Whether you’ve been working from home, studying from home or having regular quiz nights with your friends and family, chances are, you’ve probably been utilising video conference software during lockdown. At Endsleigh, we’re no exception to this. We’ve been working from home and using Zoom calls to connect our teams. We’ve been doing this for several weeks now and are getting fairly used to it, but there have definitely been some lessons to learn along the way.
Here are 10 things you’ve probably experienced if you’ve been using Zoom to communicate. Or as we otherwise like to call it, Zoom meeting bingo!
[Click here to download our free Zoom Bingo card](https://www.endsleigh.co.uk/media/blog/zoom-bingo-interactive-game-506754165_V1.0_09.23.pdf to play along with your friends/colleagues during your next Zoom call. If you're using a computer, click to cross off the squares! See an example of the Zoom Bingo card at the bottom of this article.
1. You’re startled by an unexpected video call
As we settled into working from home and Zoom calls started to go ahead by audio, many of us relaxed into comfier attire. However, one morning you may have clicked the Zoom link to join a meeting and been caught by surprise when your Web Cam switched itself on and you were faced with your very own bed-head and gym-wear! Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.
2. Someone says “Can everyone see my screen?”
Screen sharing has been a blessing over the last few weeks and we’d argue that this has been one of the most commonly used phrases when working from home during lockdown!
3. Someone forgets to unmute themselves
You’re 30 minutes into a really productive meeting, a question gets asked to one of your colleagues and it’s responded to with complete silence. After 10 or so seconds, someone (usually the meeting’s host) says, “I think you may be on mute!” to which your colleague’s voice follows, “Oh! Sorry, I was on mute!” with familiar laughs from the rest of the team.
4. Someone says “Sorry, my connection is bad”
But you only hear “Sorry… connection… bad” because their voice is cutting out every other word. If working from home has made us thankful for anything, it’s that real conversations don’t depend on Wi-Fi connections!
5. Someone’s connection completely drops
A part of the conversation gets handed over to a colleague to discuss… but they’re not on the call anymore. A few minutes later there’s the familiar Zoom ‘ping’ which signals a new attendee and an apology from your colleague for their poor internet connection.
6. Two or more people talk over each other
This one’s a given in any situation that relies on an internet connection and it’s usually followed by an extra-long silence as both parties give right of way to the other to speak.
7. Someone says “We’ve got 2 minutes left, let’s wrap up”
If you’re using a free Zoom account, you’re probably used to the 40 minute time limit before the call ends. Even though the meeting host usually warns your team when you have a few minutes left, it still manages to take you by surprise.
8. There’s a guest appearance
You’re mid-way through a productive discussion and someone’s cat walks across the screen, or someone’s baby makes a guest appearance.
Lockdown has taught us a lot of things. For the parents among us, it’s just how difficult working from home can be when you have children/pets. Although it may be frustrating for the parents involved, the truth is, it usually makes the rest of the team smile!
9. Someone’s doorbell rings
With a huge reliance on online shopping over the last few months, a few call interruptions from doorstep deliveries have been a common occurrence!
We hope that this Zoom bingo provided you with some light relief during this uncertain time. Working from home certainly would’ve been a lot harder before the days of Zoom, so we’re thankful for the existence of video conference software in 2020! Feel free to share this article with family, friends and work colleagues and play along during your next call.
If you’re relying on your gadgets a lot right now and don’t know what you’d do without them, check out our gadget and possessions insurance. We’ll help make sure that you stay connected when it matters most.
Click here to download our free Zoom Bingo card to play along with your friends/colleagues during your next Zoom call. If you're using a computer, click to cross off the squares! See an example of the Zoom Bingo card below.
