Why does business travel still exist when we have phones and e-mail? Because we all really, really enjoy airports and the wonderful customer service airlines give? Because everybody should experience the joys of Radisson hotels at some point in their lives? Because we just can’t stay away from all the charm that is Baltimore?
Oh that’s right -- face to face is always better. Well, except where the IT team’s involved. In that case speakerphones are your preferred option.
So if we’re talking about deals seven figures or above, or you can jump on a plane and the bean counters don’t complain too much, and the meeting’s in somewhere like Istanbul, then okay, go for it. But you’d be surprised how much you can productively get done using video conferencing technology.
A recent blog post from TheNextWeb discusses six reasons why it’s better to splash out for video technology for remote business meetings, instead of just the ol’ speakerphone in the middle of the conference table (cf. “Team, IT” above).
Visual cues. We’re not getting into the minutiae of subtle, nuanced, borderline-astrological “reading clues” in things like involuntary facial twitches or middle fingers extended towards other participants, but visuals simply are a great way of keeping track of who’s talking. And if you see somebody else open their mouth, well, maybe you’ll shut yours and avoid those painful games of chicken where it’s seen as a loss of face climbdown if you stop talking over the other person before she stops talking over you.
Keeping things professional. What’s meant here is that there’s genuine benefit to not attending virtual business meetings in your bathrobe, your underwear, or somebody else’s bathrobe or underwear, but in genuine professional attire. As TNW says, even a shirt and tie on the top half and shorts and flip-flops under the table is better than just shorts and flip-flops. Just remember not to stand up.
Seeing Is Believing. If you do well in the personal dynamics of the boardroom setting, well, this is the next best thing to actually being in the room. With video you can still command attention with charts, product demos and other show-and-tell visuals that don’t really carry enough oomph with just audio.
Putting faces to names. Video is much more humanly realistic, much more conducive to building actual relationships, since instead of this disembodied voice floating through the room, and you sitting there daydreaming about what the actual person looks like, you have a three-dimensional experience, and when you do meet in person there isn’t the strained “So, who’s Marcia...” at the airport.
Paying attention. If you know they can see you, well, you pay closer attention, and wear your "I’m Looking Interested" face.
It makes working from home feasible. This one’s really a combination of all the above. A business might simply be too personality or visual-driven to allow you to work at home without the capability of connecting via video at least once in a while.
David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David’s articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.Edited by Chris DiMarco