BEIJING: Humanity is experiencing scary times today. Among many difficulties, COVID-19 has dramatically impeded direct communication that has led to negative economic consequences. The lack of face-to-face meetings fosters a climate of a substantial misunderstanding that could be detrimental to any business development. At the end, everything appears to become more difficult and more complicated.
How to fix this big mess, especially if the situation lingers on? For many, the broadening of telecommuting is the right answer. Some have boastfully declared that this alternative futurist option is a gold mine. As far as my own experiences during videoconferences go, I have noted that the attendee’s concentration is a bit fuzzy. At times, we don’t know which came first: the human or the machine. In addition, laborious translations interfere negatively. At the end, telecommuting is obviously a useful tool of our time but it works partially.
Nothing can replace the magic of eye-to-eye contact, particularly for complex industries topics such as those of the environment, renewable energy or the health sector. Face-to-face meetings and immediate interaction are almost indispensable. Sites visits are the key and mandatory step toward further discussion.
There is no substitute for warm and welcoming evenings among future partners during unforgettable dinner party. That boosts one’s confidence to go even farther and to become more fully involved.
At the beginning of any industrial and commercial cooperation, the top priority is to understand one another in particular through an in-depth knowledge of tradition, culture and history. This old saying everything starts from the man and the man is the centre or everything. Later, if the things go well, telecommuting can take over.
Today, in view of the immensity of the tasks ahead to give a new impetus to the world cooperation, we need to get back to such practice that has been going on since the dawn of time.
See each other, understand each other, be in tune with each other and then do business. Otherwise, make the things easy.
– The Daily Mail-China Daily News exchange item
