Am I on Mute?

It’s silent on our nine-person zoom call as one of our partners, Bruce, shares very relevant insights with us. We are (again) experiencing that uncomfortable quiet where no one feels compelled to speak up. Crickets! I think this happens more than we want to admit in our new virtual communication world.

After enduring several painful seconds of this, Bruce broke up the crickets with, “Am I on mute?” I could not stop laughing as this was the first time I had heard this in response to the silence. I love it. I wanted to share it today as I plan on using it when I encounter these moments (not if, but when) in the future. I’m not sure if Bruce was being funny or serious, but regardless, I think it is a perfect ice breaker and helps grow our skills in managing virtual meetings.

COVID-19 is teaching us many things as we grow our skills to be relevant in the post-pandemic world.