Tired of Long Video Calls and Emails? Try Asynchronous Video

Edna B. Shearer
May 27, 2022·11 min read

We’re all spending more time than ever before in meetings (often video calls) and wading through full inboxes. Learn how you can save time with asynchronous video.

There’s a saying in carpentry that I feel applies to the shifting work situation. It goes something like this…

There are three rules in carpentry:

  1. Always use the right tool for the job
  2. The right tool is always a hammer
  3. If it’s not working, get a bigger hammer

Right now, it feels a bit like we’re applying the same methodology to pretty much any business. Just swap out “hammer” for “video call.”

Feel familiar?

For many of us, video conferencing is one of the key tools that’s allowing us to keep moving forward. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to spend so much of our time on video calls.

Zoom fatigue is real.

Remote and hybrid workers live video conferencing fatigue every day. But luckily, there are ways to reduce or even limit some of those live meetings. Read on to learn how.

  1. Contents
  2. 1. Why Use Asynchronous Video?
  3. 2. What’s the Difference Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Communications?
  4. 3. What Are the Advantages of Asynchronous Video?
  5. 3.1 Too Many Meetings? The Struggle with Video Call Fatigue
  6. 3.1.1 Consider these facts about meetings:
  7. 3.2 Too Many Emails and Chat Messages? The Trouble with All Those Threads
  8. 3.2.1 Consider these facts about text-based communications:
  9. 3.3 How Asynchronous Video Helps
  10. 4. 4 Ways to Use Asynchronous Video
  11. 4.1 The Meeting Shortener Video
  12. 4.2 The Digital Drop-By Video
  13. 4.3 The Show-and-Tell Video
  14. 4.4 The Connector Video
  15. 5. How Do I Get My Team to Start Using Asynchronous Video?

Video calls aren’t the enemy. They’re a huge part of how many of us are able to continue doing our jobs and keep our businesses running.

The trouble is the volume. Because it’s not just too many meetings. We’re also being overloaded with overly-long emails and spending ages in back-and-forth discussions on chat and messaging platforms. It’s communication overload on pretty much every channel. All of it takes so much time.

It’s the time it takes us to organize those meetings, the time we sit on those calls, the time we sit typing an in-depth email, and the time we spend on chat platforms hashing things out. In addition to the obvious drain on productivity, there’s a mental and emotional cost to this level of always-on connectivity as well.

But there is another way to keep in touch. One that saves time and gives us back control over how we spend it. It’s called asynchronous video.

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Asynchronous video, also known as recorded video, video messages, screen shares, or video voicemail, combines the biggest benefits of video calls with the best parts of email and chat. They’re human, friendly, and engaging, while also timely, efficient, and easy to consume on your own schedule. It’s the best of both worlds.

Why Use Asynchronous Video?

If any of these common scenarios feel familiar to you, then asynchronous video might be just the solution you’re looking for:

  • Feeling drained from a day (or week) of back-to-back video calls?
  • Sick of writing out long emails to explain an idea or concept?
  • Struggling to find a meeting time that works in everyone’s calendars?
  • Dealing with a complicated or overstuffed schedule due to family duties or other responsibilities?
  • Finding your day constantly disrupted by chat messages, emails, meetings, and more, making it difficult to get your work done?
  • Having a tough time discerning tone from coworkers’ emails or chat messages?
  • Not sure how to replicate the “tap on the shoulder” interaction you have with colleagues in office to quickly share thoughts?
  • Battling wifi connectivity issues that are wreaking havoc on your ability to participate in video calls?
Ready to Have #OneLessMeeting?

Video calls are great… until they aren’t. At this point, we’ve all seen (or had) our fair share of video conferencing fails.

Learn more about how asynchronous video can help solve some of your biggest video call frustrations in this one-minute video. Then join the #OneLessMeeting Challenge and take back your schedule! Use the hashtag to share the results on social media and let us know how it went.

(Fun fact: Our talented team recorded this entire video series while working remotely!)

person overwhelmed by video calls needs to know when to use asynchronous video

Not Sure When to Use Asynchronous Video? person overwhelmed by video calls needs to know when to use asynchronous video Find out when you should introduce asynchronous video into your work day with our handy dandy checklist. Get the List