There are some situations where the lowering of standards is a good thing. Let me immediately say that I can’t think of very many, but the one that led me to the opening statement was how (since COVID) people have stopped worrying about the quality of what’s behind them when making Zoom calls.
Previous to COVID, the world of video conferencing revolved around some VERY showy boardrooms (and those omni-directional microphones that look like a manta ray having a lie down in the middle of the table).
But then we got trapped in our homes and realised that the priority should be with continuing to communicate face-to-(screen-to-)face rather than never seeing another human again. Sure you get some hilarious (and famous) instances (pants-less children wandering into view while top politicians speak to the BBC come to mind) but on the whole, pitching via video to a CEO backed by pink wallpaper covered in unicorns has become commonplace.
Beware, however, the dangers of taking this relaxation of standards too far. Having a “take me as I am” attitude is great for maintaining a “Keep calm and carry on” resolve, but please don’t think that having the odd background unicorn means you can let other standards slip too.
In the same way I’d never turn up to a real-world meeting in a t-shirt, I’d similarly never turn up to a video meeting in a t-shirt that I’d won in a pub quiz (see, it’s all relative).
We’ve recently attended video calls where the attendees had not only not worried about their background, but had also not worried about remembering why we were meeting or who we were. I know none of us look as professional as we did in 2019 (when we all still shaved and used nearly all the buttons on our ironed shirts) but you can still be professional from the corner of your kids’ play room.
Just because we’re relaxed about how things look in video meetings doesn’t mean that you should be any less professional in your preparation and commitment to the meetings themselves.
Impress me with your professionalism, not your unicorns*.
*Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d be saying back in 2019.