The Benefits of Face Time
12 13 2016
One of my favorite parts of the week comes early; in fact, usually by 10 a.m. on Monday, when our entire staff meets to discuss active projects, proposals due, and any scheduling or bandwidth issues. With coffee in hand, we typically squeeze in some chatter about the DIY projects of the weekend or our local sports teams. It’s this face-to-face time that says “welcome to the working week,” and we leave this meeting with our goals for the week in mind.
There is nothing like live social interaction in the workplace, whether it comes early on a Monday morning or late on a Friday afternoon. At StratComm, we’re big on gathering around a table, sharing ideas, debating the best ways to handle a project, and feeding off each other’s energy and expertise. As a project manager, this face time provides me the opportunity to ask the right questions and brainstorm our approach.
Today’s world of virtual meetings and telecommuting makes it entirely possible to go days and even weeks without seeing members of your team. I’ve been on plenty of projects at other companies where campaign details and a kickoff agenda have been emailed; copy and timelines have been uploaded to Basecamp; layouts have been scrutinized over WebEx or Join.Me; and conversations have been recorded and shared as webcasts and podcasts, all without any face-to-face time. Did these collaboration tools help keep projects on track? Yes. Did I miss out on some personal connections? Absolutely!
This is why I was especially excited to meet face to face with one of our clients in Virginia to discuss the redesign of their website. Active listening and observing provided a real understanding of their specific pain points, expectations, and concerns. This in-person communication should go a long way in building credibility and trust and gives all of us a real sense of a shared mission. And that’s well worth the travel time.
Interacting directly with our coworkers and clients provides us a chance to ask probing questions that may not come across in an email or a virtual meeting. One of the many payoffs is a cooperative camaraderie that is the foundation for success across all areas of our business.
So the next time I have an option to text or talk, I’ll choose the latter. The emails will be there in the morning.
AUTHOR
Alison Lutes
Project Manager at StratComm
