3 Things Virtual Meetings Offer That In-Person Ones Don’t

by | Nov 12, 2020 | Uncategorized

A man wearing earphones is sitting at a desk, engaging in a video conference on a desktop computer. The screen shows several participants in a grid layout. He gestures with one hand while holding a notebook with the other, in a well-lit room with various papers on a corkboard.

Advantages of Virtual Meetings Over In-Person Meetings

The pandemic has taught us many new skills. Many big brands and large remote teams have now learned to collaborate over virtual meetings. You may hear a few familiar names such as WebEx, Zoom, and Teams that help business professionals to stay connected with employees, clients, and customers.
A few years back, the virtual meetings were known for many challenges such as video call fatigue, inability to read body language, technical glitches, reduced participation of some introvert members in the team, and many more. However, as remote work has been an integral part of the new normal, managers also started observing many advantages of these meetings over traditional conference table gatherings.
Here we have listed a few excellent benefits of virtual meetings that all executives need to explore, understand, and use to grow with their remote teams:

Improved Polling:

One of the most significant advantages of virtual meetings is that it makes polling or voting relatively easier. It is generally difficult to get reliable team members’ answers regarding essential matters when sitting around the conference table. Many of them feel hesitant to discuss their perspective, and the introverts find it challenging to talk openly. On the other side, virtual meetings give them personal space and an open environment to present their viewpoint. The managers can run online polls to get their opinions, and the result of the polling will soon be available. The virtual systems allow members to vote anonymously and quickly.

Restructured Offsites:

There is no doubt to say that remote work has its benefits. The multiday offsites are a more reliable choice, especially when you cannot fly to multiple short notice locations. The expenses of flight tickets, hotel stays, and food, can also be reduced by a considerable level. Virtual meetings make it possible to schedule sessions multiple times a week to discuss everything in detail, without worrying about the additional expenses. You need to connect to the internet and open your virtual connection platform.

Enhanced Brainstorming:

Conference room sessions are not so interactive; instead, they reduce individual contribution and feedbacks. On the other side, the virtual sessions provide a better platform for listening, thinking, and sharing opinions on every matter. All the team members get their whiteboard on the screen to capture all the ideas, and they can brainstorm to extract the best growth opportunities. The brief virtual question-answer sessions can make it easier to get innovative ideas from all team members that can be further analyzed to make a better decision.

All these aspects prove the importance of virtual meetings during the Covid-19 crisis and even after that. No matter what kind of business you are running, virtual teaming sessions can help you achieve better returns if you have remote working teams. Ensure you choose the most effective and reliable video conferencing tools while establishing stable connections with the team members. Motivate them to stay active during the entire session and share opinions whenever asked.