Unmute!: How to Master Virtual Meetings and Reclaim Your Sanity

by Lauren Sergy

Overview

Have virtual meetings become the most dreaded part of your workday?

You open your calendar and feel your heart rate spike as you stare at them. Virtual meeting after virtual meeting, replete with all-to-familiar irritations: technical glitches, awkward conversations, Bob's nose hairs. (Seriously, doesn't Bob know his camera is pointed right up his nose?)

Like it or not, being able to mug for the webcam is now an important addition to your CV. But there's more to having a good videoconference than turning on your webcam. And UNMUTE! will show you how to do it.

In this hilarious and fast-paced book, communication expert Lauren Sergy takes you on a deep-dive into virtual meetings: what works, what doesn't, and how to make the most of this communication medium without it taking over your life. With energy, wit, and a bucketful of relatable stories, Lauren will help you

- Polish not-so-small on-camera skills like eye contact, gesture, and speaking mannerisms

- Set up your virtual meeting space like a pro...without turning your office into a production studio

- Boost meeting attendees' focus and engagement

- Manage those annoying technical glitches

- Dial down your stress and kick Zoom Fatigue to the curb

UNMUTE! is a must-read book for anyone who uses videoconferencing at work. You and your colleagues can master virtual meetings; it's time to take action!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781039113381
Publisher:	FriesenPress
Publication date:	07/07/2021
Pages:	156
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.36(d)

About the Author

Lauren Sergy is a sought-after public speaking and interpersonal communication expert, with years of experience helping thousands of professionals become more powerful communicators. She has worked with clients and audiences in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond, delivering her keynotes and workshops both in-person and in virtual formats. She teaches business communication seminars with the University of Alberta and has been a featured communication expert on radio and television. Her first book, The Handy Communication Answer Book, was featured on the Best Reference Books of 2017 list by Library Journal.

Lauren lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her endlessly patient husband and two energetic kids, who are always looking for new ways to interrupt her virtual meetings. To find out more about Lauren and access her many articles, videos, and resources on communication, goto laurensergy.com.

Editorial Reviews

2021-11-09
A guide offers advice on improving teleconferences.

Communications expert Sergy discovered a whole new need for her skills once Covid-19 struck and suddenly large chunks of the world’s workforce were in some kind of pandemic lockdown. Once “the virtual meeting genie was out of the bottle,” she was sought out by corporate clients who either knew nothing about how to manage the new ubiquity of video meetings or else were dealing with managers and customers who didn’t know how to deal with it (or both). In the nearly two years of rolling pandemic lockdowns and quarantines, these people have had to cope with the new realities of Zoom calls. In this short book, the author discusses almost all of these thorny realities—starting with what she acknowledges was the hilariously naïve, mistaken first impression that most folks would be able to figure out this process without much trouble. It turns out most people failed to deftly handle virtual meetings—hence communications experts and hence this guide, which is written in a direct, lively tone and adorned throughout with helpful “do this” and “don’t do this” diagrams and uncredited illustrations. Sergy covers everything from vocal range and speech patterns to lighting, backdrops, and basic postures. She laces everything with very effective, dry humor (“Virtual meetings are to in-person meetings what gluten-free baked goods are to regular baked goods: a dense, slightly rubbery version of what you really wanted, with a weird aftertaste”). Her manual is surely the first corporate etiquette book to feature the line “Always wear pants.” Every person who has ever called a Zoom meeting or endured one should read this invaluable guide for the sake of humanity.

A punchy, indispensable manual for the video-call era.

Kirkus Reviews