Exploiting the in-person/teleconference/email hierarchy

​Are you controlling your message by controlling the medium?
 
We were on a teleconference recently when, during a lull, everyone on the call was treated to the loud and up-close sound of a toilet flushing. (No one stepped forward to take credit.) We were on a big video conference in which one of the participants shared his screen with the meeting organizer—and after he had finished talking, soon forgot that he was still sharing his screen with everyone in the meeting. So we all saw him pop open a new browser window, navigate to his favorite e-commerce site, and go shopping, loading up his cart with goodies, while the meeting organizer (a highly-paid consultant, not a client) did her best to carry on with the agenda.
 
No, we don’t gravitate toward groups inclined toward egregious violations of netiquette; these two stories are outliers. And while these Dilbert-like anecdotes underscore the pitfalls of various collaboration tools, we’d prefer to, as that old WW II song exhorted, accentuate the positive.
 
The basic hierarchy
 
Before we get into the pros and cons of each modality—and how to choose the best for your purposes—let’s just list them and tag them with some brief definitions, so we’re all on the same page:

• In-person. This is the meeting across the desk, across the conference table, across the lunch table, or even across the picnic table in the park. There are zero technical barriers or means of translation between the participants.

• Video conference. Here, you’re seeing others, but you’re not in the same room. They can see you, too, thanks to your phone/tablet/computer camera. You can read expressions when people aren’t talking, but you can only see what their camera sees. (Necktie and shorts, anyone?) There is also often a slight lag, or delay.

• Telephone/teleconference. Even if computer-enabled, this is Alexander Graham Bell vintage. Everyone hears everyone (who isn’t muted, like Toilet Man should have been), but no one sees anything.

• Email. Little definition required here. It’s mostly text (images or attachments can be added), and there is an inherent, and expected, delay between replies.

• Texting. This is often phone-to-phone, but can also extend to media such as LinkedIn or Facebook chat. The “ding!” gives it a phone-like urgency, while the often-tiny device limits the amount of text typed or sent. 

 
Which one sells best?
 
“Sells”? Yes. In any business communication, you’re always selling: Your proposal. Your ideas. Your qualifications. Your enthusiasm. But you don’t always need to sell as much, or with same amount of urgency. Meaning, choose the medium that best suits your agenda whenever possible.
 
Seen in that light, it’s pretty easy to discern the hierarchy:

• The big sell. This is the presentation, the proposal—when you’re making your case for your services, or presenting your findings, and you need to have the floor. Honestly, would you do this on a phone call? Get there in person.

• The add-your-ideas session. This is when someone else is running the meeting. If you’re new to the team, then make the effort to be there in person, even if it’s going to be, say, a hybrid some-in-the-room/some-via-vidchat type of arrangement. Your nods, your smiles, your “aha’s” will all carry extra intimacy, gaining you credibility. Once established, you may be able to phone in (literally) these kinds of performances in the future.

• Breaking news. “Did you hear that Company A just axed their CEO?” Urgent/short-half-life bits like this don’t—can’t—warrant scheduling an in-person meeting. In descending urgency order, these should be relayed via phone, text, or email.

• Catching-up/biz-dev/shaking the trees. This is an interesting one, and it’s highly personality-dependent. You may have some good clients you’ve not seen/worked for in a while, and they may be the type who love to meet for a drink. Others may only want to see your latest tangible effort, perhaps documented in a whitepaper on your site. Still others respond best to a very simple and incredibly brief email (“How are you? Been ages!”) since they can dash off an equally terse reply while on the go, without the implicit burden of reading a lot of stuff to digest and reply to.

 
When do you use a shortcut?
 
There are times when you can’t get on the road (or off it) for an in-person meeting. There are times when you’ve got a cold you don’t want to share with others. This is when the word hierarchy (a system of ranking according to importance) comes to your rescue: Simply move down the scale the fewest steps you can to avoid shortchanging yourself.
 
And if last night’s overindulgent dinner forces you to join the call from the can, don’t forget to mute your mic!

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