To Loom Or To Zoom

Over the past couple of years, Zoom has become a standard for conducting business meetings and other types of synchronous communications. So much so, that the word meeting and Zoom have become interchangeable.

It has become so easy to schedule a meeting, invite attendees and conduct a Zoom meeting that it has actually become over-used. While it is important to maintain communication, especially for those who are working remotely, Zoom fatigue is real.

Something to consider if you want to reduce the monotony of the synchronous video meeting is to try using asynchronous communications that include the ability to send video and screen shares.

One service that provides just that is Loom Loom is a great option when you don’t need to Zoom, but want to add a special personal or visual aspect to your correspondence. Communicating with Loom allows teams and individuals to maintain visual presence through video creation that can be sent to others. Once the information is sent, the receiver can process the information in their own time, thus reducing the amount of unnecessary time spent in group meetings and foreseeably increasing productivity.

Of course Loom cannot replace Zoom.  There are definitely times where group meetings in real time are necessary. So, how do you choose when to Zoom or when to Loom?

There are many variables to consider when selecting the most appropriate form of communication. The bottom line is that group meetings are costly. A 30 minute meeting with five employees is collectively two and a half hours of time; not including the time it takes for coordination and scheduling.

Before calling a meeting, determine the purpose of the meeting. Do all invitees have something to contribute to the purpose? If so then a Zoom meeting would probably be time well spent.

If the purpose of the meeting is informational, non-rapport building, and/or doesn’t require critical, immediate feedback or attention, then it is likely that sending out an e-mail or Loom video may be the better option.

When it comes to communication in the 21st century, the world is our oyster. There are so many options, however, the best advice would be to keep it simple. No need to use every method of communication available. That has the potential to become overwhelming and messy. Make sure you have concise, clear, clean communication systems in place and your team is bound to have productive communication.