Today’s technology has made it very easy to get out of the habit of speaking with each other face to face. An entire project can be done between two companies without even meeting each other in person. Through email, text messages and even phone calls, communicating is done almost entirely through electronics. Even though today’s technology makes communicating unbelievably simple, it can cause face-to-face conversation to lose priority.
I’ve only been at Mustang for a few months, but it is clear to me that having face-to-face meetings is held in very high regard. One of the aspects of our company that we take pride in is our team personality. Even with the iPhone’s “emojis,” it is hard to convey personality and tone through electronic messages. It can be tempting to simply shoot a text message to one of your colleagues, but that may not be the most effective tool when communicating. Having a conversation in person can prove to be much more beneficial for a multitude of reasons, including being able to read body language and matching a person’s face to their voice; but in my experience at Mustang, I’ve found two more specific reasons that have helped our workflow:
1) It may prove beneficial to your proposal or plan: Not only speaking in person, but visiting your client’s place of business may prove key in future endeavors with that business. Seeing how their office is decorated, seeing how the employees dress and getting to know the personality of the business itself may end up being a huge advantage to your proposal or plan. For example, we recently met with a client to go over an advertisement we had planned. Had this been done via email, the conversation probably would have been four or five emails long, ending with “Ok, looks good.” Instead, we ended up having a two-hour conference that not only confirmed the current ad, but spun off into a brand new campaign that really shows off our client’s personality.
2) It gives you an excuse to get out of the office: Meeting with someone outside of the office can be crucial to an efficient business day. We spend the majority of our time in the office staring at a computer screen or making phone calls. Instead of speaking with someone through the screen, get the exact same work done while you’re outside, having a smoother, more personal conversation with that person. Not only is this a more enjoyable form of communication, but it can help get your mind out of the office, and make you feel refreshed when you return.
We all love our iPads, smart phones, and computers, but it may prove beneficial to your business, and your stress level to have some conversations in person.
-Keith Sparks, Communications Coordinator