Face-to-face communication: outdated? Not!
It’s amazing how dependent we have become as a society on electronic communication devices! Email, texting, PDAs, cell phones, video conferencing, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and more … have taken the place of good old-fashioned face-to-face communication, generating many interpersonal difficulties and communication failures today. Workplace.
You may be thinking … Why improve my interpersonal skills when most companies do 99% of communication by phone, teleconference, videoconference, email, and rarely, mail? A popular way of thinking today … but is it really the right way? “Face-to-face communication remains the most powerful human interaction,” says Kathleen Begley, Ed.D., author of Face-to-Face Communication, Making Human Connections in a Technology-Driven World. “As wonderful as electronic devices are, they can never completely replace the intimacy and immediacy of people chatting in the same room, and it has worked for millions of years.”
In business, we talk about “B2B” (business to business) and “B2C” (business to consumer) methods. I try to counter the trend (in a positive way!) To emphasize the importance of face-to-face communication. You will hear me talk a lot about “P2P” (person to person) connections and how important it is to go beyond technology and speak face to face with friends, family, colleagues, customers, suppliers and how. You may think that’s a bit old-fashioned, but in my opinion, there is no substitute for close, personal, human contact. Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for the great tech tools we have today and I use them regularly, but it’s not always my first or best option.
Several decades ago, John Naisbitt, in his mega-best-seller from the 1960s, Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives, brought a new concept to the forefront called “high-tech, high-touch.” His idea was that “as human beings became capable of anonymous electronic communication, at the same time they would need closer personal interaction.” It seems to me that he hit the target!
We live in a society where flocking to the local coffee shop or restaurant to chat with business associates or friends is a testament to our need for human togetherness, especially when most coffee lovers can make a latte or latte. a cappuccino in their homes. Think of the fortunes coffee establishments are making with our need for face-to-face communication! Person-to-person connections …
We hear about the many children (and adults) who spend countless hours alone playing video games. However, The Game Manufacturing Association reported in 2003 that sales of family board games (such as Monopoly and Scrabble) are booming and growing at 20% annually. Cranium has recently launched a new line of board games for our “little people” (ages 3 and up). Person-to-person connections begin at an early age; If you haven’t heard it, ask me to tell you my “Papa Zitto” story!
Even when a disaster strikes and the media brings these events into our homes and workplaces via television, radio, and the Internet, we look for opportunities to share grievances. I personally waited in line for nearly three hours with hundreds of others to visit Ground Zero in New York when it opened to the public in December 2001. Many people also left makeshift shrines nearby to honor the victims of that tragedy. Person-to-person connections …
We lead hectic and multitasking lives both at home and in the workplace these days and find the need for balance even more critical than in the past. We understand that technology can be impersonal, but it is fast! We know we need to make time for more person-to-person connections, but the reality of the hectic pace doesn’t leave us much time for this more intimate form of communication. You may be thinking, isn’t it much quicker to make a quick phone call, send a short email, or go online via video conference to have a mind meeting? Yes and no. It’s a communications paradox … faster is not always better.
So the better question may be, how can we make the most of both worlds: technology and face-to-face, person-to-person connections?
As fashions get redesigned and come back with a variation on a style of yesteryear, I think it’s time to redesign and reinvigorate face-to-face (P2P) communication skills.
We need to strike the right balance! Person-to-person (P2P) communication skills remain one of the biggest success factors in business, even in this age of technology. There are many situations, often those involving conflict, hurt feelings, high priority, or a large sum of money, that require entrepreneurs to take the time and hassle of being in the same room to share information. Video conferencing has become a good and profitable simulation method when people are in remote locations, but there is still no substitute for good old-fashioned face-to-face communication.
Don’t take my word for it … Let’s take a look at what some of the experts have to say.
Tom Peters, internationally renowned business guru, says without reservation that you must constantly attend to your face-to-face communication. Failure to do so will lead to professional disaster. “We believe in high technology, the high level of contact,” writes Peters. “Without a doubt, technology is the great facilitator. But, paradoxically, now the human is more, not less, important than ever.”
Sheila Hodge, author of Global Smarts: The Art of Communicating and Deal Making Anywhere in the World, says: “The modern office is full of devices: computers and the Internet, up and down links, video conferencing and online databases. Many people he thinks he should let sophisticated technology take care of the complicated task of interacting with people. “
Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, in her book Reading People, talks about how young technically oriented employees tend to communicate primarily in computer chat rooms. “If you want to become a better communicator, you must make a conscious effort to involve other people (in person),” he writes. “Even the most entrenched internet addict can learn the true meaning of ‘chat’ if the desire is there, but you have to get off the couch and make it happen.”
Gary McClain and Deborah Romaine in their book, The Everything Managing People Book, put it this way … “Constant, face-to-face communication on a daily basis promotes more than just good feelings; it also promotes effective and collaborative teamwork.”
“One of the most critical areas of communication for getting business right is one-on-one situations, especially when offering advice, constructive feedback, and annual performance reviews,” says Chris Roebuck in Effective Communication.
One of my favorite quotes expressed very simply by Margaret Wheatley, Turning to Each Other: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope for the Future, says, “I can believe that we can change the world if we start talking to each other again.”
Looks like we’re on to something here … So what can you do? Start by taking an honest look at your communication methods and attitude about technology vs. (P2P) face-to-face interaction. Do you send more emails and meet less for financial reasons? Are you avoiding human contact mainly due to a lack of interpersonal skills? If the latter is true, you must act before it is too late.
The next time you’re tempted to email, text, or make a phone call for non-routine purposes, stop! Get back to basics. Step out of your comfort zone and instead send the email, text message, or make the call to schedule a face-to-face, in-person meeting with the person behind the technology. Why? Because it works!
Make person-to-person connections … you and your business will be glad you did!
A positive workplace is synonymous with business! TM