Unmuting, raising your hand, chiming in—interruptions are simply awkward on Zoom. Here’s how to effectively—and politely—interrupt someone in a virtual meeting, according to experts.



Allison Shapira doesn’t shy away from using her voice: A self-proclaimed extrovert, the founder of a public speaking training firm and a former opera singer, she’s rarely had trouble knowing how to speak up. But even Shapira makes mistakes when it comes to that nuanced yet high-stakes act of virtual etiquette: Interrupting someone else on a Zoom call.



“It’s inherently rude [to interrupt], and yet sometimes it’s necessary to protect the conversation—or because the internet is spotty,” says Shapira, who recently had to be reminded to use the “raise hand” button when a colleague said she was interrupting too much. In a virtual setting where people are distracted, she says, technology delays reactions and in-person cues are missing. “It’s a human psychology issue,” she says, not just a tech one.



Interrupting co-workers in a meeting has long been a manners minefield, one increasingly laden not only with longstanding office politics and professional ambition but with concerns about gender bias concerns and “that-could-have-been-an-email” meeting glut.



Zoom made this complex act of corporate culture, well, weirder. Chiming in on a conference conversation became toggling between browser windows to find the unmute button. It’s much harder to read a co-worker’s body language across the table. And when “can you hear me?” or “your screen seems to have frozen” are said repeatedly, no one wants to pause meetings more for interruptions.



“You wait a minute to be polite and jump in, but they’re not actually done talking yet,” Shapira says, recalling a call last week where she and a client constantly interrupted each other due to frozen screens.



For introverts, it can be even harder to inject themselves in a Zoom discussion than one that takes place in the office. While the pivot to remote work can be easier for introverted employees—interactions are scheduled, and virtual meetings are easier to digest for introverts—speaking up in a Zoom meeting proves harder, says Carey Yazeed, a consultant and behavioral scientist who studies equity in the workplace, because they have to decipher the best time to interrupt.



“Extroverts have big personalities and are very good at inserting themselves,” says Yazeed. “An introvert is someone whose personality is more calculated. For them to speak up in a meeting, it’s something they have to think about in advance, write down and rehearse.”



Whether you’re the silent type, an extrovert, an intern or an executive, there are passable ways to interrupt on Zoom. Because after all, “no one should politely endure a monologue,” GitLab cofounder Sid Sijbrandij said in an email; he recently shared the remote-based company’s own Zoom&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7101938264122556416/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tips on LinkedIn</a>. Here are five ways to interrupt effectively in a virtual meeting. (And yes, it will still feel awkward.)



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-insert-yourself-in-the-beginning">1. Insert yourself in the beginning</h2>



The longer you sit and wait to speak up, the more likely it is you’ll refrain from speaking.



For introverts in particular, bringing up your talking points and questions toward the start of the meeting can be helpful, says Yazeed. Why? “There’s still that structure, that agenda,” she says. “People haven’t really gotten loose and started veering off topic yet.” You will be most heard at the start of the meeting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-wait-for-a-pause">2. Wait for a pause</h2>



When is the best time to interrupt? The answer proves even more difficult if the meeting host never pauses for air.



In that case, Shapira says the best time to interrupt is right before the meeting’s leader moves on to the next topic. Often, a speaker will take a breath or pause to ask if anyone has questions. Utilizing icons such as “raise hand” can help you take advantage of those pauses.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-use-emojis-to-raise-your-hand">3. Use emojis to “raise your hand”</h2>



Don’t be like Shapira. Remember to use the “raise hand” feature that virtual meeting softwares like Zoom and Google Meet offer. Alternatively, send a message in the chat or unmute your microphone and wait.



If a participant’s raised hand goes unnoticed, don’t be afraid to advocate for those who are more introverted and are indicating they want to speak, Sijbrandij said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7101938264122556416/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LinkedIn post</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-use-a-filler-word">4. Use a filler word</h2>



If those actions don’t capture attention, it may be time to speak up. (Interjecting the Zoom call with a filler word such as “so” or “actually” will often do the trick.)



