Face-to-Face
Let’s get together!
A face-to-face meeting is the richest and most effective form of communication that we have — but as the adage goes, sometimes “that meeting could have been an email”. The UBC community is a busy one, so it’s important to use good judgement when bringing people together.
Considerations
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This channel is best when…
- sharing sensitive information or for circumstances where relationship or trust-building is important.
- you need to keep groups — teams, departments, stakeholders, etc. — connected and moving together.
- building engagement or gathering meaningful input. Quick follow-up questions can open up information a lot faster than surveys.
- urgent, time-sensitive, or immediate action is required.
- you need to be clearly or deeply understood. Seeing people in person is the richest medium of communication.
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When to change the channel?
- Large meetings can be expensive, as combined salaries alone can cost thousands of dollars per hour. Also consider catering , room rental and other fees.
- Are you the best person to deliver this message? Leader’s toolkits can help local leaders share information in existing meetings that their team expect and are comfortable with.
- Getting to every group or meeting and being present can be difficult. Make sure you have the time to really show up and be authentic.
- Confrontation or disengagement can come if people feel called-out in front of their peers.
- Some information is better shared with individuals first, rather than surprising a large group of people at the same time.
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Details
Most members of the VPFO team use Microsoft Outlook to set meetings. There are a variety of meeting spaces (boardrooms, meeting rooms, etc.) available for booking in that platform. Some operational groups, like Facilities, rely on administrators to organize and gather front-line workers.
Many groups in the VPFO have developed schedules of regular meetings to establish ongoing communication that you may be able to access — check with our senior leaders or their administrators for more information. Larger meeting rooms can be booked through the Central Booking Office website.
Resources
A briefing note distills complex information into a short, well-structured document to quickly to informs a decision-maker about an issue so they can speak with authority.
Briefing Note Template [Word]Create a framing document for leaders that presents your communications plan in small, usable pieces so they are equipped to brief their teams.
Information Toolkit Template [Word]