Zoom Fatigue No More: Tips for Engaging in Digital Communication

Online communication has become an essential part of our work lives. Whether it’s a job interview, team meeting, or client call, we often need to communicate effectively online. During the pandemic, our experiences with new online communication tools often ran into issues such as technical difficulties, miscommunication, or lack of engagement. In this post, we will provide you with some useful tips and expressions on how to be a better digital communicator.

網路溝通已成為我們工作生活中不可或缺的一部分。無論是工作面試、團隊會議或客戶通話，我們常常需要在線上有效地溝通。在疫情期間使用視訊軟體工作/求學時，相信你們都遇過技術障礙、溝通不良或缺乏參與度等問題。在這篇文章中，我將分享我如何完成上百場線上課程與視訊簡報的技巧，希望能幫助您成為更好的數位溝通者。

Prepare beforehand.

Before an online meeting or interview, it’s crucial to prepare yourself. Here are some tips:

• Test your internet connection and video/audio equipment to avoid technical issues. Use this free website to check your download speed www.fast.com.
• Dress professionally and prepare your workspace to create a work/office-like atmosphere.
• Prepare some opening questions to start off discussion and to show interest and engagement.

充分的事前準備

在網上會議或面試之前，充分準備自己非常重要。以下是我的建議：

• 測試您的網路連接和視訊/音訊設備，以避免技術問題 www.fast.com。
• 穿著專業裝扮，並準備好您的工作區域，創造出工作/辦公室的氛圍。
• 準備一些開場問題，以利讓您開啟討論並表現出高度興趣和參與感。

Online communication requires some specific expressions to convey your message effectively. Here are some useful expressions to ensure communication is clear to everyone:

• “Can you hear/see me okay?” – to check if the audio and video are working properly. 用來檢查音訊和影像是否正常運作。
• “Sorry for the interruption, but…” – to politely interrupt someone. 禮貌地打斷對方。
• “Could you please repeat that?” – to ask someone to repeat what they said. 用來請求對方重複他們所說的話。
• “If I understand correctly, you mean…” – to clarify and confirm your understanding. 用來澄清和確認您的理解。

在線上溝通中，需要使用一些特定的表達方式，以有效地傳達您的訊息。分享以下相當有用的表達方式，讓您確保您與其他與會者溝通順暢：

Be clear and concise.

Online communication can be less engaging than face-to-face communication, so it’s essential to be clear and concise. Here are some tips:

• Avoid using long sentences or business jargon that might confuse the other person.
• Use visual aids such as slides or charts to help convey your message.
• Leverage annotation tools when sharing your screen. Use the laser pointer, arrows, highlighter or pen tools to label or mark up key information on a whiteboard, screen, or PPT slide.
• Be aware of your speaking pace, tone of voice and body language as they can affect the perception of your message. Speak slower than you would in a F2F meeting, vary your intonation, and give yourself reminders to maintain good posture, eye contact, and a smile while staring into the camera lens.

簡潔易懂的表達

線上溝通可能比面對面的溝通缺乏吸引力，因此清晰而簡潔至關重要。以下是一些提示：

• 避免使用可能會讓對方困惑的長句子或商業術語。

• 使用視覺輔助工具，如投影片或圖表，以幫助傳達資訊。

• 在分享螢幕時使用標註工具。如使用雷射筆、箭頭、螢光筆或文具工具在白板、螢幕或PPT投影片上標註重要資訊。

• 注意說話的節奏、語調和身體語言，因為這些會影響其他人對於訊息的理解。建議比面對面說話時慢一點、變化語調、保持良好的姿勢、眼神交流、微笑地看著攝像頭鏡頭，讓聽眾覺得你們有著眼神接觸。

Engage your audience.

Online communication can be more challenging to interact with your audience. Here are some tips:

• Use and encourage others to get into the habit of asking questions or providing feedback via the chat function.
• Turn on your camera and encourage others to do so as well. It’ll be vital to use more hand and facial gestures/expressions to express emotions clearly so that interaction can feel more natural.
• If for some reason, the other side has a camera-off culture and are uncomfortable turning on their videos, highlight the use emojis 😊, gifs, memes, and other simple reaction functions to express a feeling, such as like 👍, love❤️, applause👏, or raise hand ✋. Most video conferencing platforms offer these functions.
• Encourage participation by asking open-ended questions. However, if you’re faced with a more passive or shy crowd, change up your approach to ask simpler Yes/No or two-option questions so the barrier to participate becomes a lot easier.
• Create audience participation activities to break the ice, change the environment, encourage involvement, movement, and interaction to engage them. These can be in the form of simple questions on a survey-questionnaire-quiz, a randomized wheel spinner, a shared whiteboard (Google’s Jamboard a great example of this), a topical background change, or a scavenger hunt.

多跟與會者互動

網路溝通相對於面對面溝通，互動性可能會更有挑戰，以下我常用的技巧：

• 經常鼓勵他人使用聊天室提出問題或提供反饋。

• 打開您的視訊鏡頭，並鼓勵其他人一起這樣做，這樣您可以更頻繁地使用手勢和面部表情，以清楚地表達情感，讓互動上更加流暢自然。

• 如果遇到對方不願打開相機的情況，請善用表情符號😊、gif動畫、迷因圖和其他簡單的互動功能來表達感覺，例如按讚👍、喜歡❤️、鼓掌👏或舉手✋。大多數視訊會議平台都提供這些功能。

•通常我很鼓勵參與者多使用開放式問題，然而~當面對較為被動或害羞的人們時請改變方法，提出更簡單的是/否或兩個選項的問題，讓參與的門檻變得更容易。

• 創造觀眾能參與的破冰活動，改變螢幕背景、鼓勵大家參與互動遊戲，從而吸引他們。常用的方法有：問卷調查、隨機轉盤、共享白板（如Google Jamboard）、主題背景更換、尋寶活動或比手劃腳猜謎等。

Enjoy the benefits online communication

Effective online communication requires preparation, appropriate expressions, clarity, and engagement. By following these tips, you can improve your online communication skills and make a positive impression. Although many of us are heading back to the office and meeting in-person again, WFH and hybrid work approaches most likely won’t be going away anytime soon and these skills will continue to be a necessity. The more practice you do with online communication, the easier it gets, and who knows, your employer might feel more confident having you work from home more! So, embrace the challenge, practice, and enjoy the benefits of better online communication.

有效的線上溝通需要充分地 事先準備和清晰的表達，來增加大眾參與度。遵循上述的經驗分享，您可以改善線上溝通技巧並留下良好的印象。儘管現在許多人已回歸辦公室進行實體會議，但在家辦公的混合工作方式可能還會持續一段時間，因此學會這些技巧仍然是必要的。練習線上溝通的次數越多，您越能有效率地溝通並完成工作任務，您的雇主也可能會更有信心讓您在家工作！因此，接受挑戰不斷練習，享受更好的線上溝通所帶來的好處。

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