Over the past 14 months, millions of people working online have created a new norm to end a video meeting. I’m talking about that awkward, overly-exaggerated wave we do before signing off: the Zoom wave.
Elizabeth Chuck, a reporter for NBC News, recently asked body language experts about this phenomenon. Here were her top findings on WHY we do the Zoom wave:
1) Clicking that little button to “leave” a meeting feels abrupt, sometimes even rude. Like me, you too have likely received this email after a video meeting, “Sorry I ended the meeting so quickly. Didn’t mean to sign off like that!” By contrast, waving is an unambiguous signal that we all agree … this meeting is now over.
2) We wave because we’re hungry for social connection. After a year-plus of social distancing during covid, we want to end a meeting in a positive, polite way that strengthens relationships (however possible n in a world that’s become increasingly virtual!).
Chuck’s article goes on to explore why the Zoom wave feels exaggerated or child-like. The answer is simple: we only have that tiny video box. No one can see hand gestures down by our keyboard, so we raise them high enough to be captured in the frame. This is especially true when we’re in a ‘speaker’ setting (using a video box about 1 inch x 1 inch).
When not using a Zoom wave, I recommend using the bottom third of your screen for hand gestures. (Here’s a terrific example.) Keeping hands low in the frame prevents them from blocking our face. It also makes them appear natural, while still being visible. For more on hand gestures, check out this short article from the Washington Post. (It’s from 2015 but it covers the fundamentals extremely well!)
To read more about Chuck’s findings, click here. Otherwise, please reach out if you’d like become a more charismatic, compelling public speaker.
