| With the advent of
high technology more and more organizations are reducing the number of
face-to-face meetings and replacing them with virtual meetings. Like actual
meetings, virtual meetings should enable a group to exchange information
and facilitate shared decision making.
The following pros
and cons of virtual meetings are drawn from 3
books by Eli Mina:
1. Pro: Reduced
costs: A virtual meeting is generally less expensive than a face-to-face
meeting. The cost of travel, meals and accommodation is eliminated.
2. Pro: Reduced disruptions: Participants are not inconvenienced
by needing to leave their offices, disrupt their schedules and struggle
through unpredictable traffic patterns.
3. Pro: Enhanced sense of purpose: With the recognition of the
limitations of a virtual meeting, it is easier to establish the need
for disciplined and well focused discussions.
4. Pro: The potential for increased objectivity: With the exception
of videoconferencing, Individuals are not distracted by facial expressions
of others. This has the potential of forcing introspection and critical
thinkling in private.
5. Con: Group size: Although virtual meetings can work well for
small groups, they are usually difficult to manage with large gatherings.
Have you ever tried a teleconference call with more than 7 people?
6. Con: Reduced flexibility: It is impossible to employ interactive
discussion techniques in a virtual meeting (e.g. breaking into small
discussion groups), and such techniques can be very beneficial when
issues are complex or controversial.
7. Con: No social interaction: The interpersonal "chemistry"
and synergy that develops in face-to-face meetings are lost in a virtual
meeting. It is much more difficult to build trust and team cohesion
when people do not see or hear one another.
8. Con: Unique challenges: Virtual meetings present interesting
challenges: identifying who is speaking, establishing a speakers' lineup,
ensuring equality and fairness, and counting votes (can you take a secret
ballot in a teleconference call?)
Eli Mina is a professional meeting chairman, Registered Parliamentarian,
seminar leader, and a leading expert on meetings and rules of order.
He specializes in chairing contentious meetings, demystifying and humanizing
the rules of order, resolving organizational disputes, and shared decision
making. Further explore Eli's website for more details on Eli's
work and his
books. To sign up for his free e-mail newsletter, click
here.
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