It has become easier to send creative work to others for approval via electronic means. As bandwidth and storage costs drop, we can send out our beautiful pieces of work around the world for clients to see. For a lot of us, we enjoy that expediency, the quick rush we get when ship something out the door and cross it off of our list.

But when it comes to your most important work, you need to learn to master the art of the face to face. The ability to look someone in the eye and convince them that your idea is the right idea. Email and the web just can’t do that. Eye contact, body language and vocal tone can’t be read without physically seeing someone react to your work.

Face to face is all about timing, inflection, warmth, sincerity and humor. Those things can’t be encapsulated in subject line or your ten line email signature with your Twitter name and Facebook link.

Face to face is where the amateurs and the professionals are separated. The professional understands why he has to be there to hand off the design and then tackle the questions as they come in.

Face to face is not covered in design school nor is it the latest craze. In fact, more tools are being developed every day to help you reduce the actual face time you will have to spend with someone you are designing for.

If you are an introvert like me, face to face is your worst nightmare but a necessity nonetheless. One that I have to work at everyday. It is skill that when honed right can shave hours, if not days off of a project. It can add dollars to a budget and even get the money you want for the project you want.

Email can’t do that and never will.