Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

126. BONUS Making Meetings Meaningful: When Face-to-Face Meetings Matter

50 snips

Jan 30, 2024

Join Professor Jonathan Levav, a Marketing expert at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, as he dives into the critical role of in-person meetings for creativity. He reveals that face-to-face collaborations yield 15-20% more ideas than virtual ones. Levav also discusses how physical environments foster diversity of thoughts and richer brainstorming sessions, contrasting them with the limitations of remote work. He emphasizes the importance of thoughtfully designing workspaces that nurture collaboration and the unique connections that in-person interactions provide.

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ANECDOTE

In-Person Writers' Rooms

TV writer Will Tracy prefers in-person writers' rooms for better collaboration.
Zoom's forced formality disrupts the natural flow of brainstorming, hindering the creative process.

INSIGHT

Zoom vs. In-Person Brainstorming

A study by Jonathan Levav found that in-person brainstorming generates 15-20% more ideas than on Zoom.
Zoom meetings also lead to narrower, less diverse ideas, hindering expansive thinking.

INSIGHT

Zoom's Impact on Cognitive Style

Zoom's narrow visual focus limits shared context and promotes a more focused cognitive style.
This hinders expansive thinking needed for creative idea generation, unlike in-person settings.

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If we want to generate better ideas, then we need to get people back to the office.

In this bonus meetings mini-series episode, we feature an episode from the newest podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business – If/Then: Business, Leadership, Society. In this conversation with senior editor Kevin Cool, Professor of Marketing and former TFTS guest Jonathan Levav details his study of remote work and creativity. “Pairs that worked face-to-face generated 15 to 20% more ideas than pairs that worked on Zoom,” Levav notes. What’s more, in-person brainstorming helped people consider a wider and more diverse range of possibilities. “Working on Zoom was a double penalty. Fewer ideas — and a narrower set of ideas.”

Remote work may be the new normal in our post-pandemic world, but Levav cautions us from accepting the status quo — especially if we want to keep our creative edge. As this episode of If/Then explores, our best ideas could still lie ahead of us — if we can all get in the same room.

If/Then is a podcast from the Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Each episode features an interview with a Stanford GSB faculty member.

Key Takeaways:

For hybrid work environments, managers should select “in-office” days based on tasks we perform better in person, such as collaboration and brainstorming.
More flexible schedules for remote and office work allow employees to bring their best selves and perform better at their jobs.

Be sure to also listen to Part 1 and 2 of our Making Meeting Matter mini-series.

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