Virtual makes the pull-aside invisible, which is a feature.
technique — attributed to Natalie Jones Hallahan
Some leaders do not want the world watching them step aside to speak with a particular colleague. The physical pull-aside is photographed. The virtual one is not. Hallahan reframes a constraint as an advantage: technology lets private moments take place unseen, which means leaders are more willing to have them. The shift solves an etiquette problem the physical format never could. The diplomatic world is secretive and insular by design, and the worry that everyone could potentially be visible talking to everyone was real until the virtual format made invisible interaction technically possible. The privacy is the unlock.
For organizers of hybrid and virtual diplomatic events, executive summits, and any convening where leaders need to communicate without optics. The framing is most useful for hosts whose stakeholders are worried about virtual formats as a downgrade.
virtual-events, privacy, side-conversations, diplomatic-technology