Read the room

To “read the room” means to analyze the general mood of people in a particular setting and act accordingly. In the episode, we mentioned that it’s critical to “read the room,” or analyze people’s general mood, during work meetings. Video calls make it hard to “read the room” since typically only shoulders and up are visible on camera. A dinner party host might “read the room” to see if guests are having a good time or wrapping up and getting tired. The host might use the information to determine if he should open another bottle of wine or not.