[ Close your eyes ]

I was surprised to learn that a revered colleague closes his eyes during online meetings.  Not only does he not use the video, but he actually sits there with eyes closed while the conversations are going on. I thought initially, how rude.  That’s not fair to the speakers.

But maybe he is right to do that.  He points out, so rightly, that so much human interaction is from nonverbal cues.  In person, our eyes take in all of the body language and nuances.  On video, all of that is gone.  So, he concentrates on voice, tone, and pitch; eyes closed.