Reinventing the way people communicate online
REMOTELY Meeting Cards Introduce Nonverbal and Visual Communication to the World of Online Meetings
REMOTELY, the revolutionary new visual meetings cards intended to bring back so much of what is lost nonverbally during online meetings, is live on global crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and raising funds to bring the project to life. As the demand for video meetings surges worldwide, people are beginning to find that so much is being lost when communicating over digital screens — nonverbal cues like body language, tone and facial expressions that help people read the room. Interruptions become awkward, fits of start and stop are way too common and people are left with uncomfortable feelings that can often throw off an entire meeting.
I created the Remotely cards first. The concept for these cards came at the beginning of the ‘coronacoaster’. Up until COVID-19, I did mainly in person sessions. Because of the pandemic, I began leading online sessions and found a lot of new challenges when my tried and true facilitation hacks and interventions weren’t working. I started by drawing cards to visually communicate instructions like “please wrap up” and much to my surprise it worked! People responded rapidly and everyone said “hey, where did you get those, we need that”. The rest is history!
The Remotely deck is designed for facilitators and participants to use visual communication cues during remote meetings. With this deck of visual communication prompts users can easily hold a card up to their webcam during a remote meeting to communicate all kinds of things. Need to step away for a moment? Can’t hear who’s speaking? Want to send a ghost hug to a coworker? Remote Meeting Cards has it all covered with a disruption-free way of communicating in the moment. The Remotely deck includes 22 illustrated cards along with 8 blank do-it-yourself cards for insider office sayings or any other ideas.
In addition to the flagship Remotely Deck, two additional decks are also available to purchase during the campaign. Outspoken is a deck designed for rebels — sometimes rude and always brash comment cards that let others know what they are really thinking. The second deck, Energized, acts as a virtual ice breaker — serving as a useful and fun card deck filled with games that users can play online to boost energy, creativity and engagement.
This year hasn’t been easy for anyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken things up; it’s pushed us out of our comfort zones, and has forced us to reimagine a new normal. When I realized my usual facilitation tricks weren’t suited to an online environment, I had to readjust. On video calls, our brains work harder to interpret non-verbal cues that were once so easy to read when we were together in person. In our new remote reality, these cues often get lost and sometimes, chiming into conversations feels awkward and disruptive. The Remote Meeting Card Collection was created to address this challenge. We’re delivering a visual tool that allows you to communicate clearly and effectively without saying a word. We’re reinventing the way people communicate online.
REMOTELY Remote Meetings Cards are currently live and available to support on Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/inbo/remote-meeting-cards-collection or purchase directly on our Remotely shop.
About Inbo
Inbo has mastered the art of online learning experiences capable of changing the face of your business. The team of learning designers and facilitators have amassed years of experience in adult learning and development, pedagogy, anthropology, human development, psychology, and education — and they’re all about sharing! With bespoke services, Inbo creates front-to-back personalized learning programs paired with engaging and interactive online facilitation and back-end technical expertise. It’s essential to cultivate a culture of continued learning in-house, which is why Inbo outfits you with the skill set needed to keep building without us. For more information on Inbo please visit www.inbo.ca
