Which one is better, Physical meetings or online meetings?
Which one is better, Physical meetings or online meetings?
Which one is better, Physical meetings or online meetings?
Creation date: 4 months ago
Last update: 4 days ago
Time to read: 6 minute
Creation date: 4 months ago Last update: 4 days ago Time to read: 6 minute
Creation date: 4 months ago Last update: 4 days ago Time to read: 6 minute
Titles Contents:
Which one is better, Physical meetings or online meetings?
- Introduction
- Benefits of holding physical meetings
- What are the disadvantages of holding physical meetings?
- Advantages of holding meeting online
- Disadvantages of online meetings
- Conclusion
- iHiT Boardroom spaces for hire
1.Introduction
Which, physical meetings or online meetings?
It was not until the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, that most business meetings shifted to the online space. It was standard that most meetings be held in the office or face to face. It was not common for employers to hold interviews or investor meetings online. The pandemic broke out and the corporate world had to adapt new ways to ensure business runs as usual, one of the ways was shifting to holding their meetings online via zoom and even school systems had to change to conducting exams and classes online.
Online meetings mostly come in handy when you are trying to follow up on your team but you are not physically able to. This could be mainly due to physical distance, natural disasters like pandemics or even the nature of the business.
We would like to understand what it means to have meetings online and why you need to have meetings at all. As seen in our previous blog on how to have a good meeting, meetings are meant to provide a sense of accountability within the team and help in the day to day running and task handling of any company with employees. We intend to explain the advantages and disadvantages of online and physical meetings in this article.
2. Benefits of holding physical meetings
Benefits of holding physical meetings
1.High focus
Suppose you are attending a meeting sitting in front of your laptop and as you listen to your manager talking, the doorbell rings and you are completely distracted and you lose your focus. Attending a meeting physically has a way of increasing your chances of improving your level of focus. Also having physical meetings helps improve on punctuality and following the meeting agenda without distraction.
2.Improve interpersonal connections
One of the most important benefits of physical meetings is the ability to see your audiences eye contacts and being able to read their body language. This helps improve the teams trust as well as developing strong connections between the team. Suppose you are invited to a meeting to handle negotiations, the power of persuasion in physical meetings with body language is far greater than in online meetings. Deep communication and emotional involvement in physical meetings are greater than in online meetings.
3.Technology independence
Physical meetings are more effective and timelier as compared to holding online meetings. Having internet interruptions or buffering reduces the speed of the meeting. Holding physical meetings reduces the need for internet since everyone present can be able to deliver their points and ensure they are understood.
4.Conflict resolution
When the is tension between the team it is definitely easier to resolve when there is physical interaction, as seen above it easier to read anyone’s body language when you are with them physically.
5.Improves team dynamic
When the team is physically connected, it becomes easy to work together and improves harmony all together. It is important for any team working together to be connected and able to find that unity. This definitely sips into how they work and how they relate with each other and their clients as well.
3. What are the disadvantages of holding physical meetings?
What are the disadvantages of holding physical meetings?
1.Meeting delays
When organising a physical meeting, one of the major down sides is time consumption when it comes to matters logistics and meal breaks, some companies like breaking monotony by holding meetings outside the office, so from securing a meeting room for hire to ensuring everyone gets there, these factors could cause delay in when the meeting starts and ends.
2.Physical meetings expenses.
Physical meeting has its own expenses such as the cost of getting a meeting room space for rent, and printing needs, getting meals for the team and organising logistics. When hosting an online meeting, the last worry would be budgeting for the meeting since the only thing needed is access to the meeting. There are no extra costs when it comes to having meetings online.
3.Lack of flexibility
When hosting a meeting it is not easy to coordinate with the members on availability and logistics planning, most importantly if the meeting is set to happen in a rental meeting room. In case of a need to reschedule that would put the meeting to a stop. It is not easy to work around people’s schedules.
4.Loss of productivity
Physical meetings have a way of draining energy since they require preparations in terms of travel and mental preparedness as well. Most times, having physical meetings could mean that the day is only spent on meetings and no actual tasks are done.
4. Advantages of holding meeting online
Advantages of holding meeting online
1.Time saving
From getting dressed and moving to the meeting location to your return back home, a lot of time is wasted, in traffic and during the meeting. But the advantage of an online meeting is saving time since you can join the meeting from anywhere in the shortest time and be able to contribute to the meeting without worrying about when you will get there and how to get back home.
2.Online meeting facilities
Technology has allowed us to be able to hold meetings and have all the members able to participate and share in the meeting. The tools to share presentations and get feedback immediately is key because it makes the meetings highly effective.
