Humans make so many assessments based on facial recognition.Knowing if someone is happy or angry goes back to self-preservation at somelevel. In regular communication, we each give off many micro-communicationsthat impact meaning and trust.

If you look at our book, “Seeing Yourself as Others Do –Authentic Executive Presence …,” it is built on those subtle messages thatgive meaning.

At the most basic level, we all can better understand whatsomeone is saying by reading their lips. Those who are hard-of-hearing rely onseeing the mouth even more.

Masking of Nonverbal Cues

All of a sudden, this vital form of ongoing communication iscovered up by a protective mask. Many stores have put up protective plexiglasswindows to allow the cashiers to function with a lower danger of contamination.Sterilization is everywhere. Families are visiting loved ones in senior livinglocations by talking through a window. We are all adapting.

Effective communication becomes even more critical to makeup for these missing cues. Giving context to the content is more important.

Remote Videoconferencing

“Zoom” went from oblivion to a household word for“Videoconferencing.” School children are conferencing with teachers, friendsare meeting remotely over a beverage of choice, and working from home is thenorm for many, many people. My principal strategic technologist reported thatschool teachers have done a fantastic job of learning how to use the same technologythat they avoided before.

Virtual Executive Presence

I have been an advocate for the power of remote video forover a decade. In a matter of months, it has become a standard tool for mostbusiness people. I’m sad it took a pandemic to for adoption. I do believe itwill be one of the benefits gained from adversity.

The coaching we do at Change Masters requires seeing facialcommunication in both directions. Coaching wearing a mask does not work.Fortunately, a quality videoconference provides a close to in-person experiencewithout the need to wear a mask.

Our experience with teaching remote executive presence hadintersected with today’s technology to make one-on-one coaching a powerful toolover video. Plus, the time and cost of travel eliminated. The experience allowsour clients to learn even more about how to be productive remotely. Buildingthe skills needed for the decade ahead is now easier than it has ever been. Wecan go there together.