5 Reasons Why Face to Face Meetings Will Always Be Better Than The Digital Equivalent

Technology has made us lazy.  Yeah, its brought about amazing time saving and technological advances and its changed our lives, on the whole, for the better.  But, it's also got us into some bad habits. Do you remember that film Wall E? The last survivors from planet Earth went off in a spaceship and became so reliant on technology that overtime they became helpless and couldn't do anything for themselves.  Now we’re not suggesting things are going to get that bad and that technology is a bad thing but there are some things that technology cannot replace.

We live in an increasingly digital world but the best way to do business is still face to face and we’ll tell you why.

We Just Want To Be Together

Human beings are by nature social creatures.  We thrive on interaction and connection. We seek each other out for company and relationships because it adds to our wellbeing.  With the number of social media users worldwide at 2.77 billion and rising, we are artificially connected by technology but are becoming increasingly isolated and lonely.  We do everything better together, including business. People are seeking out more meaningful, in person interactions.

Not All Communication Is Verbal

According to Albert Mehrabian, Professor of Psychology at UCLA, body language or non-verbal communication makes 55% of all communication. 7% of what is communicated is via what is said and 38% is via tone of voice.  When in the same room we are more able to read the physical cues that you would not be able to pick up on in an email or telephone call.

Face to face meetings provide an opportunity for networking and relationship building in a way that its digital equivalent cannot.  Digital messages are easy to misinterpret, the written word has no tone. There is no replacement to being in the same room and face to face with someone.  You can learn a lot more about a person and quicker from their facial expressions and reactions than you can from an email.

You want to know how that potential client really feels? Get them in the same room.  Being in the same room allows us to build trust and transparency. Relationships are built over coffee and handshakes.  

It Saves Time

Technology is great but sometimes it lets us down.  Skype and Zoom, even wifi connections don’t always work well especially when we want them to.  When you’ve taken the time to get all the key people online at the same time, which is a logistical feat in itself, to have the technology fail is frustrating at best.  Save yourself the hassle of having to rearrange, hoping all the planets align and all the key players have another date in the calendar free, by getting people together in person, in one room, face to face.

How many emails have been pinged back and forth that could have been a conversation?  Our generation is time poor and attention short, replace procrastination with collaboration and action by bringing people together.

Is Anybody Listening?

Admit it, how many times have you had your phone on silent and scrolled through it discreetly during a conference call.  You want your audience’s full attention. If you have taken the time to bring people together, you don’t want them phone scrolling or checking their email. You want them to hear what it is you have to say or offer them.  You can see whether or not your audience is engaged and focussed when you are together in the same room.

You’re More Likely To Get The Business

One of the fundamental principles of doing business is “Know, Like, Trust”.  Every business needs customers and it's an impossible goal without “know, like, trust”.  Your clients need to know you, like you and trust you before they are willing to do business with you.  How do you speed that process up? The “know” factor. Meeting face to face is the best way to build business relationships.  People only need to have met you once to feel like they know you and once they can put a face to a name they are more likely to answer that email or return that call.  

Build your business and your reputation by taking the time to meet your clients or colleagues in person. They’ll appreciate it and in the long term it’ll be good for business.