By Lee Ann Liska

“Can you set up the Zoom for this weekend?” “Let’s do a Teams meet.” “Should I call you on Google Hangout or should we have a Google Meeting?” “Mute yourself!” “You have to mute your computer so there’s no echo.” “You’re breaking up – move to the other side of the closet for a stronger connection.” “You should probably turn off your video.” “Where are you this week?”

All of these phrases and more are things I’ve heard in the last four months, and they are very different from the way we used to start meetings pre-pandemic. I would have limited conference calls, and almost no calls with video. And when I wanted to see family or friends I would give them a buzz on a Sunday, or pop over to their house for a quick chat. Since we’ve been in lockdown, though, we have had countless “Zooms” with friends and family and most of my work days have been spent on Microsoft Teams calls. And while I can’t wait to see people in person again, I’ve loved getting to connect with colleagues and friends virtually. I can’t imagine being in lockdown 20 years ago, when instant messaging was the closest we’d get to a digital connection.

This is what my first Zoom meetings were like in March.

I’ve enjoyed adjusting to the new reality of work meetings on various platforms – and I’m thankful I’ve been adjusting alongside my colleagues and friends, so we can all laugh at our missteps without judgement. I’ve shared laughs with friends and colleagues over some of their escapades, like these:

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