My coaching practice has always been 25% virtual, but now that it's been 100% for a year, I'm seeing a shift: More and more people are opting for phone calls over video. I'm happy to work via either medium, but I'm encouraging clients to at least consider the phone, for a few reasons:
- The repetitive nature of video calls--staring at a screen all day, often while sitting in a single location--has become profoundly fatiguing. While video can be useful in certain circumstances, it's rarely essential, and the phone adds some necessary variety to our working lives.
- The phone frees us from our desk, office, or home. Many clients who opt for phone take our calls in another part of their home or outside. Some take walks around their neighborhood. We feel obligated to use video for some calls, so let's opt for freedom when we can.
- While video is sometimes additive, at other times it's a distraction. Allowing our field of vision to roam--and not worrying about how we appear to others--can free us up for more immediate, more intimate, and less stressful conversations.
- Some research suggests that phone may be preferable to video when it's important to understand and empathize with the other person's feelings: "Listeners tend to be more accurate at gauging speakers' emotions during a voice-only interaction." [1]
- And as someone who lives on a farm and depends on rural infrastructure, I know that the phone's reliability, ease of use, and uptime can be a source of relief, particularly when using an old-school landline.
In articulating the case for phone calls, I'm keenly aware that I have the luxury of working exclusively 1:1 with my clients, while most of their calls are group meetings, and there are a number of reasons why groups may prefer to work via video. In this context it's essential to recognize that many organizations are still in the process of identifying the norms that contribute to--and detract from--a healthy and productive culture when working via video.
For example, a number of clients have noted that higher-status people feel more free to turn off their video during group calls, while lower-status people do not. Others have cited the complexity of interrupting a speaker via video--frequent interruptions can leave some people feeling marginalized, while an inability to interrupt can turn a group discussion into a series of individual monologues. These disparities leave everyone feeling uncertain about how to act and unhappy with the results. A set of best practices for video calls is beyond the scope of this brief post, but further work is certainly needed. [2]
Speaking of old-school landlines, I'm reminded that in 1st grade I encountered one of the phones above--a Western Electric Model 554--at a friend's when I had to call home to see if I could stay for dinner. This was the first time I had ever called home, and I felt proud that I remembered our phone number, but I was utterly mystified by the user interface. My friend's mom had to teach me how to work the rotary dial because all the phones in our house were push-buttons :-)
Footnotes
[1] Listeners Glean Emotions Better from Voice-Only Communications (Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Yale Insights, 2017, discussing research by Michael Kraus)
[2] Rules Aren't Norms (On Better Meeting Hygiene)
Photo via Kenton's Antiques, where you can find a host of fascinating office equipment from the last century:
I love antique telephones and typewriters. For over 7 years, I've relentlessly looked through over 150 estate sales and 40 fleamarkets to find and refurbish over 100 beautiful telephones and typewriters. See my collection here.
