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The Best Zoom Trends We’re Seeing Right Now
With companies across all industries going fully remote and people urged to stay home for social distancing purposes amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, it feels like the whole world is taking place on Zoom. This video conferencing software became a household name overnight when businesses, artists and everyday people seeking some face time with their friends suddenly needed a reliable communication tool.
The emergence of Zoom in the business world has had a major impact. Unlike a lot of highly functional pieces of corporate software, Zoom can be downright fun to use. The fact that the solution has caught on outside of business spaces has led to some interesting uses for Zoom, with ideas flowing back and forth between corporate and everyday users.
The World According to Zoom
Some of these trends will be highly relevant to your company’s video conferences – others will not. In any case, they represent creativity and a positive attitude, two things that are very much needed when the world is going through a crisis. Here are a few of the interesting ways people are using Zoom.
Karaoke Goes Online via Zoom
What’s the story: Cutting loose with an after-work karaoke party is one of the time-honored traditions that’s been put on hold by social distancing requirements. With that said, everyone from world-famous bands to co-worker groups at happy hour is getting together to make music via Zoom.
Maybe you noticed when Fountains Of Wayne reunited via video conference with the aid of singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten. The show paid tribute to late member Adam Schlesignger, who died of COVID-19 complications. It also earned money for pandemic relief efforts in New Jersey. The same technology that’s enabling such reunions and fundraisers can bring karaoke night back.
How it applies to your business: Keeping everyone socially active and in contact with one another can help your team’s morale stay strong through the era of self-isolation. Tom’s Guide pointed out some ways to use screen sharing to turn a Zoom meeting into a karaoke night. After-work bonding will never truly die as long as colleagues can belt out radio hits, old classics and show tunes together.
Zoom Inspires a New Take on Office Fashion
What’s the story: A conference call participant standing up to reveal sweatpants under a suit jacket is an age-old joke. Now in the age of Zoom, however, it’s become an all too familiar reality. Professionals are updating their work wardrobes to stay comfy during their video chats. Yahoo! Life commented on this new trend, recommending that people keep their shirts looking sharp while prioritizing comfortable pants.
How does it apply to your business: Rather than holding your employees to the dress code standards that existed before the work-from-home era, you can play into the business-top, casual-bottom trend. If you acknowledge just how different and unique the current way of doing business is, it can contribute to keeping the whole team comfortable and at ease. Embracing sweatpants as business dress may just help everyone get through a tough time together.
Fun Video Call Backgrounds Go Mainstream
What’s the story: Every video conference call in the pre-pandemic era was basically the same. People sat in front of their cameras, which showed off blank office walls or the contents of their homes. As Zoom meetings have become a weekly (or daily) occurrence, however, employees at varying companies have started to have some fun with the custom backdrop possibilities of Zoom. They’re finding a new way to express their personalities at work. Good Housekeeping recommended everything from picturesque scenes from the TV show Yellowstone to bold Star Wars matte paintings. Even colorful pictures of the (temporarily shuttered) Disney parks add a personal and creative touch to your Zoom call.
How does it apply to your business: Just as loosening up your dress code can keep people comfortable, allowing interesting and fun Zoom backgrounds can help the team feel like they’re able to express themselves. While it’s probably a good idea to have a few restrictions about the kinds of content people can use, to avoid anything inappropriate turning up during a team meeting, allowing interesting backgrounds may help meetings feel a little less routine. Engagement can be hard to come by when work is 100% remote, so this is a trick worth trying.
The Whiteboard Offers Ways to Share Info – and Goof Off
What’s the story: The Wirecutter pointed out one of the potentially underrated features of Zoom which could be useful in meetings or a lot of fun: the whiteboard. This is a drawing tool where users can create pictures on their PC or mobile device screens. And creative users have turned it into more than just a standard brainstorming space. For instance, it’s relatively simple to play hangman or Pictionary on this blank canvas. This can be an icebreaker during a team meeting or a way to have a relaxing game night with socially distant friends.
How does it apply to your business: The same tool that provides a way to share corporate data and analytics is also a fun way to interact with co-workers during downtime. That describes the whiteboard app and Zoom itself. Using this technology as a standard part of your company’s tool kit is a natural move during the pandemic, and it may have a lasting impact on the way businesses communicate in the months and years to follow.
The Age of Office Video
Even before stay-home orders became the norm, companies were connecting by digital means more often than they ever had in the past. The globalized, dispersed workforce is a trend that isn’t going to go away when people get the all-clear to leave the house.
Both now and in the future, having a trusted creative partner for video communications needs is a canny strategy for your company. Crews Control’s offerings, from motion graphics and animation to outsourced editing services, will help you express yourself via professional video. For more on what we can do for your business, contact Crews Control today.
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