Virtual Meetings - Here to Stay?

 I've been hired to manage the local portion of a national training meeting. The meeting will be broadcast simultaneously to over 70 cities where business managers and invited guests of a national company will gather at local movie theaters. Renting the theaters and hiring local event planners to oversee the meetings will cost plenty, but not nearly as much as flying several hundred attendees to a central location and paying for their food and lodging. This method is also much faster and more efficient than sending one or two trainers around the country to hold meetings at individual or regional sites. The virtual meetings allow a new product and its marketing campaign to be rolled out to the entire company at once.

Through the use of technology, my daughter-in-law, who lives in Scotland, is able to telecommunte to her employer in Wisconsin. Granted, with the time difference, there are challenges. To include her in staff meetings via Skype, the meetings must be held in the morning in Wisconsin, which is late afternoon/early evening in Scotland. So far, the arrangement is working well for everyone and Skype is free, which is a huge benefit for all involved.

Are virtual meetings the wave of the future? Will they, or can they, replace face-to-face meetings? With rapid advancements in technology, it is becoming increasingly easy to hold meetings just about anywhere in the world. The technology isn't always inexpensive, however. Holding a multi-day virtual meeting for a handful of attendees may cost as much or more than bringing them together at a central location.

Virtual meetings may also lack the interaction possible in a live meeting. In many cases, particularly large meetings, the attendees watch while the speaker lectures. There may be little opportunity to ask questions or participate in interactive hands-on activities. Attendees may become bored, particularly if the meeting is long. The speaker may not be able to see non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language, to help gauge comprehension and interest. If the meeting is a Web cast, viewers may be watching alone at their desks, creating a feeling of isolation and reducing comprehension.

We humans are social creatures. We like face-to-face meetings not only for the information imparted, but for the opportunity to interact with colleagues, to network with new acquaintances, and catch up with old friends. Considerable business occurs before and after a live meeting that cannot always be duplicated at a virtual meeting.

One distinct advantage to virtual meetings is their positive affect on the environment, particularly on fuel used to fly or drive to meetings. Virtual meetings may use less paper and the waste associated with breaks and lunches is reduced or eliminated. Virtual meetings also increase productivity by eliminating the time spent traveling to and from meetings.

Will virtual meetings with their cost and time savings replace face-to-face meetings? Probably not completely. Both have their place in most business situations.

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