With the world opening up once more in the wake of the pandemic, some people are moving back to the traditional face to face meetings, face it, it’s refreshing to be out there again? Or is it? Have things changed so much that people are just happy with online meetings for good?
In our latest article we look at the benefits of online vs the face-to-face meetings in the business world.
It would be great to get your views too..
Why Host In-Person Meetings?
While convenient and a saviour during covid, it’s quite possible you’re in your third, fourth, or even fifth hour of virtual meetings today and fatigue is seriously setting in.. meetings are great but they waste time replacing conversations that could’ve taken 5 minutes in the office, there’s a meeting for everything, which could possibly leave little time for ACTUAL WORK!
Are you yearning for the face-to-face meetings to return?
In spite of the havoc that COVID-19 has had on the working world, it is more and more apparent that in-person meetings are on their way back and are safer than ever.
Benefits of Face-To-Face Meetings
Building Camaraderie in your team and across the business
It goes without saying that a business thrives through teamwork, in terms of cohesiveness and idea generation. Within a virtual only capacity, it’s quite possible that the concept of teamwork has been negatively altered. A sometimes confusing ‘share screens’ is no match for a team whiteboard session when it comes to generating the the highest quality and most efficient team building.
Clearer Communication
‘You’re on mute’, ‘we can’t see it’, ‘your camera is off’ … we’ve all been there. We think we can all attest to the fact that technology mysteriously refuses to work when we need it most.
Mild irritations that grind down the cohesion of communication, yes, its tolerated but the Face-To-Face meeting allow for clear, concise communication between each-and-every participant. Perhaps most importantly, doesn’t give a participant the option to switch off their camera making participation mandatory (well, most of the time!)
Building Meaningful Business Relationships
We think it’s pretty apparent when you meet someone for the first time that our most meaningful personal relationships are built through interpersonal, in-person communication and the same holds true for trustworthy business relationships. While convenience is king, it’s just not the same, holding one of your companies most important business meetings virtually.
Less Distractions
Are the days of undivided attention a thing of the past? The urge to check our phone, to open a new tab and browse, or to turn on the television, children, pets, spouses and other distractions are commonplace. Something that simply doesn’t happen in most office situations!
Meeting In-Person vs Online: What’s the Difference?
Ok yes, it’s true that in-person meetings hold an intrinsic value when it comes to building team chemistry, fostering total participation, and eliminating distractions, but online meetings do provide obvious benefits of their own such as:
Large meetings can be easily held, bridging geography
Participants can join from anywhere across the country or world and utilise a host of superb features that enhance the meeting experience. The continual shift to virtual meetings has seen these platforms continually push for new innovations in their software.
The cost savings are evident
From humble meetings to large conferences, seminars, or events can be held without having to pay for costly expenses such as travel, lodging, and catering
Is safety an issue?
Well, things will never be 100% ‘safe’ in terms of a pandemic within the work space, but the vast majority of employers have policies to keep their staff as COVID free as possible, creating new, safer meeting standards for you and your team, such as:
- Limiting the number of people in meeting or conference rooms
- Provide masks to attendees
- Frequent Cleaning to maintain sanitary meeting rooms and offices
- Abiding by state mandated COVID-19 policies
While there are extremely compelling cases for both approaches, neither are going anywhere soon. Leading us to believe that a hybrid approach to meetings is firmly in our now and foreseeable future. Embedding an approach where a user can have access to in-person meetings while still utilising innovative remote work tools and support services.