Speak up During National Conversation Week
As human beings, we like to talk; we like to meet new people; and we like to converse. Since mobile phones took over the world some years ago and instant messaging has become the norm, it seems that more people are forgetting the basic art of holding conversations.
Non-verbal communication, while useful, lacks a richness that human interactions contain - body language, tone of voice, warmth and whether the other party is truly paying attention. Face to face and voice communications are the richest in terms of the information they convey about the people engaged on the activity.
Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) work with organisations to get the most out of their workplaces; and believe that it is the richness and depth of our human relationships that are most important. The cohesiveness of our team (whether we like each other and have each others' back) is the highest predictor of team performance. It is unlikely we can develop this level of social cohesion through electronic means alone.
Here are some crucial considerations to keep front of mind:
- Remember that having real discussions could help cut through some of the delays and misunderstandings that occur when we simply email each other and wait for a reply
- Consider that some employees can feel a bit remote or isolated from the team because of this reliance on electronic communication
- Make sure your colleagues feel comfortable reaching out to you and other members of the team if they feel out of the loop
- Talk about people's communication preferences and how you could accommodate each other's needs
- Agree what activities are best suited to different types of communication - for example, telephone, email, video conference or instant messaging
Completing our work more often than not relies on good relationships, and talking plays a vital part in creating and sustaining them.
#NatConvWeek #TalkMore #GetTalking
