I blog about technology, use technology, teach on technology, like technology. Email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Simulcasts, Blogs: they are all great tools. However, technology cannot replace live human interaction.
The teleconferences I participate in are valuable as are simulcasts and video chats. The greatest value and return on time spent comes from face to face conversation. We need that. We need the tension of discussion and the nuances of body language and proximity. These heighten the experience and take communication to a level that technology can’t fully replace. Online church is a great tool, but we also need the experience of joining with other believers in a live setting for the relationships and synergy that come from such a setting.
Whether we discount the use of technology or we cocoon ourselves into the technology and forsake the live options, we are missing out. Both provide unique opportunities the other can not and both have their limitations. Both add value. But, they both add the most value when they are both implemented in our lives. Through technology we can connect with and learn from those that are not geographically near. When we take advantage of the live interactions, we gain all the intangible benefits that only come face to face. It really is both/and.
If one should take more of our time than the other, then the face to face is the one. We gain so much from one another when we interact. Each becomes better and grows and each adds value to the other. The monthly meetings with pastors I am privileged to be a part of are absolutely wonderful and so meaningful. As much as a simulcast conference can convey valuable information, when possible, I prefer to go to the live location of the conference. There is so much more to be gained in that format. Relationships to build. Networking to take place.
So, let’s not miss out on what we can gain and give each other in live interaction.
What do you think?
The company where I work just wrapped up a two-day summit to which a dozen or so of my counterparts from other countries traveled. During the economic downturn, we had these meetings online. But *nothing* beats interacting in person.
Posted by Beverly Brown | February 11, 2011, 10:32 am