks.
You can find many interviews with Simon on the web. All brilliant in their own way. Each one slightly different as we check in on how Simon’s one life is progressing alongside his work.
This video comes at a time in my life where I’m questioning my next career move. Once more we are invited to find our Why.
Finding great articles on Substack can be difficult. Fear not, I have been digging deep into the discovery areas of the platform so you don’t have to.
Here are my top three posts to read this week:
What I've Learned From One Year on Substack, from Humor Meby
A.I. will never replace us right? ... Right?, from
I Have 14 Ideas to Transform Your Life. Do You Have 4.5 Minutes?, from
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