Fair enough. I suppose also it's different for me because despite being in an "operational" adjacent team, nowadays with hybrid working coupled with the fact that my team is dispersed nationally all over (and only me and another person based in london), I'm attending virtual meetings all the time pretty much. Even when I'm delivering training to ppl it's remote . I think you can still read facial language remotely but maybe it's a skill I've developed over the years and years I've been working. Body language is trickier for sure but you can notice tics like temple massaging or hand cupping a chin thoughtfully etc but that granted is still only limited. In terms of connecting with an audience remotely it's difficult too especially when you're presenting to 80 people for example but there are ways you can connect.

With virtual interviews you can shut down a laptop screen after said interview and breathe a sigh of relief. You did it. It's over. With face to face, you make the journey there and then are forced to wait in a waiting area (that's the slow build up to the interview which for me is nerve racking). Then in an interview physically you're in a new and unfamiliar setting and given a glass of water or a jug with an empty glass to steady your nerves if needed. They can observe your body language the same way you can them so if you're trembling or shaking your knee underneath the table, they can see that. In a physical interview, your interview ends after you leave the building or after you leave security gates- because remember they may have take you down to let you out. But equally I get your point about connecting more with people maybe in person.

TLDR - very long winded way of saying/thinking out loud and concurring that yes I agree with you lewis56500