“The quality of our relationships is what determines the quality of our lives,” —Esther Perel. The same goes for business.
At a time where our lives are getting busier and our relationships can be scored by the number of likes, shares, reposts, comments we get and if we swiped right, it is becoming even more important to understand the value of the face-to-face interaction we have with our friends, family, colleagues, business partners and prospective clients.
In business, the digital age is changing the way we run our daily operations but it all still boils down to doing business with people. In a world of social networks, face to face communication has never been so important, with 95% of people saying face to face meetings are essential for long term relationships and more than 80% saying it is most important to be physically present to negotiate critical contracts.
So why are traditional face-to-face interactions still so essential? There are many reasons, both obvious and not so much, that make this form of communication beneficial.
Maintaining focus and attention
During a phone call or even a video conference, it’s easy for participants to be multitasking and focusing on other things, with the meeting or event something they are participating in but not necessarily giving their full attention to. In a face-to-face setting, people are less likely to become distracted and this ensures all parties are paying full attention to the conversation at hand.
Emotions are contagious
Have you ever noticed that if you smile at someone, they usually smile back? Emotion cannot be conveyed as efficiently when there is a lack of body language (in fact, 70% of communication is non-verbal). Even in video conferencing the artificial barrier can reduce this connection. In person, emotions can be conveyed fully and participants will react in kind. You can also understand how they feel more clearly, reducing any miscommunication and allowing you to control the meeting or event in a way that can help create a positive outcome.
Valuable time
The advent of digital means phone calls and video conferences are easier and less consuming than a meeting or event in person. So when you do have that face-to-face time, it is worth a lot more to all parties. Taking the time to meet in person is valuable and everyone will treat it as such, ensuring the conversation is taken more seriously and the content is retained better.
It is also important to make sure there is a purpose for the meeting. With time being so valuable, you don’t want to waste it with an unclear agenda. It’s important to go into a meeting with a clear plan and shared expectations on what will be achieved.
While technology has huge benefits for communicating, sometimes there’s nothing like an old-fashioned chat in person. At RAW, we focus on creating memorable experiences through face-to-face events, workshops, training sessions and meetings to help facilitate 1:1 networking opportunity guests can partake in, as well as having meetings with our clients in person as much as possible. We spend a lot of time out of the office visiting clients wherever they are, as well as facilitating events in the area they are based in.
How do you prefer to communicate? Do you like events at venues or online in a webinar setting? Do you prefer meetings over the phone or face-to-face? Talk to us on our LinkedIn or organise a discussion in person.
Sources:
http://www.stagingconnections.com/workspace/assets/img/ul/documents/hbras_ba_report.pdf
http://www.aci-na.org/static/entransit/HBRAS_ExecSumm_BA.pdf
