Family get-togethers are important for maintaining strong relationships with your loved ones. Getting together to celebrate birthdays or holidays is invaluable and often times is the only chance family members can see each other throughout the year. The ongoing pandemic has temporarily put a stop to these family get-togethers but Zoom calls have become a solution. The video conferencing software allows families to see each other without being together physically. As much as in-person get-togethers can be challenging, virtual meetings provide a brand-new set of obstacles. Here is a list of tips and tricks to help make family Zoom calls easier for everyone and make it possible to visit your loved ones virtually!
- Have someone dedicated to sending out Zoom invitations
-
By designating one family member to set up meeting times and send out the invitations, the chances for confusion are limited. Consistency is key in order to minimize confusion and making the same person responsible for organizing the Zoom calls is the best way to achieve this.
- Allocate one person to help the less technically savvy
-
Find someone who knows how to use technology well and who is extremely patient. This person will be in charge of helping your grandparents or your aunts and uncles. My family has the same person call my grandparents before each meeting and walk them through the steps: turning on the iPad, finding the meeting link, and connecting their audio. Having a dedicated person to help with each call will help things run smoothly, since the designated person will learn what the technologically-challenged family members struggle with the most and which strategies work best when helping them.
- Create firm boundaries for yourself and your time
-
This one is especially important for students or people with hectic schedules: be sure not to compromise or be overly accommodating with your time. In-person family get-togethers are typically planned well in advance or have a clear timeline, making them easier to plan for, whereas Zoom calls can be scheduled at the last minute and can last a long time. If a last-minute Zoom call interferes with your schedule, don’t be afraid to skip the meeting or only pop in for a few minutes. By maintaining firm boundaries for your availability, you are more likely to have a better family Zoom meeting experience.
- Smile, you’re on camera!
-
It can be very tempting to message your sibling, cousin, or favourite aunt privately while on Zoom, but be careful to not give it away! You don’t want to be caught smiling at your phone or laughing at the screen because you made eye-contact with your favourite cousin. It’s perfectly fine to be messaging other people while on the call, but just be careful and respectful when you do, as you don’t want to seem rude or as if you don’t care. It’s also important to remember that the person hosting the meeting receives the chat history at the end of the call, including all private messages…you don’t want to learn this the hard way!
- Practice good microphone etiquette
-
Getting privacy when living in a student house or dorm can be challenging – the constant hustle and bustle of school life, someone knocking on your door mid-call, or the house suddenly becoming noisy. This makes it all the more important for you to mute your microphone when you aren’t talking, that way you aren’t interrupting the Zoom call. Muting the microphone isn’t rude and it can actually help the meeting! I know my grandparents struggle with hearing everything said during the calls, especially if more than one person is speaking or if there is too much background noise, so by practicing good microphone etiquette and not being afraid of the mute button, you help the meeting run smoothly.
- Have a good time!
-
Family zoom calls can be awkward and difficult. They are an adjustment for everybody, so don’t get too caught up in the chaos. Try to remember that this is a meeting with people who love you and want to hear from you!
When the zoom meeting gets tough, remember that by not meeting in person you are limiting the spread of COVID-19 and helping to protect the ones you love! Happy Zooming!