magic happens when people are together
I have a situation for you to consider.
Imagine that you’ve been in back-to-back virtual meetings all morning. You’re feeling drained from this as you turn your attention to your inbox. Unexpectedly, among the work emails, you spot a message from a dear friend. The subject line is simply: “You’re invited…”
This brings a smile to your face. Maybe this is exactly the uplift your day needed! You haven’t seen this particular friend for a while. Wherever they’re inviting you to go, you’ll be there. You click the envelope image, and eagerly read the event details.
“You’re invited to: Virtual wine tasting with friends!”
Though this is a hypothetical scenario, I’ll bet your actual mood in real life just soured a bit. I, for one, feel a little mean just having typed those words as I think about you reading them. First of all: how could a virtual wine tasting possibly work? Is everyone who attends meant to procure the exact same bottles of wine ahead of time? Won’t that leave me with a number of partly-drank bottles? Am I missing something here?
There’s another issue, however, that is far more important than my confusion: I crave social interactions to take place in person.
Don’t get me wrong, there are positive aspects of virtual engagements. But interpersonal connection is absolutely not one of those things. There are physical cues, a rhythm of conversation, an unconscious ease to interactions that technology mutes. Given that we have both of these options available today, why choose the inferior one? I want to taste wine with you, in person, at your house or the winery!
Shifting the scenario from social engagements to learning, while there are many good things that can be replicated to learn virtually—there are also some that cannot.
There is magic that happens when people come together and learn in the same physical space. It removes the barriers that stand between us in virtual-land. In that realm, everyone has different technology, physical environments, and distractions. In person, we get to share the full experience, doing all the same things in communal space the entire time. When we convene, we can be a single collaborative group in addition to individual participants.
Further, the open discussion, candid questions, and interpersonal interactions that happen when we’re together simply aren’t replicable in a virtual environment. When I’m in a room with you, I can see your brows furrow and respond by rephrasing what I just said, or ask a question to better understand if there is shared confusion and how to address it. You can get energized from the enthusiasm I exude (and vice versa). I won’t have moved on to another topic by the time you get your question typed in the chat window, because you can simply say it aloud at the right moment. I can use my hands and body for emphasis and move around the room to keep you engaged. Maybe it’s a selfish preference, because I get meaningfully more out of the interaction in person than I do in a virtual setting.
But you do, too.
I want people to gather—in person—and experience this magic. I invite you to join me and the entire storytelling with data team in Chicago on May 5th for a storytelling and presenting data masterclass. To those who take me up on the invitation, I offer two special discounts from which to choose:
Use the code TOGETHER for $200 off the registration price; or
Use the code PARTNERUP to get two registrations for the price of one ($1,095).
Register today to secure your spot. I welcome you to share this offer with your friends and colleagues: let’s gather together and experience the magic!