4sec Voicenote
Listening to a music radio station (remember them?) I heard the classic ‘mystery voice’ device.
The first to reply correctly gets themselves on the airwaves to say hello to nearest, dearest, or colleagues.
What was different this time, was how the host asked for answers;
send your four second voicenote!
Even prompting with her preferred format;
hi [host nickname], I think the mystery voice today is [person].
Although I did notice how none of the wrong answers first played followed this template.
The winner even added in their first-name and home location. Which perhaps should’ve been part of the steer anyway. It is surely all about your audience.
I instantly wondered how useful this trick could be during a video meeting.
You’d need all attendees connected to you through the same messaging app for best results, I guess. One with quick ‘audio record’ facility too (like this radio station has its own whatsapp number for listeners to interact).
Perhaps not always an option.
How many wish to blur those lines between personal and professional contacts?
Still, if you can tick those boxes, then it could be worth a try. And I think give decent results.
Especially if you’ve a nominated admin role in play. They can collect, collate and re-play.
You’d need a query that can be answered similarly swiftly.
Perhaps better near the call’s commencement. To be revisited later on.
And then there’s the issue of whether you command the assembled crew to mute whilst recording/sending. With potentially hazardous unmute to follow.
It could work when you don’t want to spend time going ’round-the-room’. Asking each face in the gallery in turn. Lengthy and also allowing those called on later to unduly benefit from hearing others before them.
When meeting a new salesteam to deliver a spot of ‘training’, I’d often take the first moments to set up how I think by judging expectations. You’d go around the ‘well’ to ask for a one-worder that summed up the delegate’s view on something central to where we were due to head. But that eats up precious minutes. And gives misleading insight into each individual participant’s attitude towards proceedings through influence of those speaking before.
You could alternatively use the go-to of the sticky note. Everyone writing simultaneous answers then thrusting pad screenwards.
Although this method may be a neat, occasional switch-up in protocols.
One to practice on an internal call first, and tweak as required, perhaps.