Here's a recurring theme that bears re-emphasis.
Today, I received a telephone call from a client "needing to vent." Long story condensed, two primary groups responsible for producing an outdoor event are now feuding. It's a combination of hurt feelings, opinions, and politics.
To date, almost all the useless drama has come in the form of third-party messengers, text messages, and short but heated telephone conversations.
What's worse is that the two decision-makers upon which the entire event hinges have yet to speak to one another. An executive assistant insists upon trying to convey and communicate between the two decision-makers.
My word of advice to my client, "Go and 'break bread.' Sit down and have a face-to-face in-person meeting." Regardless of best intentions, the executive assistant is simply getting in the way.
To the best of my knowledge, there isn't a single serious issue that clients have ever resolved using text messages, email, or telephone calls. (Not to say it's never happened).
There is no guarantee that a face-to-face meeting will save the event described above. That said, I guarantee that meeting anyone in person will outperform telephone conversations, text messages, or email. It's important to remember that most humans can't read body language or tone via some digital message.
If you find yourself wrestling with a bout of useless event drama on a critical decision, please consider the breaking bread option.
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