3.Suitable for short meetings
Holding a physical meeting for 10 minutes is not sensible. For example, sometimes you need a short debrief meeting with your team. A physical meeting would not be suitable for ten minutes such meetings can be held online while getting other tasks done.
5. Disadvantages of online meetings
Disadvantages of online meetings
1.Internet access challenges
One of the main challenges of online meetings is connectivity issues. In the event there is sudden interruption of the internet or slow speed this can slow down the meeting and reduce the efficiency since nothing can be discussed or decided when the members are unable to attend the meeting.
2.Lack of Equipment
To have a good and quality online meeting, you have equipment such as a teleconferencing tool as well as proper camera or laptop for visibility. If you are not able to rent a meeting room, then buying this equipment can be a bit of a challenge reducing the chances of holding a meeting.
3.Inability to communicate
When holding an online meeting, it is not easy to spend time getting feedback since most people fail to focus and contribute in an online meeting. Most times, you just want the meeting to end so you can go about your day. As mentioned, eye contact and body language have a huge impact on people’s emotions and online meetings limit that from showing.
6.Conclusion
Conclusion, physical meetings or online meetings?
Finally, we must point out that each meeting has specific conditions. We have different types of meetings from investor meetings to team meetings. These meetings require different kind of preparation in terms of location, time and effort. Therefore, when you are preparing for a meeting and trying leave an impression, you would most likely need to get a meeting room for hire just to give a different feeling to the clients. If you are just holding a meeting with your team, you would just need to hold it online. In this case you would need to make preparation differently according to location and the time needed to put into it.
7. iHiT Boardroom spaces for hire
iHiT Boardroom spaces for hire ?
For your physical meetings, we introduce the iHiT Meeting Room spaces, located just a few minutes away from Nairobi CBD in Kilimani area right on Denis Pritt Road. iHiT Meeting Room spaces can accommodate from a capacity as small as 2 people up to a maximum of 100 people for all your meetings, seminars, interviews or workshops. The meeting rooms for rent are also equipped to hold your virtual meetings since they have tv screens that are HDMI enabled and allow you to do your online presentations to your team both physical and remote. iHiT meeting room spaces for rent are both indoor and outdoor so when you feel like having your meeting while enjoying the nature and calmness you have the choice to do so. One of the most important benefits of iHiT meeting rooms for rent is their affordable rates, they allow you to hold your meeting with the highest standards while saving your coins.
Titles Contents:
- Introduction
- Benefits of holding physical meetings
- What are the disadvantages of holding physical meetings?
- Advantages of holding meeting online
- Disadvantages of online meetings
- Conclusion
- iHiT Boardroom spaces for hire
Which one is better, Physical meetings or online meetings?
1.Introduction
Which, physical meetings or online meetings?
It was not until the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, that most business meetings shifted to the online space. It was standard that most meetings be held in the office or face to face. It was not common for employers to hold interviews or investor meetings online. The pandemic broke out and the corporate world had to adapt new ways to ensure business runs as usual, one of the ways was shifting to holding their meetings online via zoom and even school systems had to change to conducting exams and classes online.
Online meetings mostly come in handy when you are trying to follow up on your team but you are not physically able to. This could be mainly due to physical distance, natural disasters like pandemics or even the nature of the business.
We would like to understand what it means to have meetings online and why you need to have meetings at all. As seen in our previous blog on how to have a good meeting, meetings are meant to provide a sense of accountability within the team and help in the day to day running and task handling of any company with employees. We intend to explain the advantages and disadvantages of online and physical meetings in this article.
2. Benefits of holding physical meetings
Benefits of holding physical meetings
1.High focus
Suppose you are attending a meeting sitting in front of your laptop and as you listen to your manager talking, the doorbell rings and you are completely distracted and you lose your focus. Attending a meeting physically has a way of increasing your chances of improving your level of focus. Also having physical meetings helps improve on punctuality and following the meeting agenda without distraction.
2.Improve interpersonal connections
One of the most important benefits of physical meetings is the ability to see your audiences eye contacts and being able to read their body language. This helps improve the teams trust as well as developing strong connections between the team. Suppose you are invited to a meeting to handle negotiations, the power of persuasion in physical meetings with body language is far greater than in online meetings. Deep communication and emotional involvement in physical meetings are greater than in online meetings.
3.Technology independence
Physical meetings are more effective and timelier as compared to holding online meetings. Having internet interruptions or buffering reduces the speed of the meeting. Holding physical meetings reduces the need for internet since everyone present can be able to deliver their points and ensure they are understood.
