Catherine Henderson,
Legal Means/CBS Supervisor
“Using the metaphor, ‘Would You Show Up to a Meeting with a Bag Over Your Head?’ was fun but helped get the message across about engagement in online meetings.”
Catherine recently tried out the universal truth with a bit of humour borrowed from our very own Fiona Macneill. Catherine asked her team, “Would you turn up to a meeting with a bag over your head?” It was a light-hearted nudge that sparked laughter and real change. Her message landed because it addressed a common post-COVID habit: keeping cameras off in online meetings.
Since the shift to remote and hybrid working, online meetings have become part of our daily routine. But along with the convenience has come a silent disconnect. When cameras stay off, something important is lost, connection. Catherine having been a participant on the LAA Personal Leadership Programme wanted to re-establish this connection with her team using one of the rules of engagement: cameras on!
Eye contact, facial expressions, and those subtle non-verbal cues are what bring conversations to life. Without them, meetings can feel impersonal and disengaged, more like broadcasting than collaborating.
Being visually present helps rebuild that human connection. It signals engagement, encourages interaction, and makes the virtual space feel more like a real room. And as Catherine’s approach shows, sometimes a bit of humour is all it takes to remind us of the basics of good communication.
So next time you hit “Join Meeting,” consider this: would you walk into a face-to-face meeting with a paper bag over your head?
P.S. Catherine was not hurt in the making of this article.