I like it when people have their cameras on in virtual meetings.
When someone has their camera on, I interpret that action as, “I choose to be here with you, fully present and engaged.”
It makes it a lot easier for me to facilitate meetings. I can read the body language and expressions of the participants and use that feedback to shape the course of the meeting. I can tell if people understand the discussion or if we need to take a step back and re-align. I can see if people have questions or want to speak. I can see if people are checked out and multi-tasking.
I feel a deeper sense of connection when I can see the person I’m talking to. I feel uncomfortable talking to a black box.
And it’s not about me.
It’s taken me a while to settle on The Great Camera Debate, which gained attention in 2020 when we all started adjusting to working virtually. I had been firmly on the side of “cameras on.” And I wanted to explore why I felt so strongly about it. So I sought the thoughts of others to help understand my own thinking.
And I examined my intentions in asking people to turn their cameras on.
What it came down to is this: I like what makes me comfortable. And I like feeling like I have control.
As agilists, aren’t these feelings – the need for comfort and control – at the heart of everything we challenge?
Therefore, here’s where I stand in The Great Camera Debate: do whatever you want. Camera on. Camera off. I get where you’re coming from. And I respect your choice.
I still have some work to do on myself, and that will take time.
Wherever it is that you are – on-camera or off – I still see you.
Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash
While I can agree that the motivation to have cameras on may be coming from a position of “what makes *me* feel better, as a Scrum Master I must be a leader and mandate that they are on. Communication has already become drastically reduced in quality due to remote work, connection issues, distractions from outside the cameras view, zoom fatigue, etc. While the self-evaluation you did was admirable, we are still in the position of creating high-performing *teams*, not individuals. When we work as a team, that requires giving up some individual comforts and preferences in order to support our end of the effort. Communication is the most critical thing we can do to work as a team and that requires us being present, attentive and involved.
Here’s a great article from Stanford University on “Zoom Fatigue”: https://news.stanford.edu/2021/02/23/four-causes-zoom-fatigue-solutions/