Better Meetings Day #15: Questioning Virtual vs. Face to Face

We have gotten some really fantastic comments on our recent posts about both online “virtual” meetings and those that are face to face, developing the conversation–on the blog and on Twitter–in a direction I did not necessarily expect.

Expanding the Discussion

This began after I first posted about meeting virtually online, on which Jeff Hurt of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting commented, expanding the discussion with this:

Here’s the one thing I think we forget, just because people are contained within four walls for a face-to-face meeting does not mean that they are paying attention or engaged. We’ve assumed for years that if they are their in body, their minds are controlled by the speaker and the meeting organizers. NOT!

He is completely right, but regrettably, there doesn’t seem to be any way–aside from directly involving a person in that part of the meeting–to see where their thoughts really are at. After thinking about it, I was inspired that much more to look into the benefits face to face meetings really do provide so that I could better assess their value.

Staying Grounded Despite Exciting New Tools

I wanted to ground my opinions without getting ahead of myself, as the innovative tools and practices virtual meetings entail really are exciting! Once again, though, a comment materialized in the post from Jenise Fryatt of Icon Presentations, that helped crystalize the benefits for me:

I’ve learned to NEVER underestimate the power of face to face. Yes, you can get a lot done through conference calls, Skype and virtual meetings, but they never offer the opportunities that spending real time in real life with people offers. Shared experiences, spontaneous conversations, the experience of personality nuances are much harder to come by, virtually. There’s also something about the immediacy and intimacy of the face to face moment that can’t quite be recreated.

She is very correct as well, as even though you can’t assume someone is engaged, if they really are ‘in the meeting’, a face to face encounter can help develop your business relationship by leaps and bounds.

Not Necessarily Either/Or

I realized that both Jeff and Jenise are right, despite the fact that these points are coming from opposing directions on the question of virtual vs. face to face meetings. This is because it’s not a zero sum game, as virtual relationships can lead to ones in the flesh, yet with a backdrop of all the virtual experience adding context to everything discussed in person.

Furthermore, time saved from holding a virtual meeting that would otherwise be inefficiently used in person puts a greater onus on making sure to get the most out of face time as well. After seeing how much can be done virtually, it raises the bar that much higher to make sure that face time is maximized, taking advantage of the distinctive qualities it brings.

The key is, it’s not about virtual vs. face to face; it’s about making sure people are engaged and that it’s a meeting that doesn’t suck, whether it’s face to face or not!