In a world of advanced communication technology where Skype and FaceTime are the norm, it’s difficult to remember a time when face-to-face meetings were the only way to conduct business. Don’t get us wrong, virtual meetings have a time and a place, but it’s hard to deny the effectiveness of good, old-fashioned face-to-face communication. Read on to discover some of the benefits of in-person meetings and why you should be having more of them.
Benefits of meeting face-to-face
No technical glitches
“Hello…hello…can you hear me?” Have you ever been on a conference call where someone ran into a technical glitch? It can be embarrassing and, quite frankly, can derail the entire meeting. Of course, when meeting face-to-face you can still run into technical difficulties, such as a malfunctioning projector or microphone, but at the end of the day, none of them will ruin your ability to communicate.
Get the whole picture
When much of what we communicate is nonverbal, a lot (such as facial expressions, posture and general body language) can be lost over a phone conversation or even a video conference call. At an in-person meeting, things are less likely to be misconstrued or miscommunicated, often leading to faster and more productive conversation.
Relationship building
Not only can you get to know someone better on a professional level when you meet in person, there’s usually opportunity for conversation before and after meetings, so you can get to know them a little better personally, too. Relationship building is crucial to business success and there’s no better way to do it than face-to-face.
Increased focus
Do you ever wonder what meeting attendees are actually doing while on a conference call? Unfortunately, virtual meetings oftentimes lead to multi-tasking, which leads to distracted participants. In-person meetings make it easier to focus, for both attendees and presenters. It’s usually easier to present materials and the speaker is able to capture the attendees’ attention more effectively.
Encouraged participation
While it may be easy to get away with staying silent when you’re on a conference call, it’s a little harder to do in a room full of people. Face-to-face meetings help to encourage participation and collaboration among attendees.
When face-to-face is better
There are instances when a face-to-face meeting can make all the difference. For example, traveling to meet a new business partner shows that you’re genuinely interested in building a strong, long-term relationship. Here are some other cases where an in-person meeting just makes sense:
- A big presentation such as a yearly or quarterly review
- Closing a big deal
- Meeting a new client
- Brainstorming or strategizing for the next quarter or year
- A meeting to plan for an entirely new initiative
- A team building event or activity
If you need to plan a face-to-face meeting, a travel management company can not only help coordinate travel, but can provide meeting planning assistance. Call Direct Travel today to get started!
