KNOWLEDGE CENTRE

Remember the face to face meeting – even if it is virtual.

Remember the face to face meeting – even if it is virtual.

November 4, 2020

How often have you been asked by someone in HR “did you keep a note of that?” or “is it recorded somewhere?”

It’s always a good thing to have records or a paper trail of what happened when, why and who said what. Remember the human memory needs help as life and all it brings with it, can make even the best memory miss or forget things. Also sadly people will sometimes suggest your memory of what happened isn’t quite what they recall.

Yet in this article, we cover why it’s important to arrange those meetings and face to face conversations even when we have to use technology to do so.

Communication during the pandemic

Times such as now is where a face to face conversation trumps all the modern methods of staying in touch.

But its difficult. Staff are furloughed, working from home etc.

However we do have Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Facetime and WhatsApp which have allowed us to function during these challenging times. Zoom and Microsoft Teams can be recorded in the cloud, and there’s nothing to stop one participant taking a set of notes of what was said.

Keeping in touch and seeing our colleagues and friends has never been easier and if I’m honest I have loved getting a peak at what people’s rooms look like and what’s on the book shelf behind them.

Face to face vs virtual. Which is better?

Being face to face virtually is better than just an email or the standard word processed letter, both of which lack nuance or feeling.

No virtual meeting is as powerful and able to communicate as well as the face to face conversation. We have all heard the adage “that 90% of communication is non-verbal” then you may understand better where we are coming from.

Why not call a socially distanced meeting? Being face to face with your colleagues allows you to see how the words you use may affect them, emotionally and physically.

It allows them to see not only what you are saying but also how you are conveying it, and what it means to you. This can be very valuable when you are asking someone to agree to do something in order to save your business for example.

So even if the message is not good, the time taken and the way that you say it will help build respect and trust in a way that a letter or email never could.

There will also be times when people will say that “I did not like what we were told but it must have been difficult for them to tell us that and I respect the fact that it was done face to face.”

Few of us can just stand up and convey what we need to say without some thought and planning, but in doing so, it also allows us to build in to the conversation “how might I feel if I were being told that?” How can I convey this in not only what I say but in my demeanour and actions?. Practice ahead of time and if it sounds wrong to your ears, the chances are it will sound wrong to theirs.

For any assistance with any aspect of managing your team during the pandemic, please email us on info@redwing-solutions.co.uk

 

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