I am getting tired during video lectures - is there anything I can do to avoid "Zoom-fatigue"?
There are two very simple things you can do to get some of the way:
- turn off your camera during "lectures"
- turn on your camera during "breakout rooms"
Some research
indicates that when your camera is on and you see the green dot shining, people tend to spend mental energy on appearing good on
camera. In reality everyone can also see you in the lecture hall, but apparently that is easier to ignore. When you are "passively
listening to a video lecture" no-one is interested in looking at you, so just turn off your camera.
The previous research and other research
also indicate that the "bandwidth" in digital communication is so low that many things get lost - which means that you have to
spend much more mental energy to try to understand what other people are saying and meaning. So we desperately need to do as much
as possible to make it easier for things to get through. In discussions (not "passively listening to lectures") you can:
- have your face appear so big that others can see your eyes and facial expressions
- have (the upper part of) your body (and hands) appear too so others can see your body language
- speak clearly so it becomes easier for others to hear what you are saying
Updated November 8, 2020