Humans have always interacted with each other to survive. Cave paintings created nearly 45,000 years ago in Indonesia were one of the first non-verbal communication methods discovered. Many years later, in order to facilitate long-distance communication, the heliograph was invented (1827) and several years later (in the 1830s and 1840s) Samuel Morse invented the telegraph. Before these inventions, many cultures had their own methods of long-distance communication. For instance, in the Black Sea region of Turkey, a whistle language is used to interact from a distance.

Technological tools

Today, society utilizes technology for the facilitation of long-distance interaction. When we talk about intercity communication, we think of Zoom, Skype, Google Meets, FaceTime and so on. During the pandemic, in particular, we were obligated to transport our daily routines to online platforms. Before lockdowns, video chats were exclusively used to contact family and friends abroad or to hold international meetings.

Online meetings have become a more familiar concept to us over the last year. Children were able to continue their fundamental education while making friends online. Job interviews, huge business deals and applications were conducted on video platforms. This communication method also permitted social gatherings between families and friends, helped professionals stream free concerts or physical exercise courses and made online therapy accessible to individuals.

Tips for online meetings

However, as intriguing as all this seems, this concept can be stressful for some, myself included. Consequently, here are some tips on having an effective online meeting while leaving a good impression.

Identical to face to face encounters, practice is key. Once we are comfortable with the topic we are presenting or the questions we will be asked, no matter where we are, we will succeed. Retesting your internet connection, earphones and microphone 5 minutes before the meeting is also an important step.

Turning your camera on, smiling, holding eye contact, leaving distractions outside of the room, eliminating outside noises, adjusting your background, sitting up straight and looking clean will help you feel more prepared.

Video conferencing can be viewed as profitable due to the fact that it allows companies to save money and time while simplifying international interactions and being more environmentally friendly. Additionally, newer technologies, such as screen sharing enable employees to efficiently contribute their opinions.

Downsides

On the contrary, video conferencing can have many downsides. For instance, there have been moments when business meetings or classes were hacked. Therefore, security breaches are likely to occur.

Frequent network issues, delays in presentations or speeches, an impersonal feeling caused by not being able to see everyone on your screen and online distractions should be taken into consideration while hosting an online meeting.

During a face-to-face meeting or interpersonal communication, being mindful of our posture, eye contact, tone, hand gestures and body language are crucial. These gestures will ensure a healthy correspondence because many analysts predict that 93% of our conversations with people are made in a non-verbal manner.

Interpersonal communication also allows less miscommunication and, according to a survey conducted by Forbes, individuals are easier to persuade with this method (91%) compared to other methods. The drawbacks of this form of communication are costliness and the difficulty of scheduling accordingly with the size of the enterprise.

We talked about the advantages and the disadvantages of both means. But what do employees and students prefer? According to surveys, approximately 70% of students picked online classes over physical school.

As a current student living through this pandemic and receiving my education via a screen, I can admit that online school is more convenient than face-to-face school. Yet, the effectiveness of remote courses all over the world is debatable.

A Forbes article has stated that 64% of Amazon workers would choose to work remotely rather than have an annual raise of $30,000. In the future, it is believed that interpersonal communication will not be as common since individuals’ personal information will be accessible on social media or other online platforms. Language barriers will not be an issue anymore. Even in 2021, there are many apps to help you translate your words surprisingly accurately. Therefore, we can expect a globalized and unionized world, but a remarkably inhumane and lonely one.