The 5 Types of people on Zoom calls

You all know exactly how this article is gonna go down

We introduce the weird and wonderful new world of all the types of people you could come across on a Zoom call. You’ve probably met most of them already…

The one that doesn’t STFU - can I get a word in edgeways?

You've all been through it, you go to open your mouth to contribute to the conversation and you can’t get your words out because someone else isn't coming up for air. Hours seem to pass, and eventually when you get a time to speak, you've completely forgotten your point.

The one who works their children into every conversation

Yes, you know the type. Utterly unaware of everyone else in the meeting, whilst they’re going on about how they’ve got Sophie potty trained, or how Harry is getting better at eating his greens.

The one who since working from home has a plate of biscuits on the go in every call

'So Sarah, what did you think of subsection 13.7 on page 64? *crunch, crunch*'. You never did see a biscuit disappear so quickly anywhere other than on a Zoom call when someone is asked a question. It's all about the timing, they can be happily chomping away, and all of a sudden they hear their name and they’ve unwittingly popped another jammy dodger in their mouth, one must ask - have they ever heard of the mute button?

The one who always has technical issues

'Can you see me, oh my microphone is delayed, now the audio is out, let me try connection again'. Cue *eye roll* This is the standard procedure for the first 5-10 minutes of every Zoom call. After the awkward waiting around time, someone finally makes a joke about Zoom & working from home life, and cue the unenthusiastic chuckles from Paula in tech.

The one who never has their camera on

What are they doing? Your mind goes wild wondering what their wfh setup is like… or if they are just always naked? Why else would their camera be off? Did they escape lockdown… Are they even in the same country as us? What are they hiding? It's not only the mystery of the person with no image, but the fact you never know when they are going to start talking, or worse, when they will finish? Without the video feature, you simply do not know when this participant is going to participate.