I had lunch with a friend the other day that is really observant. He loves people watching – it’s actually quite hilarious. People have the oddest tendencies; a flick of the hair, a drawn out chin scratch, the raising of eyebrows, awkward smiles.
My guess is most people have natural facial expressions that they themselves have never seen. But with the increasing access to Video Conferencing, I’ve seen two responses:
1) People are now extremely self-conscious and constantly checking themselves out during our video conversations,
or, the more common
2) People still have no clue, but now expose their idiosyncrasies on our 52’’ display.
As a kid, I can remember watching my mom pace back and forth while talking on the phone, making obvious faces of disapproval, excitement, or annoyance all while maintaining completely steady vocal inflection.
The privacy a phone call provided conditioned everyone to chat in their PJ’s, or while making a grilled cheese sandwich, or surfing the internet – with video conferencing, that’s no longer the case. (Or you at least have to make sure you don't stand up if you're still donning the PJ bottoms)
Sony Video Conferencing has a unique feature that allows you to record sessions onto a memory stick, which will let you and your teams analyze how they're presenting themselves after a call is complete. You’d be surprised at how convincing, uninterested, or professional you and your team appear, once you get a chance to see yourselves in action.
Have you figured out your video conference quirks? Leave your stories below.