What’s your virtual meeting persona? [Downloadable virtual backgrounds]

In a work galaxy not so long ago, Zoom and Google Meets weren’t the everyday part of our lives that they are today. In fact, they were very much in the shadow of Skype, which was dismissed by some as their uncool cousin. So, it underwent a makeover: then proudly reintroduced itself to the world as ‘Teams’. But, that’s a tale for another time.

So here we are today in the yet-to-be-defined new normal, where it’s a given that these virtual meeting tools will continue to be used with a frequency not predicted when they first hit the scene. Perhaps not as often as we’ve all become accustomed to, but considerably more than when their patents were presented.

For the first few months, maybe even the first year of the near-worldwide mandatory work from home policies, everyone quite enjoyed their meetings in PJs and writing important briefs… in briefs. However, by the time 2021 was well into full flow, a weariness had set in. The unthinkable had happened — people had actually begun to grow weary of their newly acquired virtual meetings. With this came a growing realization that something else had been brewing beneath the surface… had we all become stereotypes?

At The Scalers, we think we’ve got the act of profiling down to a fine art. From the hundreds of virtual meetings we’ve partaken in over the past year, we’ve noticed a set of interesting traits and patterns of behavior! We make Hollywood criminologists look like poorly prepared amateurs. In fact, as a result, we’ve prepared some backgrounds to match the traits of people in our teams, and they might match yours too.

Take a look below and see if you can identify yourself. Or even better, see if you can match the personas with your teammates. And, when you’ve finished you can download the background that fits you best!

The Enthusiast

Do you think a 4-year old child’s drawing on the fridge is cute or genuinely a masterpiece? Do you agree enthusiastically with the first idea in an impromptu brainstorm as if it’s Steve Jobs pitching the first iPhone? Well, you might have discovered your true persona.

Ancient wisdom says that their enthusiastic head nods could power a small city and that sports teams around the world hire them to deliver morale-boosting team talks. If you’re suffering from imposter syndrome, The Enthusiast is the perfect partner to have in your corner.

Tip: Make them a judge on a talent show!

The Faceless Phantom

Like a Victorian child, heard but never seen — they operate in the shadows, always present… but somehow not. Please don’t be fooled though, behind the invisible face is often wisdom and great ideas. So it would be unwise indeed to discount their contributions.

Some might describe this absentee as a sage in a virtual cave, offering wisdom from behind an anonymous avatar. Apparently, you should say their name three times… not as a spooky ritual, but just to check if they’re actually there and haven’t gone shopping.

Tip: Buy them a mask for their birthday!

The Workaholic

The master of multitasking, the queen of three screens, juggling calls like a clown does balls. What more to be said about our work-addicted colleague?

In the engine room of the team, you can identify this creature by their darting eyes and keyboard clatter. To identify them with absolute certainty, look out for tell-tale ‘I’m listening’ nods and answer ‘yes’ to multi-choice questions.

Works surprisingly well with The Distractor-in-Chief in a whirlwind of humor-inspired productivity.

Tip: Make them take calls with their hands on their head!

The Daydreamer

A next-level fantasist with a penchant for flights of fancy. When you think they’re super engaged with your proposal to reshape the accountancy team… in reality, they’re wondering whether Superman could swim faster than a shark with rockets attached to its fins.

Some might say The Daydreamer is a mysterious enigma because you can never be quite sure what they’re thinking, or even if they’re operating in the same dimension as everyone else.

Tip: No calls before 10 am, they’ll still be nightdreaming!

Read the full article at: https://thescalers.com/whats-your-virtual-meeting-persona-downloadable-virtual-backgrounds/