Virtually Real Ways of Working

2020 has definitely been the year of learning. We've had to learn how to work and communicate remotely, and at some points, it's been our only choice due to lockdown. I don't know about you, but there have been some weeks where I've been a little over whelmed by the number of Zooms, Teams, Google Hangout sessions and other video calls I've had; both for business purposes, but also to communicate with family and friends.

But are video conferences and video calls the way forward? I'm not so sure…..

In recent weeks I've been exposed to an even newer way of working; virtual reality. Virtual reality is usually used for gaming and leisure, but there is a new use for it, and that's for meetings, workshops, collaboration and even training.

Myself and my Atonic4 colleagues were fortunate enough to have an introduction to VR via an organisation called Circle4x. The experience was surreal! I put my headset on, connected to the 'room' where I would meet the Circle4x team, and suddenly I was transported to an amazing venue on top of a mountain range, with floor to ceiling windows to make the most of the snow-capped mountain view. I was greeted by two of the Circle4x team - or rather their Avatars - and was given a tour of the venue. It was so real that I found myself apologising when I moved too close to my colleague; even though he was sat at his desk 1500 miles away in a different country!

So what does it actually look like? Here are some pictures of the room and the experience:

My Atonic4 colleague, Simon Knocker, went one step further and recorded the experience. Take a look at his video and read his blog; 

https://thebigteam.uk/2020/09/27/virtual-reality-time-for-business-is-video-conferencing-old-hat/

I'm really looking forward to doing more with the virtual reality technology, both with my Atonic4 colleagues, but also with my clients, so watch this space, and I'll be back with more updates!