As the workforce finally returns to the office after working remotely for two years, it might be hard to get employees used to in person meetings again. Virtual meetings were indeed useful for teams during the pandemic but there are many benefits to having in person meetings instead. In person meetings better allow their participants to engage with their coworkers as well as read certain social cues that are not as noticeable on virtual meetings.

With most of the Hartford major workforce returning to the office this week, we wanted to talk about the benefits of having in person meetings. If your business changed during the pandemic and you decided to stay remote, having once a month in person meetings can be extremely beneficial. OfficePlace is a centrally located Connecticut conference center that offers a variety of small and large conference and meeting rooms to rent.

Face to face meetings help build stronger relationships.

Many professionals claim that face to face communication is better to build a long-term business relationship. Meeting with client or potential client shows that you value their time and business. If you are willing to get dressed professionally and drive to a meeting it shows that you are a dedicated and motivated person. Showing this type of enthusiasm will show the client that they are important to you and the meeting topics is worth your time.

Face to face meetings allow you to also read subtle hand gestures, body language, and facial expressions that may not be picked up on a video or phone call. This is especially important when trying to have meetings with fellow employees. Meeting face to face with clients and or employees allows you to read the room well.

In person meetings have fewer interruptions.

During the first weeks of the pandemic, lags in virtual meetings made it difficult to communicate with each other without interrupting someone else or speaking over them. After this problem became more common, many video conferencing companies added the “raise a hand” feature to signal that participants had something to say. This feature helped a bit but notifications still get missed.
The communication at in person meetings just tends to work better. As humans, we use body language to indicate when we want to speak and when we want others to take the floor. Meetings get slowed when constant stop and start communications happen and it can be difficult to ensure that everyone is being heard.

In person meetings have more attentive participants.

As much as people have tried to keep attendees engaged during virtual meetings, some attendees are more inclined to be engaging than others. This leads to an unbalanced dynamic that can suppress equal communication. People who are introverted may sit back and listen and the extroverts at the meeting will lead the conversation. When meeting in person, these two types of personalities can work together and lead to more productive meetings.