With the craziness the world became in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many things were put on hold, including a number of church projects in preliminary talks or already in motion. But while the coronavirus stopped many from working, those in the design industry still found ways to communicate with their church clients and keep projects underway.
With video conferencing becoming the norm during the start of 2020, what was once seen as cumbersome or less personal is now seen as an efficient, flexible platform.
Brian Rathsam, vice president of Kansas City, Mo.-based Mantel Teter Architects, which provides planning, consulting, and design services to churches across the country, notes, “Many of us took for granted our ability to meet face-to-face with our clients and engage in discussion independently or as a group, where body language and expression (and a handshake!) were the norm,” he says. As events unfolded, though "our ‘new normal’ for the foreseeable future will consist of virtual conferencing, web meetings, screen sharing--any number of methods to communicate information remotely and hopefully, just as effectively.”
Albeit somewhat daunting at first, clients began to come around to the ease and functionality of connecting and working remotely, many designers report.
Marcus Hammond with Stark Raving Solutions LLC, a design-build integrator, reports that even with the coronavirus outbreak, most of the projects the company had in the works continued ... just remotely.
“We were doing a lot of this before this all started anyway, using Skype, because most of our designers can do everything from home, and then we collaborate internally,” he says.
Keep it simple
Access to an internet connection and some form of computer, tablet, smartphone, etc., is paramount to virtual meetings.
"Providing our clients a meeting invitation that includes a direct link to a virtual conference, without the need to download external apps or desktop programs, speeds up the process and allows functionality across many operating system platforms.” Brian Rathsam, Vice President, Mantel Teter, Kansas City, MO
“As the design professional, and oftentimes the one leading the discussion and scheduling the meeting, it is best to offer the most simple means of connection,” Rathsam finds. “While many of us are comfortable with video conferences, and some of our church committee members may be as well, there are others that may find this process slightly stressful. Providing our clients a meeting invitation that includes a direct link to a virtual conference, without the need to download external apps or desktop programs, speeds up the process and allows functionality across many operating system platforms.”
One of the things he’s seen in his attempts at virtual meetings is that although people generally feel comfortable in person, once people are in front of a computer camera, it feels like a spotlight is on them and they are a bit awkward.
“Being in a location where you are not backlit, allows you to be seen more clearly—if you are video sharing—plus, finding a quiet location with minimal background noise helps both you and other attendees hear and understand the conversation more clearly,” Rathsam says. “Don’t be embarrassed when your excited six-year-old child runs through your camera shot, asking when dinner will be ready. In that moment, it’s fine time for a smile and laugh, knowing that we are all at home, and we’ve all been there before … camera or not.”
Speak slowly, enunciate clearly, and keep thoughts simple.
Don Mahoney, principal architect for Building God’s Way (BGW) in Ogden, Utah, says the company has been using the tools for a long time since much of its business is with out-of-state clients. His top tips are to speak slowly, enunciate clearly, and keep thoughts simple.
“Having someone in the room who can read the crowd is invaluable,” he says. “It’s not infrequent that they will be texting me letting me know if things are clear or unclear, of if there are eye rolls.”
Brush up on screen sharing
For designers, it’s important to use a video conferencing platform that allows for screen sharing since this is the means for presenting drawings, renderings, 3D modeling, or any other type of information you would typically share in person.
“Like we do when we are working with this information on our own, we need to be cognizant of the need to zoom in for clarity when presenting drawings or detailed information,” Rathsam says. “Just remember, everyone is seeing the image on your screen, so depending on the device they are using and their screen size, the image may be small. The ability for people to clearly see what you are discussing helps alleviate any frustration.”
Austin Fredrickson, lead designer in BGW's Midwest office, works with clients during the preliminary design phase and is a seasoned remote worker.
“When presenting design work for the first time or after big changes, I prefer to do it over screen share rather than via email,” he says. “It is helpful to be able to communicate your ideas in a conversational tone and get real-time feedback to be able to respond to comments or give further clarification.”
He notes that whenever possible, use video rather than voice only as it is helpful to see the people you are talking to.
“The delay in the system and glitches are sometimes irritating, but if you slow the cadence of the conversation it’s easier to understand one another and communicate clearly without talking over one another." Austin Fredrickson, Lead Designer, Building God's Way
One of Fredrickson's biggest pieces of advice is this: slow down.
“The delay in the system and glitches are sometimes irritating, but if you slow the cadence of the conversation it’s easier to understand one another and communicate clearly without talking over one another,” he says. “Talk more directly and sometimes even more bluntly. Phrases like ‘I am not understanding’ or ‘I didn’t quite catch that’ are helpful. If you are timid and feel like you cannot ask for clarification, you will have important information going over your head.”
When video conference is not possible, Fredrickson notes that laying out clear and simple design ideas in email can work.
“For me, I try to follow a simple formula: A+B=C,” he explains. “A: here is the problem we were trying to solve. B: This is our experience and our assumptions. C: See how it’s fleshed out in the drawings. I also sometimes interject alternative solutions and why we did not choose them, in order to layout all options, positive and negative.”
Another tip from Rathsam is to always listen closely for questions as they are asked from meeting attendees.
“Though we may have been slowly migrating in that direction, we had no choice but to jump into warp speed overnight,” Rathsam closes. “Communicating confidence to our clients, and effectively managing the process of virtual meetings, will allow our remote work to run successfully and design projects to move forward.”