Be sure, however, to use stronger words with emphasis that will signal you’re going to speak. Opt for “actually” or “great” rather than “um,” for example. Use a word that won’t go unheard or dismissed.



A perfect interruption equation, says Shapira, goes something like this: wait for the speaker to take a breath, use a filler word, compliment what they’re saying, then say your piece. “That’s a way—especially if you’re interrupting someone who’s either a peer or more senior to you—to show deference and show respect.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-use-a-facilitator">5. Use a facilitator</h2>



Most meetings don’t have a strong moderator that helps the conversation flow well. And it’s even more pronounced on Zoom, Yazeed says, when people are talking over each other, unmuting at inconvenient times and confusing meeting participants on who’s in charge.



An effective facilitator will pay attention to the chat and, when hand emojis are raised, include everyone in the conversation. If you’re running meetings or in charge of a team, make sure you use one, especially in virtual meetings.



Of course, if the virtual meeting ends and you didn’t get your point across or your “um” doesn’t give you a chance to speak, remember a follow-up email will almost always suffice. After years of back-to-back Zoom meetings in the pandemic, an email—rather than a meeting—is probably what most people wanted anyways.

Caption: A university teacher prepares to join an online tutorial using Zoom, June 2021.

Remote Work Image (1 of 1)

The Fine Art Of Interrupting People On Zoom

High-flying video conferencing service Zoom, which has seen skyrocketing demand during the coronavirus pandemic, is now worth more than ExxonMobil, one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies.



As of 2:30 p.m. ET, Zoom sported a market valuation of $139 billion, compared to Exxon’s $138.9 billion. Zoom began the year with a market cap of $19 billion. While Zoom posted $1.35 billion in revenue over the past 12 months, Exxon, by comparison, posted $213.8 billion in revenue during that time period.



Exxon <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/News/Newsroom/News-releases/2020/1029_ExxonMobil-plans-reduction-to-US-staffing-levels" target="_blank">announced</a> on Thursday that it would lay off 1,900 U.S. employees, the latest effort to reduce costs and improve efficiency during the pandemic. Exxon has seen its operations pressured by coronavirus like other energy companies, many of which have taken steps to improve balance sheets, reduce staff and in some cases suspend dividends. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. oil benchmark, currently trades at around $36 per barrel, down from over $62 as recently as January.



Zoom founder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/eric-yuan/#69410bec61bf">Eric Yuan</a>, meanwhile, has seen his own fortune nearly double over the past three months. Since appearing on The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/forbes-400/">Forbes 400</a>&nbsp;list of America’s wealthiest people, which used stock prices from July 24, his net worth has nearly doubled, rising from $11 billion to $21.3 billion as of 2:30 p.m. ET on October 29.



Yuan’s fortune has soared in tandem with Zoom’s business, which has grown at a fast clip as millions of people working from home continue to rely on video-conferencing. Zoom is one of the best performing stocks so far in 2020, largely weathering the pandemic-induced sell-off in March and rising by more than 600% over the year.



The company handily&nbsp;<a href="https://investors.zoom.us/news-releases/news-release-details/zoom-reports-second-quarter-results-fiscal-year-2021#:~:text=Revenue%3A%20Total%20revenue%20for%20the,quarter%20of%20fiscal%20year%202020." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">beat earnings expectations</a>&nbsp;in the second quarter ended August 31, with $663.5 million in revenue (far outpacing analysts’ forecasts of $500.5 million)—and it expects to keep growing at a rapid pace. Zoom now forecasts up to $690 million in revenue for the current quarter (through the end of October) ; the company also raised its financial guidance for the full fiscal year, through January 2021, to almost $2.4 billion in revenue, up from $623 million for the year through January 2020, as it takes into account even more growing “demand for remote work solutions for businesses.”



Yuan isn’t the only one getting richer from his company’s success. Zoom’s chief financial officer since 2017, Kelly Steckelberg, has also seen her fortune grow. She debuted on the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/self-made-women/">Forbes Richest Self Made Women</a> list on October 13 with a net worth of $255 million. She is now worth more than $340 million.



