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I have been working in a large global firm for the past 3.5 years. Where many of my meetings have always had a remote VC component to them, either through Googl

I have been working in a large global firm for the past 3.5 years. Where many of my meetings have always had a remote VC component to them, either through Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. I have found that they really aren't that weird at all. We have been speaking to each other via mobile phones or conference calls for years which doesn't feel too different. Perhaps it is also because I grew up playing multiplayer video games on PC which required me to speak with groups of people in game. I find there is an overall larger upside to virtual meetings than physical meetings.

meowtimemania 6y ago
Curious what is the upside? Do you consider conference call meetings to be more productive than in person?
- tluyben2 6y ago
  > Do you consider conference call meetings to be more productive than in person? Not more productive, but more efficient in the sense that they take less time; everyone on our team has to travel to meet in person, so in the end, it has to be conf calls. I also do not feel it's that big a difference; I prep for calls the same as in person meetings, usually they end fairly quickly because everything was pre-cooked in email / chat.
- NoPicklez 6y ago
  Firstly, travel time is a big one. Rather than travelling to the client for a 1 or 2 hour meeting where I need to sign in and wait. I can stay in the office and dial in right as the meeting is about to commence. Secondly I generally have a workpaper of some sort or a set of notes I am working off of during a meeting. During a virtual meeting I can talk, look at my notes and type without having to constantly give eye contact to the client. I can acknowledge what they're saying through non-verbal cues as I look at my notes and type. Thirdly, it's much easier for myself or the client to share our screens during a conversation. Edit: Due to COVID our ability to work remotely from other cities is also expanding. It is much easier for me to rely on Google meet or Teams to dial a colleague in, rather than hope that the client has a working AV system to dial them in physically.

meowtimemania 6y ago

Curious what is the upside? Do you consider conference call meetings to be more productive than in person?

tluyben2 6y ago
> Do you consider conference call meetings to be more productive than in person? Not more productive, but more efficient in the sense that they take less time; everyone on our team has to travel to meet in person, so in the end, it has to be conf calls. I also do not feel it's that big a difference; I prep for calls the same as in person meetings, usually they end fairly quickly because everything was pre-cooked in email / chat.
NoPicklez 6y ago
Firstly, travel time is a big one. Rather than travelling to the client for a 1 or 2 hour meeting where I need to sign in and wait. I can stay in the office and dial in right as the meeting is about to commence. Secondly I generally have a workpaper of some sort or a set of notes I am working off of during a meeting. During a virtual meeting I can talk, look at my notes and type without having to constantly give eye contact to the client. I can acknowledge what they're saying through non-verbal cues as I look at my notes and type. Thirdly, it's much easier for myself or the client to share our screens during a conversation. Edit: Due to COVID our ability to work remotely from other cities is also expanding. It is much easier for me to rely on Google meet or Teams to dial a colleague in, rather than hope that the client has a working AV system to dial them in physically.