“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”
~Helen Keller
Just when we started to think we were turning the corner on the pandemic, the variants started to run wild. Delta, omicron, and now whatever is coming out of France are permeating our airspace, literally and figuratively. I recently have been reminded not to get too comfortable when my youngest tested positive for COVID. Unlike past exposure, a wave of fear didn’t sweep across my thoughts. Now, it’s more like an inconvenience that may pay off with immunities, so I am trying to keep positive as we all sit and wait for what comes next, both inside and outside of our household. But for now, we carry on.
Many of us, if not the majority now, are currently and perhaps permanently working from home due to the pandemic. For years we touted how a WFH option would decrease overhead and make for a more productive workforce. Many management styles were resistant to this as it is more difficult to stand over your team virtually than in an office setting, but everyone has had to adjust.
Government contractors have for years worked remotely to accommodate needed proficiencies anywhere in the country, or world, for that matter. But the 100% virtual environment is something we all have had to work into our every day routine. Zoom calls, virtual conferences, and video webinars and podcasts are the norm. Our interpersonal relationships have changed, but rather than seeing this as a bad thing, we have become used to getting more creative in how we approach our network and how we address our market share.
We have learned over the past 2 years how to network, share our expertise and grow our spheres of influence without face-to-face interactions. We must use that knowledge so every new variant that emerges it doesn’t disrupt our routine as much as before. It is our COVID reality, our “new normal”. Business as usual is a changing environment so we have to be able to be flexible to what that proposes.
Virtual presentations
How do you make your time more purposeful and engaging? Well, if you must present virtually, make your presentations aesthetically appealing, or be more engaging with your storytelling, anecdotes and imagery. Add in some trivia, or tell a joke relative to your industry. A virtual presentation provides a candid audience that you can’t always see, so you’re less likely to be nervous or distracted by the guy in the back on his phone.
Are you talkin’ to me?
It is key to know your audience, and with that, pick the right approach to address certain demographics. Webinars are good for certain groups and best done at certain times. Podcasts are great but need to be clear, concise and not too long. Print discussion is also viable, but even here we need to be succinct with the information proposed. And don’t be discouraged about attending your favorite conferences in person. We all know protocol well enough these days that we can be thoughtfully protected and still interact in person with one another. Choose what suits your comfort level best and do it with conviction.
Choose your medium wisely, and then don’t think twice. We are not new to this world COVID has created for us. We are living in a time that will be infamously connected with our response to this virus, so I say, take what we’ve learned and let it have a lasting, positive impact on how change and flexibility is better for us all, personally and professionally. As with any endeavor, if you put your best foot forward and show up ready to look and be your best, you will be able to succeed.