The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent global quarantine forced millions of people around the world to switch completely to remote work. In particular, this means that for many months all meetings and work discussions take place online. Many are already accustomed to this format of work, but in fact, face-to-face offline meetings have a number of advantages. We remember them in our new article.
Face-to-face meetings are more informative
Communication via chat or email is usually condensed and limited to discussing key facts and topics, otherwise no one will understand anything. In the case of a face-to-face conversation, you can discuss important details that would never get to in correspondence. This increases the efficiency of communication.
In addition, such communication provides more details than telephone conversations or online conferences. During a personal meeting, you can always notice important factors that slip away during digital communication.
Personal communication allows you to better understand the interlocutor
Video conferences, and even more so text messages, do not allow you to fully assess the emotional state and mood of your interlocutor. Body language, facial expression and other factors are very important in establishing rapport.
In addition, making a good impression or being remembered simply through a message or a Zoom call is more difficult than during a one-on-one conversation. And the importance of the first impression can hardly be overestimated in any business.
Personal meetings can be held on the interlocutor’s premises
In many cases, a meeting on the interlocutor’s premises – for example, in the office of his company – provides additional context and knowledge that can be used in the future in work. The design of a space and the way people communicate in it allow us to understand a lot about the company and its employees. This is very useful in negotiations.
