Managing the Carbon

Key Insights on Meeting Modes

While virtual meetings work adequately for many scenarios, the gap between "adequate" and "optimal" varies significantly depending on the meeting's purpose. The decision to meet in person or virtually should weigh the meeting's importance against the logistical friction of in-person gatherings—rather than defaulting to either mode.

A tClara survey of 522 U.S.-based business leaders, including 95 C-suite respondents, reveals the following findings:

• Across 26 distinct meeting goals, 43% of leaders rate in-person as the better mode, 35% prefer virtual, and 22% say the mode barely matters—indicating the decision is genuinely goal-dependent.
• In-person is the preferred mode for 22 of the 26 goals, particularly for:
  • Building trust and teamwork
  • Persuading or selling
  • Solving important problems
• Virtual is preferred for goals such as:
  • Gathering diverse opinions
  • Sharing updates
  • Using people's time efficiently
• Virtual meetings are perceived as nearly twice as likely to produce a negative outcome compared to in-person meetings (47% vs. 25%)—highlighting that convenience carries real risk.
• 70% of leaders believe a deliberate blend of virtual and in-person work enables them to perform at their best.
• C-suite respondents value in-person meetings more than other leaders do (53% vs. 41%).