We’ve been rocking the virtual world as speakers. No more commuting. Better time efficiency. Greater geographic reach. So do we really need to speak in-person?
Yes, if you want to build greater trust.
According to Skift Meetings, an event company who wrote an article about the meetings industry along with Edelman Data and Intelligence, a research firm that studies trust, in-person meetings create more trust.
Here were the results:
77% of participants said they trust brands more after they interact with them at live events.
Younger audiences (ages 20 to 44) trusted events for information more than media or government.
The survey also showed that because of all the recession talk, if a company needs to cut budgets events are not the place to cut. This was stated by Mickey Wilson, CMO of Freeman, an event company .
In a polarized world, events inspire positivity and trust.
All generations say they leave events with greater trust. Events are more important for all, as face-to-face interaction is an effective way to build trust.
Regardless of generations, attendees leave events with greater trust.
If the goal is to disseminate information and deliver updates to a trusting team, this can be accomplished successfully on a virtual platform.
But when establishing new relationships, especially in sales, in-person meetings win. I’ve attended virtual conferences which were good but they paled compared to the in-person experience. One of the missing links is those serendipitous meetings in the hall. I once left the main ballroom and stepped outside to get some sun. I sat next to a woman who shared information and resources that were new and valuable. This wouldn’t have happened on a screen or even a breakout room. It’s like I always said, “When a group hears a speaker in-person, it’s like test driving a car. It takes the risk out of the equation. So when you plan your next event at least have some component for in-person interaction. It will accelerate relationship building.
We’ve known this intuitively but now we have the data.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE
To learn how to Speak Confidently and Effectively check out my LinkedIn learning course. It ranked on the Top 20 Most Popular courses for 2 years.
To learn techniques to overcome fear of speaking, read chapter 3 of Knockout Presentations.
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