Conducting a meeting in today’s business landscape looks drastically different than it did just a few years ago. Meetings in the same physical space have many benefits despite corporate America’s shift into hybrid or fully remote settings. Here’s why in-person meetings can be more effective than remote calls.
Benefits of In-Person Meetings
The Debate
With the advent of digital technology and a few long years of COVID restrictions, how we work has changed. In many places, offices were completely remote for more than a year, and while the change was abrupt, we adapted. The remote vs. in-person work debate began almost instantly, and studies have been steadily coming out ever since, each claiming to have a definitive answer on whether in-person is better than remote work. In 2023, many professional sectors still have a large remote workforce as a result of this change. People have more time in their day without the commute, and they can spend more time with family or pets and still have productive days of work. Businesses save money on renting office space and the many expenses that come with hosting employees in an office. While there certainly are benefits to working at home, there are aspects of our work that can suffer when we’re all separated. Nowhere is it more important to share the same physical space than with meetings. There are some important benefits to an in-person meeting as opposed to holding a remote call. Here are some of the areas where in-person meetings are more effective.
Communication
So why are in-person meetings more effective? When it comes to getting your point across, an in-person meeting will always be better than a video conference. If you’ve ever sat in a video meeting and thought, “This could have been solved with an email,” you might not believe that in-person meetings are always better for getting to the root of an issue. But think about how many times that happened back when you were meeting in person. Since a physical meeting is harder to arrange, there are fewer meaningless meetings. Unconsciously, we value our time and the time of others more when meeting in person. There’s the logistics of scheduling a room, finding out everyone’s availability, and getting to the meeting room. There’s more weight to an in-person meeting.
A meeting over video, and especially a remote call with no visuals, can be incredibly difficult to make succinct. Communicating in person is proven to help get things done quicker, and there are some very scientific reasons for that. Body language is incredibly important in a meeting, and it can help with getting problems out in the open and solved. On video or over voice, you’re limited to how much you can see of the other attendees in a meeting. As a result, you might miss small visual clues to indicate frustration, understanding, or inattentiveness. In person, a cue like that is hard to miss, and you can easily address the issue right then and there. When that’s missed in a virtual space, the problems can add up, and a solution might take much longer to reach.
Physical connection is also an important part of communicating properly. In an in-person meeting, things like handshakes and gestures of camaraderie can greatly improve communication. A handshake to seal the deal or during an introduction is an act of trust and mutual respect that is proven to help get things done effectively. Of course, in a post-COVID business landscape, physical connection might feel a little odd. It’s okay to forgo anything you’re not comfortable with, but just sharing the same space is plenty of physical connection for things to feel more welcoming.
Problem-Solving
On the subject of solving problems, the benefits of in-person meetings greatly outweigh the convenience of remote meetings. While a screen share over Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams might seem like plenty, actual physical presentations are proven to be more effective at educating people. Whether you’re training new employees, reviewing a new business process, or correcting issues, in-person meetings are more effective. When you meet in person, there are also fewer distractions. Working at home is great, but there are so many things that can keep your focus from what really matters at the moment. With the added social pressure to pay attention and give verbal and non-verbal cues while others speak, you can’t suddenly find yourself scrolling through social media. As a result, you’re more focused on the task at hand and finding a timely resolution or the next step.
How Center 615 Helps
The benefits of meeting in person are too much to pass up. Even if your workplace is fully remote, scheduling physical meetings is possible. At Center 615, we serve countless Nashville professionals and provide eight unique meeting rooms at affordable rates. Rooms start at $30 an hour and can accommodate up to 14 people comfortably. A Center 615 meeting room is chock full of amenities like lightning-fast Google fiber internet, LED screens, whiteboards, and other presentation materials. Rooms are designed with many scenarios in mind, from multimedia presentations in the Zaphod Room to small brainstorming sessions in the Deep Thought Room. Center 615 has rooms to suit a variety of unique needs, and we’ve always got staff on-site to help out if you need something. Run a meeting without having to worry about logistics with free on-site parking and common areas for grabbing a quick cup of coffee after catching up. Conducting a meeting in person in Nashville is an easy task when you’ve got Center 615 on your side.
Interested in learning more about one of our rooms for your next in-person meeting? Give us a call today for a free tour of Center 615 and the diverse meeting rooms we offer.