4.Conflict resolution
When the is tension between the team it is definitely easier to resolve when there is physical interaction, as seen above it easier to read anyone’s body language when you are with them physically.
5.Improves team dynamic
When the team is physically connected, it becomes easy to work together and improves harmony all together. It is important for any team working together to be connected and able to find that unity. This definitely sips into how they work and how they relate with each other and their clients as well.
3. What are the disadvantages of holding physical meetings?
What are the disadvantages of holding physical meetings?
1.Meeting delays
When organising a physical meeting, one of the major down sides is time consumption when it comes to matters logistics and meal breaks, some companies like breaking monotony by holding meetings outside the office, so from securing a meeting room for hire to ensuring everyone gets there, these factors could cause delay in when the meeting starts and ends.
2.Physical meetings expenses.
Physical meeting has its own expenses such as the cost of getting a meeting room space for rent, and printing needs, getting meals for the team and organising logistics. When hosting an online meeting, the last worry would be budgeting for the meeting since the only thing needed is access to the meeting. There are no extra costs when it comes to having meetings online.
3.Lack of flexibility
When hosting a meeting it is not easy to coordinate with the members on availability and logistics planning, most importantly if the meeting is set to happen in a rental meeting room. In case of a need to reschedule that would put the meeting to a stop. It is not easy to work around people’s schedules.
4.Loss of productivity
Physical meetings have a way of draining energy since they require preparations in terms of travel and mental preparedness as well. Most times, having physical meetings could mean that the day is only spent on meetings and no actual tasks are done.
4. Advantages of holding meeting online
Advantages of holding meeting online
1.Time saving
From getting dressed and moving to the meeting location to your return back home, a lot of time is wasted, in traffic and during the meeting. But the advantage of an online meeting is saving time since you can join the meeting from anywhere in the shortest time and be able to contribute to the meeting without worrying about when you will get there and how to get back home.
2.Online meeting facilities
Technology has allowed us to be able to hold meetings and have all the members able to participate and share in the meeting. The tools to share presentations and get feedback immediately is key because it makes the meetings highly effective.
3.Suitable for short meetings
Holding a physical meeting for 10 minutes is not sensible. For example, sometimes you need a short debrief meeting with your team. A physical meeting would not be suitable for ten minutes such meetings can be held online while getting other tasks done.
5. Disadvantages of online meetings
1.Internet access challenges
One of the main challenges of online meetings is connectivity issues. In the event there is sudden interruption of the internet or slow speed this can slow down the meeting and reduce the efficiency since nothing can be discussed or decided when the members are unable to attend the meeting.
2.Lack of Equipment
To have a good and quality online meeting, you have equipment such as a teleconferencing tool as well as proper camera or laptop for visibility. If you are not able to rent a meeting room, then buying this equipment can be a bit of a challenge reducing the chances of holding a meeting.
3.Inability to communicate
When holding an online meeting, it is not easy to spend time getting feedback since most people fail to focus and contribute in an online meeting. Most times, you just want the meeting to end so you can go about your day. As mentioned, eye contact and body language have a huge impact on people’s emotions and online meetings limit that from showing.
Disadvantages of online meetings
6.Conclusion
Conclusion, physical meetings or online meetings?
Finally, we must point out that each meeting has specific conditions. We have different types of meetings from investor meetings to team meetings. These meetings require different kind of preparation in terms of location, time and effort. Therefore, when you are preparing for a meeting and trying leave an impression, you would most likely need to get a meeting room for hire just to give a different feeling to the clients. If you are just holding a meeting with your team, you would just need to hold it online. In this case you would need to make preparation differently according to location and the time needed to put into it.
7. iHiT Boardroom spaces for hire
For your physical meetings, we introduce the iHiT Meeting Room spaces, located just a few minutes away from Nairobi CBD in Kilimani area right on Denis Pritt Road. iHiT Meeting Room spaces can accommodate from a capacity as small as 2 people up to a maximum of 100 people for all your meetings, seminars, interviews or workshops. The meeting rooms for rent are also equipped to hold your virtual meetings since they have tv screens that are HDMI enabled and allow you to do your online presentations to your team both physical and remote. iHiT meeting room spaces for rent are both indoor and outdoor so when you feel like having your meeting while enjoying the nature and calmness you have the choice to do so. One of the most important benefits of iHiT meeting rooms for rent is their affordable rates, they allow you to hold your meeting with the highest standards while saving your coins.
iHiT Boardroom spaces for hire ?