Despite the growth of telework [2] and correspondence by e-mail, business leaders still crave face time with their coworkers, according to the results of a survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Cisco Systems [3].
75 percent of survey respondents believe in-person collaboration is critical and 82 percent said they felt better understood after in-person encounters. This speaks to the natural need for human interaction and feedback, which can often be lost in faceless communications by phone, social media and e-mail.
In-person collaboration also includes video conferencing and telepresence, which combines the best of both worlds by allowing for remote work without sacrificing the subtle strengths of face-to-face, real-time collaboration.
What makes in-person communication resonate so well? The survey breaks out the six key elements of successful communication.
- Focus and engagement on shared content
- Tone of voice
- Facial expressions
- Words someone is using
- Subconscious body language
- Conscious movements or gestures
Check out the full infographic from Cisco [3] for more information on the power of in-person collaboration.
