Over the past few years and due predominantly to many employees having to work from home, there’s been a significant shift towards online meetings and, thanks to huge advances in video technology, these have now become pretty much “the norm”.
However, many companies and organisations are now recognising the value of face to face meetings and just how they can be the most effective way to build business relationships.
Here are some of the reasons why:
Face to face meetings lead to stronger, more meaningful business relationships.
According to a study by Forbes Insight, 85% of people say they build stronger, more meaningful business relationships during in-person meetings and conferences. Whilst video and conference calls can certainly be convenient in terms of cost and time savings, there’s no denying the effectiveness of meeting in-person. It focuses on human connection, requires all participants to be fully present, and is free from distractions.
Think carefully about this. If all you ever do is message someone on LinkedIn, email or hop on the phone every now and then, how far can that relationship really go? Does that person even really know you? Do you even really know them?
Meeting face to face establishes stronger relationships. It shows commitment and that you’re willing to go the extra mile to get to know someone. It builds trust and it shows that you value that relationship.
You’re able to read body language, see facial expressions, use context clues, and get to know someone’s personality much better than online.
Online exchanges can only give you so much. Whether it’s email or a conference call, there are undeniably things you miss out on. Meeting face to face gives you the whole picture. You can read people — and their intentions and true feelings—in ways that simply aren’t possible online.
Meeting face to face also allows you and your meeting partner to showcase your personality, which is an incredibly important part of any relationship.
So, think twice before you arrange your next video meeting. Could you do this in person? What do you need to achieve? If this is an early stage relationship or you are looking to build trust in you and/or your product or discuss a difficult topic, you need to be there, in person. It may cost you a little more in time and expense, but what could it lose you if you don’t get that relationship established? Try it! See the human side of meetings and experience a return to in person. There’s definitely a place for online but there is no substitute for the real thing.
DSA Executive use a hybrid approach in both recruitment and coaching. We can also use purely in person or online and this depends predominantly on the situation, choice of the client/coachee and how we feel the method will suit the process.
Whilst it is not always possible to meet everyone in-person, we believe that wherever possible, there should be at least one face to face meeting to embody and cement the strongest personal and professional relationships.
*Your comments and feedback are most welcome on this aspect.
Please email me, diane@dsaexecutive.com if you have any thoughts on how this may have affected you or how you plan to conduct your meetings in the future. What do you think? This applies to both group and 2 person meetings.
Thank you