In the digital age, online gatherings have accumulated much more validity than they truly deserve. Don’t get me wrong, they are a powerful tool in our tool belt. Zoom meetings have given us the power to collaborate while in-person meetings were impossible. They are cheap, easy, and convenient. They will never have the power to replace real connections. Real life meetups provide us with the personal contact that is the basis of our industry. Face-to face communication allows for a better exchange of information since both speaker and listener can see and interpret body language and facial expressions. Trust isn’t built over a text message. A colleague or client who never shakes your hand is unlikely to feel the same connection to you as someone whose hand you shake on a regular basis. Let’s meet up safely to build bonds when we can in 2022.
Chris Lose, from “LD-at-Large,” PLSN, Jan. 2022, page 36
