In-Person, Phone or Video?

The best way to show up with your best self

October 22, 2024

We all enjoy our relationship with technology. It allows us to stay organized, squeeze more out of our day, and manage our communications and interactions with coworkers. We are forever trying to find the balance between voice calls, video calls and in-person meetings. There’s a lot more to it than just convenience and logistics. We have to understand how effective our communications are, how we’re building business relationships and what impact our interactions have on our longer-term job prospects and career advancement.

Lisa, a member of my marketing team, recently faced such a communication dilemma.

Lisa, a young marketing professional, had a lot to sort out during a critical pre-launch period. She was known for her sharp insights and strategic thinking, and she was ruthlessly efficient with her time. Her preferred way of working was through quick phone calls and emails to keep things moving. She avoided small talk and pre-meeting “chat time” because she thought they were an inefficient waste of time.

But now, Lisa was in charge of the new formulation launch of our key product. It required close collaboration with several teams – product development, sales, customer support and market research. Her initial approach was to have a series of phone calls with each of the individuals to align everyone on the goals and timeline.

Lisa got started with her 1:1 calls, but she quickly realized that this project needed something more. She noticed that there was some tension between the product development team and the sales team. She wasn’t sure what was creating this drama, and that didn’t matter. She just felt that a face-to-face meeting might help ease some of the bad feelings and start to build trust.

So, despite her preference for quick individual phone calls, Lisa decided to call for an in-person meeting. She did everything she could to set a positive tone: made sure it was on a day that everyone would be in the office, booked the nicest conference room available, and to top it all off, she brought in coffee and bagels. There were a few awkward moments in the beginning, but as the meeting progressed, Lisa was able to facilitate an open and honest conversation about the project goals and the challenges of each team member. Having everyone in the room seemed to break down barriers. Even the product development team, explaining the technical complexities, was able to connect with the sales team so they understood how to communicate with customers. The ability to dialogue across the teams helped everyone realize that they were all working towards a common goal.

By the end of the meeting, everyone was on the same page. Lisa thought they also seemed more open to listening to each other. The trust that was built in that room carried forward throughout the project, resulting in a highly successful product launch that exceeded expectations. Lisa felt that it was one of better decisions.

Sometimes, the extra effort of bringing people together in person is worth it. In Lisa’s case, it totally changed what could have been a rough start to her project into a big win and reinforced the importance of choosing the right format for each situation.

You are always going to be faced with a choice of in-person meeting or video or phone call. You will develop a feel for how these different types of meetings – in-person, phone-only, or video – can impact interpersonal dynamics and project outcomes. Like a lot of things, you have to find the right balance of these different ways to communicate to become more effective in the long run.

In-Person Meetings

In many cases, there is no substitute for in-person meetings. Lisa learned this lesson when getting her launch team together. There are several other times when in-person meetings are ideal. For example, when starting a new project or onboarding a new team member, an in-person meeting can help establish a solid foundation. You can easily check for understanding and establish an environment where you are open to questions and discussion. Another time is a meeting that may require difficult conversations, such as performance reviews or conflict resolution. The personal touch allows you to convey empathy and understanding that’s hard to do over the phone. One other example is team building activities. There’s no substitute for in-person when you are trying to build trust and collaboration across a group of coworkers.

Benefits of In-Person Meetings:

Stronger connections: body language, eye contact, reading reactions
Enhanced collaboration: dynamic discussions, spontaneous ideas, creative brainstorming
Clearer communication: complex topics, clarifying questions, fewer formalities

Limitations of In-Person Meetings:

Time and resources: coordination, travel, additional time for informal interactions
Inclusion: remote workers, colleagues from other sites

Remote Meetings: Phone-Only and Video Calls

Sometimes it’s just not possible or practical to meet live with individuals or groups. If you have a quick question or need to fill someone in on your progress, a short phone call is very efficient. For a routine 1:1 meeting with a manager or a direct report, a video call is the next best thing to being in person. It’s a great option, especially if you have a visual to share or need input on a part of your work that requires show-and-tell. Video calls also work well for geographically dispersed teams who can’t travel, but still need to share a presentation or product demonstration. They are also good for remote team building, to have some feeling of ‘being together’ in between live sessions.

Benefits of Remote Meetings:

Flexibility: more options for scheduling, easier to organize, time zone considerations
Efficiency: quicker, time saving, less formal
Inclusivity: more accessible for people who may not be able to be in person or colleagues who are on business travel to another location

Limitations of Remote Meetings:

Reduced Engagement: easier for participants to become distracted or disengaged, easier to be late and slip in and out of the video call, need to repeat what’s already been covered
Technical Challenges: Connectivity issues, poor audio or video quality, application updates or new features

Striking the Right Balance – Your Question Checklist

Like a lot of common workplace questions, this one is about striking the right balance and finding the right mix of in-person and remote/phone/video meetings.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What is the purpose of the meeting? What’s the objective? Is it a brainstorming session, a performance review, or a project update? How many people are involved? Where are they located?
How am I maximizing my in-person time in the office? Make the most of your time in the office. Think about what interactions benefit from being face-to-face and seek out opportunities to get that work done while you are in person with your coworkers.
What technology will optimize a remote meeting? Does my meeting require slides? Should I use a virtual whiteboard? Is it a presentation/informational meeting, or collaboration meeting? Should we have cameras on to foster better engagement?
How do I set and communicate the right expectations? What feedback have I heard from my coworkers? How do I let them know what I prefer?

Good news – you can have it both ways!

There are plenty of opportunities to test choosing the right type of meeting. Few of us are working 100% solo all the time, and our work requires us to collaborate both with individual coworkers and with groups. Discovering when to just pick up the phone for a quick chat, arrange a team video conference or call the whole group to the conference room is also a chance for you to define your leadership style. You may even be able to mix it up from time to time and turn a “phone only” person like Lisa into a routine live meeting leader.

Call to action

Learn a new application that can make your phone or video meeting more engaging. Look for virtual whiteboards, live feedback, polling and surveys.
Get input from your regular team members on what they prefer. Give them feedback on what you like.
Use the Question Checklist above to find your best option for your needs