Advantages of In-Person Meetings and Why They Aren’t Going Away Anytime Soon

Thanks to videoconferencing tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Hangouts, face-to-face meetings are a lot less common than they used to be. While virtual meetings are convenient, especially during a pandemic when many employees are working from home, face-to-face meetings have not become obsolete. Having in-person meetings is particularly important during the early, formative stages of a working relationship when you’re getting to know each other.

There’s lots of talk about how meetings are a waste of time, but little is said about how much time is wasted on digital miscommunication. Messages and emails tend to get buried and forgotten, and it’s easy to get distracted and multitask during a videoconference.

Well-structured, in-person meetings can often save teams a lot of time because they demand people’s attention.

The following are 7 advantages of in-person meetings

1. It’s easier to engage with people and build relationships during in-person meetings because you’re sitting right across from them. In-person meetings help build rapport and improve collaboration.

2. Non-verbal communication is important. Being in the same room as other meeting participants enables you to read their body language and gauge what is being communicated, beyond what is just put into words. It’s much easier to determine a person’s mood and hesitations when you’re with them in person.

3. Participants are more likely to stay focused on the objective of the meeting because it demands their undivided attention.

4. For fast-moving projects that require a lot of collaboration, communicating in-person tends to be a lot faster and more effective.

5. Network and connection issues, as well as technical difficulties like getting the mic to work or the web cam to turn on, aren’t a problem when a meeting is in-person.

6. Creative processes like brainstorming are a lot more effective in person because you can use a whiteboard, post-it notes, and other collaboration tools.

7. You’re less likely to have miscommunications in a face-to-face meeting.

After months of working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees are eager to have in-person meetings again. Meeting face to face is the best way to build relationships and collaborate.

The pandemic has presented new challenges when it comes to meetings. It’s important to limit the number of people who meet in-person at the office, and it’s crucial to ensure that meeting spaces are properly sanitized before a meeting takes place.

How a Meeting Room Booking System Can Help You Have Safer In-Person Meetings

Resource Central and the Workspace Booking App can help ensure a safe transition to the office. Employees can easily find and book the right meeting room for their needs via the Workspace App on their mobile device, and a Resource Central report can be generated for cleaning staff, detailing which meeting rooms and workspaces they need to clean.

Resource Central can also be integrated with digital meeting room displays that make it easier for employees to find the meeting room they reserved. They can also book, extend, cancel, or reschedule a meeting room on the spot using the touchscreen display or QR code reader. If you need to host hybrid meetings that include both in-person and remote attendees, you can use Resource Central to book them and provide a videoconferencing link.

To see how Add-On Products’ solutions can help you safely host in-person meetings and get the most out of them, contact us now to schedule a free trial or free online demo.

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