When to Zoom or not to Zoom...

Not every meeting is worth a boarding pass. And not every problem gets better over Zoom. The trick is knowing which is which.

Here's what I use to decide if in person or virtual is best:

1. Complexity: If the issue is messy, ambiguous, and demands creative problem-solving, I choose face-to-face. Research shows in-person teams generate 15–20% more usable ideas than virtual ones.

2. Trust: I've found new teams or sensitive topics get the best results from real human connection. In-person builds trust faster, which makes decisions quicker and produce more accurate results. Once trust is established, virtual works fine for routine or lower-stakes challenges.

3. High Stakes: High-stakes challenges benefit from the energy of a live room. Body language is easier to read, and miscommunications are less frequent. If the whole team can’t meet, I pull a few key people together (ideally no less than five if creativity is required) to align quickly, then and share virtually for wider input.

Three key questions: Is it complex? Does it need a high level of trust? Is it high stakes?

If I answer “yes” to two or more, I arrange for key people get together.

Otherwise, I save the travel time and cost, for when it matters most.

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