AI transcribes calls, captures notes, and surfaces insights fast. But conversations that truly shift direction, close deals, and build real commitment still happen offline.
Sadaf Z. Malik, Senior Director at Crown Bioscience, spends significant time in conversations across biotech, AI, and leadership, especially when decisions feel complex, urgent, or high-stakes. As partnering summits like JPM pack calendars wall to wall, breakthrough moments happen when guards drop, and people voice real doubts offline.
Offline Reveals What People Won’t Say on Record
Most high-stakes conversations happen in formal settings designed for efficiency. Zoom calls with agendas and note-takers. Email threads documenting decisions. Slack channels capture discussions. These formats optimize for record-keeping, not honesty.
“On Zoom or on threads, people stay polished, optimizing for safety, sticking to the script,” says Sadaf. “Offline, those guards drop, tone softens, hesitations emerge. I’ve watched breakthrough moments start when someone finally admits, here’s what’s actually holding us back.”
When everything gets recorded and documented, people stay careful. They phrase concerns diplomatically. They avoid admitting doubts that might look like weakness later. They stick to positions rather than exploring uncertainty. The conversation produces clean documentation but misses unsaid truths blocking progress.
Offline conversations work differently because guards drop when the stakes feel lower. Without a formal record, people voice hesitations they’d never put in writing. They admit what’s actually holding them back rather than framing concerns politically. They explore uncertainty rather than defending positions.
Those unsaid truths are where progress begins. The most important conversations don’t start with answers; they open with honesty that only happens when people feel safe speaking without a permanent record.
Decisions Accelerate When People Read the Room
Speed isn’t just faster information. It’s confidence in alignment.
“Offline, you catch body language, pauses, energy,” Sadaf explains. “You sense when someone’s truly on board or really needs reassurance. In my own world of oncology partnerships, that shared awareness cuts through misunderstandings and reduces endless follow-ups.”
Most decision-making processes prioritize information completeness over alignment clarity. Teams gather data, share updates, and document positions through digital channels. Leaders make decisions based on what people say in writing or formal meetings.
This approach misses crucial signals. Written updates don’t reveal whether someone’s truly on board or just complying. Formal meetings don’t show when someone needs reassurance to commit rather than just information to understand.
Reading the room reveals these signals through body language, pauses, and energy. You sense when hesitation reflects genuine concern requiring address versus a minor question needing brief clarification. You catch when the group seems aligned on the surface but actually needs more discussion before committing.
Consensus is easy to fake online. Commitment is built through shared experiences.
“Offline creates those click moments, a concern resolved, a vision clarified, that linger and drive ownership long after,” Sadaf explains. “Slack threads and emails can’t replicate the energy of breaking bread or hashing it out face to face.”
Most organizations treat consensus and commitment interchangeably. When everyone agrees in an email thread or a Zoom poll, leaders assume the team is committed. They move forward based on documented alignment.
But surface agreement masks underlying reservations that emerge later when execution requires genuine ownership. Commitment gets built through shared experiences, creating click moments where you see relief register or watch understanding dawn. These moments linger and drive ownership because they’re emotionally resonant, not just informationally complete.
Knowing When Each Matters Most
“AI is evolving in 2026, but the real edge doesn’t come from choosing online versus offline,” Sadaf concludes. “It comes from knowing when each matters most. Leaders who drive real progress aren’t the ones communicating constantly. They’re the ones intentional about where the deepest conversations belong. And still, more often than we admit, that’s offline.”
Digital tools excel at information sharing, documentation, and coordinating execution. But breakthrough moments requiring honesty, alignment reading, or commitment building still happen offline, where guards drop, and shared experiences create lasting ownership.
Connect with Sadaf Z. Malik on LinkedIn for insights on navigating high-stakes biotech conversations and leadership.
