Despite technology being the growing way

To be productive and even function, let’s say

In this digital age, knowledge be at finger tip

Yet there are numerous ways in which one may slip-

-up – make a faux pas

A blooper, an oopsie dooper

But alas here we are

And thus far

Many an error I have made

And though feeling embarrassed and played

With technology I have stayed

 

For example: each month I host a meeting

We talk health psychology with a virtual greeting

It’s great! No booking a room for seating

Environmentally – no bills for room heating

Drop in and drop out – it’s fleeting!

And yet, technology mishaps present themselves – entreating

Connection – internet connection

Takes its own direction

And disconnects without hesitation

Meeting guests are left in waiting

While I scramble to connect to mobile data

And send a text saying: ‘we’ll meet up again later

In about ten minutes once I reconnect

Find my way back to the internet’

And of course, when we are back in the room

At a time – a bit later than ten minutes soon

The agenda is awry

No one remembers why

Or where we were

But let’s just concur

Retrace our step back to the last point

And try to continue and not disappoint!

Everyone thankfully

Takes the miss-hap jovially

And we reconvene

The meeting as a team

 

On another occasion – just the once

I lost my audio presenting at a conference

Sadly, I did forget

To dig out my headset

And despite what reset

I made to the laptop device

Rebooting, restarting twice

The chat box was the only place

Where I could explain my case

And so much work I had put in

To presenting

Slides all ready

Sat quiet and steady

Listening to other speakers and at watch glance

Waiting patiently for my appearance

On the presentation list I was second last

So, you can imagine how much time did pass

Luckily people are kind and see

The trifles of tech-difficulty

For miss-haps or disconnection from the web

Are met by others’ with understanding instead

Which gives me hope – not to burst my bubble

And recognise we all have technology trouble

 

So, what have I learned from this?

I would say – don’t give technology a miss

Virtual meetings are a great way

To connect – so easy to factor in to your day

No travelling by train – it’s less of a task

No sitting on public transport wearing a face mask

You can choose whether to appear by face

Or display a blank screen or photo in your place

One has more time to listen and compute

If you have little to say you can mute

The audio

Or record using video

To catch-up later on an important seminar

Instead of taking notes – making your arm sore

From writing every word

You can now both listen and be heard

At your leisure and in a controlled manner

Little icons permit a thumbs-up, a hand-raise for ya!

It’s just the connection can be a block to stumble

Also, a non-upgraded laptop can cause a fumble

 

So, these three tips I will give

For you to prepare with:

One – always check your device

Check it twice, even thrice

Two – have a back-up plan

Download meeting apps to your phone – if you can

And finally, three – don’t forget

It’s never worth getting upset

People do understand

After all, things don’t always go as planned