The benefits of face-to-face communication 

How will face-to-face communication bring your organisation success? 

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on WorkLife

Agile working isn’t a new idea. Over the years, many businesses have embraced a more flexible approach to work, allowing their employees to work where, when and how best suited the task in hand. Technology has been key to agile working, with software like Slack, Skype and Zoom facilitating virtual meetings, enabling staff to collaborate remotely, and management to send important messages with the click of a button.

However, even for businesses that already encouraged agile working, and for employees who are comfortable working remotely and using digital channels, nothing could have prepared us for how important virtual communication would become to our work. In many cases, technology has replaced our morning coffee catchups, team meetings and weekly round-ups.

The argument for virtual communication

Tech at work has allowed people to do jobs they might not have been able to 20 years ago with relative ease. There are several benefits of virtual communication. It’s convenient, timesaving, flexible and can be cost-effective, as companies are able to use less desk space. The use of digital tools slots perfectly into an agile way of working, as employees are easily able to work remotely, join virtual meetings, and watch company presentations from their kitchen tables.

There are clearly several advantages of virtual communication, and digital tools are especially important in a climate where we might not otherwise be able to do our jobs – but now that face-to-face communication in the office is possible again, will businesses choose to keep a virtual approach, or revert to pre-pandemic styles of communication?

Why is face-to-face communication important in business?

Face-to-face communication is not just important in business for client calls, but also for cultivating a strong company culture and sense of teamwork. For a long time, going to an office has been standard practice for people working in what we call ‘desk jobs’. Many of these types of job involve communicating with others professionally through meetings, catch-ups, reviews and in a personal sense too. Especially over the last decade, there’s been an increasing focus on company culture and employee engagement, and how these can drive business success.

So when we ask how we can improve face-to-face communication, we’re not only referring to having in-person meetings, but also the other aspects of work that help employees form bonds with their colleagues and engage more with their work.

What are the benefits of face-to-face communication?

Video conferencing vs face-to-face meetings

There’s been lots of research on the value of face-to-face meetings vs virtual meetings. With advances in technology coming all the time, it’s now easier to dial-in, make eye contact and speak to people via video chat. Tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype and FaceTime run seamlessly, allowing teams to meet in much the same way as they would in an office. 

Even so, having every single call over video can be challenging. Everyone who’s used Zoom will have experienced the awkward moment when someone talks over you, and getting your point across can be difficult, especially on a group call. Aside from setting out a clear schedule, and having one person lead, it can be hard to form a clear set of rules so that people don’t interrupt each other.

Real life communication works both ways, and this is why face-to-face meetings are so important in the workplace. Some of the advantages of face-to-face meetings are being able to communicate clearly, gauge body language, save time and increase efficiency.

Relationships at work

Face-to-face communication at work can play a big part in employees’ day-to-day. Building connections with colleagues ensures that employees feel part of something. Even a quick conversation at lunch can help staff feel closer to their colleagues, more comfortable and, therefore, more engaged in their work. This is more difficult to achieve over video or ‘phone calls. One of the key advantages of face-to-face communication at work is that it allows you to perceive thoughts and feelings; no matter how much you focus on making eye contact over video, it’s always going to be more difficult to understand body language and facial expressions. This can put a strain on work relationships and make effective communication at work more difficult.

Company culture

Many companies are making sure they keep their company culture going in the age of remote working by creating a remote community over Zoom or Slack. This is valuable, but it does raise an important question – are people talking in the same way as they would at work, or at a social event? 

Although there are many benefits of digital communication in the workplace, if you’ve never met members of your team, or hardly ever speak to them face-to-face, it’s far more difficult to feel part of something, and to engage with your co-workers.

The future of communication at work

There are benefits of virtual communication tools and technology that allow us to do our jobs efficiently; with the click of a button, we can catch-up with team members, or speak to clients and colleagues working in different countries over ‘phone or video. However, there are aspects of virtual communication at work that make it more difficult to sustain long-term – mainly in terms of team collaboration. 

Digital tools will continue to be used for remote working in the sense of agile working, but the face-to-face work and in-person meetings, team brainstorms, monthly all-hands and socials that help us stay connected and collaborative at work must begin to return.

While the future of work might look more flexible, it is unlikely to look completely remote. Despite the advantages of virtual business, no digital tool can replace the sense of community and belonging that come with face-to-face communication — we are humans after all.