-By Sergei Klebnikov, Forbes Staff

Video Conferencing Software Zoom Goes Public On Nasdaq Exchange

Zoom Is Now Worth More Than ExxonMobil—And Founder Eric Yuan’s Net Worth Has Nearly Doubled In Three Months

As millions of people continue to rely on video-conferencing amid the coronavirus pandemic, Zoom is benefiting—shares of the e-video company surged by over 40% on Tuesday morning, a day after it reported blowout second quarter earnings that easily topped analyst estimates.



KEY FACTS



The tech company&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/08/31/2086444/0/en/Zoom-Reports-Second-Quarter-Results-for-Fiscal-Year-2021.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">posted revenue</a>&nbsp;of $663.5 million last quarter, compared to the $500.5 million forecast by analysts, and profits of 92 cents per share (versus 45 cents per share expected).



Revenue more than quadrupled from last year, growing 355% on an annualized basis.



Zoom added nearly 105,000 new customers in the second quarter, with new customers’ subscriptions delivering&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/08/31/2086444/0/en/Zoom-Reports-Second-Quarter-Results-for-Fiscal-Year-2021.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">81% of revenue growth</a>.&nbsp;



Zoom is one of the best performing stocks so far in 2020, largely weathering the pandemic-induced sell-off in March and rising by more than 370% year to date.



The company now expects revenue between $685 million and $690 million in the third quarter, and also raised its financial guidance for the full fiscal year to almost $2.4 billion as it takes into account growing “demand for remote work solutions for businesses.”



“Zoom crushed its second-quarter results and once again substantially raised full year revenue guidance,” says Morningstar analyst Dan Romanoff, adding, “While it was virtually impossible to top last quarter’s once-in-a-generation results, Zoom delivered a tremendous encore.”



CRUCIAL QUOTE



“Organizations are shifting from addressing their immediate business continuity needs to supporting a future of working anywhere, learning anywhere, and connecting anywhere on Zoom&#8217;s video-first platform,” said Eric Yuan, Zoom’s founder and CEO, in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/08/31/2086444/0/en/Zoom-Reports-Second-Quarter-Results-for-Fiscal-Year-2021.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">press release</a>.



SURPRISING FACT



At the beginning of the year, Zoom had a market cap of $19 billion. Today, that number has risen to more than $125 billion.



CHIEF CRITIC



While Zoom is a “recognized market leader in meeting software,” Morningstar still sees the stock as overvalued. Although the firm significantly raised its estimates, assigning a fair value of $153 per share—from $116 per share, that is still far below the more than $450 per share that the stock is trading at today. “We still cannot support the current share price within our discounted cash flow model,” Romanoff wrote in a note on Tuesday.



KEY BACKGROUND



Zoom reported revenues of $328 million in the previous quarter, a yearly increase of 169%. Its stock has been on a tear for much of 2020, rising steadily as demand for remote working solutions like video-conferencing skyrocketed amid the pandemic. More and more people have become dependent on Zoom for business, education and personal usage as government officials directed people to stay at home around the world.



FURTHER READING



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/08/31/stocks-just-had-the-best-august-since-1984-but-history-shows-trouble-is-on-the-way/">Stocks Just Had The Best August Since 1984, But History Shows Trouble Is On The Way</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/08/31/billionaire-leon-cooperman-warns-investors-of-stock-market-euphoria-and-shares-three-big-risks-to-an-economic-recovery/">Billionaire Leon Cooperman Warns Investors Of Stock Market ‘Euphoria’ And Shares Three Big Risks To An Economic Recovery</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/08/28/us-tech-stocks-are-now-worth-more-than-9-trillion-eclipsing-the-entire-european-stock-market/">U.S. Tech Stocks Are Now Worth More Than $9 Trillion, Eclipsing The Entire European Stock Market</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/08/28/heres-why-a-tiktok-deal-makes-sense-for-walmart/">Here’s Why A TikTok Deal Makes Sense For Walmart</a> (Forbes)



-Sergei Klebnikov, Forbes Staff

Tag: zoom call

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The Fine Art Of Interrupting People On Zoom

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