No, this column is not about taking a break by the coffee cooler. It’s not about killing time talking to your buddies or getting a caffeine jolt to pump up your day. It’s about the return of some semblance of life the way it was 11 weeks ago, and the changes that have occurred and how we adjusted. And perhaps will continue to adjust in the weeks and months ahead. The new normal, as the cliché goes.
Our church, which follows directions for the Southeast Diocese of Wisconsin, had been deferring to the larger body in terms of their weekly broadcast available during the pandemic in lieu of meeting face-to-face. This past week, our specific parish rejoined the movement forward by broadcasting live via Facebook. Later, we Zoomed coffee hour.
So, we joined the ranks of the online meeting community for connecting, staying in touch, worshiping, chatting, catching up with others, seeing faces we hadn’t seen in a while. All of which is good. Except it is different from being “with” each other, and your reactions are not the same.
I was eager to watch and hear the service. And also eager to see who would join the coffee hour.
The service went off decently. The volume wasn’t quite high enough even with your speakers turned to the max. And there were a few connectivity glitches where the image stalled, waiting for the electronic highway to deliver the data to return images and motion to those of us watching.
Both of those were somewhat distracting and a reality we face in the oncoming months as more companies and individuals choose to use any of the array of visual online tools available to hold meetings. An advantage is you can spread your message deeper and wider to others. A disadvantage is that distractions can turn off the attendees.
The Zoom coffee hour came afterwards and proved to be satisfying in a different way than our normal post-service conviviality. Typically, you grab your food and drinks, find a table and sit with a few other individuals to catch up on the week. You chat a bit. Ask a few questions, hear about what’s going good or bad from someone, share some thoughts or insights.
The difference online was that you saw everyone, and anyone could weigh in at any time to the full group. That made the morning more engaging and focused to me. You had the person directly in front of you on the screen to focus right there on what they had to say. You do have to wait for the delay if you want to speak or add something to the conversation, but that’s small drawback and forces others to listen fully to what you’re saying, so that’s ultimately an advantage. Everyone was polite. Everyone had something to say at some point or other.
It’s just one small piece of what we face the with “new normal.” Of all the predictions hovering around, that is one you can bank on: Things will be different.
We will adjust. We’re an adaptable species. We’ll learn new things (like operating technology), while old habits may fade away. There will be good, bad and indifferent consequences, depending on your perspective. I hope and pray that our human connections stay intact and thrive.
Our church, which follows directions for the Southeast Diocese of Wisconsin, had been deferring to the larger body in terms of their weekly broadcast available during the pandemic in lieu of meeting face-to-face. This past week, our specific parish rejoined the movement forward by broadcasting live via Facebook. Later, we Zoomed coffee hour.
So, we joined the ranks of the online meeting community for connecting, staying in touch, worshiping, chatting, catching up with others, seeing faces we hadn’t seen in a while. All of which is good. Except it is different from being “with” each other, and your reactions are not the same.
I was eager to watch and hear the service. And also eager to see who would join the coffee hour.
The service went off decently. The volume wasn’t quite high enough even with your speakers turned to the max. And there were a few connectivity glitches where the image stalled, waiting for the electronic highway to deliver the data to return images and motion to those of us watching.
Both of those were somewhat distracting and a reality we face in the oncoming months as more companies and individuals choose to use any of the array of visual online tools available to hold meetings. An advantage is you can spread your message deeper and wider to others. A disadvantage is that distractions can turn off the attendees.
The Zoom coffee hour came afterwards and proved to be satisfying in a different way than our normal post-service conviviality. Typically, you grab your food and drinks, find a table and sit with a few other individuals to catch up on the week. You chat a bit. Ask a few questions, hear about what’s going good or bad from someone, share some thoughts or insights.
The difference online was that you saw everyone, and anyone could weigh in at any time to the full group. That made the morning more engaging and focused to me. You had the person directly in front of you on the screen to focus right there on what they had to say. You do have to wait for the delay if you want to speak or add something to the conversation, but that’s small drawback and forces others to listen fully to what you’re saying, so that’s ultimately an advantage. Everyone was polite. Everyone had something to say at some point or other.
It’s just one small piece of what we face the with “new normal.” Of all the predictions hovering around, that is one you can bank on: Things will be different.
We will adjust. We’re an adaptable species. We’ll learn new things (like operating technology), while old habits may fade away. There will be good, bad and indifferent consequences, depending on your perspective. I hope and pray that our human connections stay intact and thrive.