We are all guilty at times of replacing face-to-face meetings for emails/messaging for business purposes. Can it be it effective? Yes. Are we missing out on opportunities? Yes. Although messaging is quick & easy and often effective there are other cases when we are missing valuable opportunities. From my experience, we accomplish so much more when sitting in a room together. Firstly, we have everyone together to bounce ideas off each other in ‘real’ time. Another big advantage is the emotional connection and understanding of one another. When we can see and hear tones, and understand how others are feeling and reacting, valuable sharing occurs. Perhaps we are missing other critical brainstorming ideas because conformity is simpler when communicating electronically. Having an opportunity to ‘talk’ works out so many potential misunderstandings and better helps us understand each other’s perspectives and valuable thought processes to achieve the best results.
One article explains this as
“Human relationships don’t follow strict agendas and some of the best decisions come from diverse discussions which might mean a digression in the conversation from time to time.”
Do we need to meet in person for every meeting together? No – but it’s something to consider when we’re connecting for agendas that require more thought processes and group involvement in important decision-making agendas.
~ Kerri
Sources: https://www.vibrantwork.ca/blog/2018/6/25/why-meetings-matter
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