We are alike in so many ways
We’ve been Zooming with folks around the globe - China, Peru, Sweden, Brazil, Canada, U.K., Korea, Italy, and all across the United States to name just some. Our client has offices and customers everywhere so we’re interviewing them as part of the customer journey development process. It has allowed us to get a small glimpse into their world and get to know a lot of fascinating people.
Voice-Only Calls Seems Weird Now
Would this have happened pre-pandemic? Yes, everyone would have just been a little less comfortable with it. The pandemic has changed how we work. The loss of in-person meetings though is not all negative (especially for the introverts). The adoption and increased comfort of using video calls has in many ways opened up our worlds and allowed us to get to know each other a bit better. A voice-only meeting now almost seems archaic. The ability to see someone’s facial expressions, body language, and even the background they choose to display helps us all connect in more meaningful ways. It’s allowed us to travel the globe from the seat of our home office and more importantly, realize how much more alike we are in our shared passions.
Video Calls Help Us Get To Know Each Other
If it were not for video conferencing we probably wouldn’t have acquired some of these fun global perspectives:
Generally going out to get some exercise, whether you are playing tennis or just riding your bike is called sporting. Do you sport?
A conference is also commonly referred to as either an expo or a fair.
Most speak 2, 3 or several languages (we knew that, but it’s still amazing to hear people rattle off how many languages they know). Though, when it comes to accents. . . let’s just say that understanding someone from northern Scotland required more effort than expected.
They often speak of countries like we speak about states. Who wouldn’t want to go to the neighboring country for a long weekend?!
Competitive reviews or researching the competition is referred to as benchmarking. Words definitely have different meanings, but we’ve covered that before.
Marketing is at times thought of as research vs. our traditional view of marketing in the broad sense is referred to as marcom.
People, particularly for those living in Asia are more used to dealing with the 12 or so hours difference in time zones than most of us in the U.S. 6AM or 9PM meetings anyone?
We Are Alike In So Many Ways
Sure there are differences, but they are on the surface. At the end of the day, we’re all really similar in many ways. We are passionate about our work. OK, passion may appear less emotional in Germany, but it’s there. And it’s clear that people enjoy working with people they trust and like. It’s about connection.
Video conferencing has brought the world a little closer to us. Seeing home or office décor in India, and looking out a window in Malaysia is now just the norm. We hope that never goes away and hope you have found stronger connections as well.