Essential meetings always took place physically. Sensitive information sharing, relationship building, decision-making, and collaboration for job purposes could not be considered without a fully-fledged in-person meeting where everyone simultaneously had to be in the same place.
While platforms were deemed helpful for business communications, they weren’t preferred for the important stuff. The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic has changed that perspective. The last couple of years of social distancing and staying away from crowds have asked us about video conferencing VS face-to-face meetings. Is video conferencing productive enough to oust its face-to-face counterpart? To answer this question, we have to look deeper into the context.
Video Conferencing VS Face-to-Face Meetings: Is Video Conferencing More Productive?
Video conferences became the sole option for businesses to run communications when offices were forced to remain closed. The concept of remote work is being rethought by corporations worldwide. Many are in the dilemma of incorporating it into their business plans in the long run when the pandemic ends.
We learned from being forced to work from our homes, which can be done without struggling to get to the office. Businesses have successfully continued their operations with a remote workforce. Many companies struggled to adapt, but others grew many folds compared to previous years. These learnings prompted experts to ask new questions about whether remote work works or could play an essential role in the future.
Covid-19 Pandemic and the Rise of Video Conferencing
When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic in March 2020, governments worldwide imposed restrictions on social gatherings to limit the virus’s spread. Throughout social distancing, quarantine, and lockdown, video conferencing technologies allow people to keep in touch with families, relatives, friends, and coworkers.
Furthermore, virtual meeting platforms have assisted companies to thrive productively even when workers perform their duties remotely. Statistical data indicated the rapidly growing popularity of video conferencing apps. Video conferencing apps were downloaded from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store to a record volume of 58 million downloads in March 2020, 23 times more than in January 2020.
Another report indicates that in December 2019, Zoom users attended 10 million daily meetings; by April 2020, that figure had soared to more than 300 million. Some other video conferencing platforms also saw a substantial rise in daily meeting participants. Besides that, Gartner estimates that only 25% of corporate meetings will occur face-to-face by 2024, implying that video conferencing will persist after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Video Conferencing for Business Communications
Video conferencing has become a mainstay in this period; its importance in the operability of businesses has become second to none. This has got us rethinking the entire idea of meetings. Are lengthy in-person meetings essential? Is it worth traveling at length to be physically present at meetings? Video conferencing technology is constantly evolving, with security being beefed up, connectivity improving, and an increasing number of features being integrated to scale experience and boost meeting productivity.
Yet, it is too early to say if video conferencing will render in-person meetings useless; it’s rather unlikely. Let’s look at the pros and cons of Video Conferencing to understand better what role it can play when things return to normal as opposed to face-to-face meetings.
Advantages of Video Conferencing
In comparison to in-person meetings, video conferencing provides the following benefits:
- Greater flexibility in attending a meeting: Video conferencing offers excellent flexibility when attending quick meetings, webinars, or meetings that are announced on short notice. You can connect anywhere, anytime, without rushing to the office or a specific place. You are good to go if you have a laptop or a portable device and a stable internet connection.
- Instant connectivity with anyone: As long as all parties have a device and an internet connection, you can instantly connect with anyone during Video Conferencing without asking for their time to schedule a visit. As a result, you can get your message across or complete your objectives quickly.
- Reaches out to multiple people: If you plan on hosting an event where you want many people to attend, you will have difficulty getting to the same place simultaneously. If you host a webinar through video conferencing, the possibility is that most, if not all, will be able to attend as they will have the freedom of joining from anywhere. Hence, the flexibility that video conferencing offers is unparalleled.
- Requires only a device and internet connectivity: Arranging an in-person meeting takes a lot of hassle and requires a suitable location, i.e., a conference room or a hall. Video conferences only need a device and an internet connection, enough for everyone to connect instantly.
- Saves time and costs: Video conferencing allows peers and coworkers to meet seamlessly from anywhere, eliminating the cost of commuting to the office or at the location of the meeting. The energy and time saved from the troubles of commuting can be used efficiently to get work done more productively.
- Highly efficient and effective: Video conferencing is efficient in means that it saves time and costs and eliminates delays in getting the message across. It is also very effective as it equates to, if not surpasses, face-to-face communication. Today’s video conferencing platforms have multiple integrated tools to annotate, share screens, and explain, much like you would in face-to-face meetings. As a result, it is very effective for businesses and efficient and productive. Remember, choosing the right platform is crucial for efficiency and effectiveness.
Drawbacks of Video Conferencing
Despite many benefits, video conferencing has some drawbacks. Let’s have a look at a few disadvantages:
- The barrier to relationship building: One of the main drawbacks of video conferencing is that it does not replicate the same level of trust and warmth built in face-to-face meetings and conversations. Developing mutual trust, creating rapport with team members, and bonding with customers over the screen are challenging. Hence, video conferencing is impersonal compared to face-to-face meetings.
- Lack of participation: In face-to-face meetings, participants are more attentive than ever due to the close physical proximity. In video conferences, participants tend to be more likely not to pay attention due to the lack of monitoring and the ease with which one can keep their mic and cameras off and leave the meeting running without focusing on what is happening. Hence, growth and development, trust and confidence, and proper collaboration could be challenging to obtain through video conferencing instead of in-person meetings.
Final Words
Remember, productivity in meetings depends entirely on individual and team leadership. Some may find more comfort in video conferencing from a remote workspace, whereas others may prefer the social proximity of meeting face-to-face. Some may get the most out of video meetings, while others offer the highest output when collaborating upfront. The perspective differs from person to person. Thus, it isn’t easy to ascertain if video conferencing delivers more productive meetings than meeting upfront. Hopefully, this giveaway will help the video conferencing vs face-to-face meetings debate come to an end.
