Why Remote Does not Feel the Same

Interesting thoughts, mostly about the micro aspects, useful to think about during your next remote meeting.  Like the thoughts about how conversations really work, which we will need to promote intelligent results. 

The Google Blog:  WORKING AT GOOGLE
The science of why remote meetings don't feel the same

Zachary Yorke, UX Researcher
Published Apr 24, 2020

As COVID-19 has pushed more  teams to work remotely, many of us are turning to video calls. And if you’ve ever been on a video call and wondered why it doesn’t feel quite the same as an in-person conversation, we have something in common. As a researcher at Google, it’s my job to dig into the science behind remote communication. Here are a few things I’ve discovered along the way. 

#1: Milliseconds matter. 
As a species, we’re hardwired for the fast-paced exchange of in-person conversation. Humans have spent about 70,000 years learning to communicate face-to-face, but video conferencing is only about 100 years old. When the sound from someone’s mouth doesn’t reach your ears until a half second later, you notice. That’s because we’re ingrained to avoid talking at the same time while minimizing silence between turns. A delay of five-tenths of a second (500 ms)—whether from laggy audio or fumbling for the unmute button—is more than double what we’re used to in-person. These delays mess with the fundamental turn-taking mechanics of our conversations. 

On your next video conference, pump the brakes on your speaking speed to avoid unintended interruptions. If it’s a smaller group, try staying unmuted to provide little bits of verbal feedback (“mmhmm,” “okay”) to show you’re actively listening.   .... "