Some Conversations Need a Whiteboard

A conference room, a whiteboard, and three perspectives trying to solve one problem.

A few weeks ago, an engineer booked our conference room to help her mother and a retired architect friend work through plans for a property development project.

Each person brought a different perspective to the table, and finding time to meet wasn't the hard part.

Making progress was.

They'd already tried meeting remotely.

They'd tried gathering around a kitchen table.

Progress was slow.

Conversations wandered.

Decisions felt just out of reach.

So they tried something different.

They spent a few hours together at Good Company.

When they left, they hadn't solved every problem. But they'd made enough progress to take the project back to the kitchen table with a clear direction and a shared understanding of what came next.

That story stuck with me.

Because it made me wonder why some conversations seem to change the moment we change the room.

We've spent the past several years proving that we can collaborate from almost anywhere.

Video meetings let us connect across cities, countries, and time zones. Shared documents let us work together without ever sitting side by side.

They're remarkable tools.

But they're not always the best tools.

Some kinds of work seem to ask for something different.

I've noticed we pick up on things in person that a screen just can't carry, the small shifts in body language, the way one idea builds naturally on another without anyone managing a mute button. And it turns out there's research behind that instinct: in-person collaboration tends to lead to richer conversations and stronger idea generation than video meetings alone.

Then there's the whiteboard.

I've always found it funny that no matter how many sophisticated digital collaboration tools we invent, people still instinctively walk over to a whiteboard when they're trying to untangle a complicated idea.

Maybe it's because ideas feel less permanent when they're sketched instead of typed.

Some idea just need room to breathe.

Maybe standing side by side changes the conversation.

Maybe our brains simply like seeing the whole picture at once.

Whatever the reason, there's something surprisingly powerful about gathering around a shared surface and saying, "Let's figure this out."

That's one of the things I've enjoyed watching at Good Company.

Our conference room isn't used only for formal meetings.

It's where people plan businesses.

Interview candidates.

Map out projects.

Solve problems.

Meet clients.

Sometimes they arrive with an agenda.

Sometimes they arrive with a giant question mark.

Either way, they usually leave having made more progress than they expected.

I don't think that's because of the room itself.

I think it's because the room gives them permission to do one thing well.

To think together.

One More Thought

Working from home has given many of us incredible flexibility.

But flexibility doesn't mean every task belongs at home.

Sometimes the most productive decision isn't opening another video call.

It's gathering around a table, uncapping a marker, and giving an idea room to breathe.

I'm Curious...

When was the last time an in-person conversation accomplished something that probably wouldn't have happened over Zoom?

I'd love to hear your story.

Until next time,

Harmony Larson

Founder, Good Company Workspace