‘Hi can we discuss face-to-face?’
Upon hearing the request to discuss work assignments in person, Maria began to become anxious. She would rather communicate via online platforms – Zoom, Discord and Teams.
Working from home during the pandemic has made Maria more technology-savvy but completely disengaged from physical human interactions.
Just like Maria, many among of us may find it rather difficult to socialize and engage in face-to-face communication post pandemic.
So, what is communication? Communication is beyond languages, it’s a combination of verbal and non-verbal messages that you are trying to convey.
So, what have changed in these two years? The way we communicate have changed drastically. We no longer need to meet in person to exchange ideas. With the help of technology, we can now meet online thanks to the many online applications or tools that have mushroomed during the pandemic.
Even with these changes, people should meet face-to-face rather than just online. Online communication should complement face-to-face communication when the need arises where one is enabled to observe the nonverbal cues, facial expressions and body language.
Making Video Meets Work
But how then do we do better in remote settings?
In the endemic phase, many companies had shifted to hybrid and remote. According to Gallup researchers, S.Lydia and W.Ben (2021), 91% of employees said they want to keep working remotely for some time. In this instance, we can say working remotely or work from home is here to stay.
In this instance, communicating with video technology is seen as beneficial rather than bringing harm as it has reinvented the way we communicate and create a whole new world of connections worldwide.
Video communication better engages than just audio communication and keeps everyone knitted and connected. These online meetings can also include lunches and tea breaks virtually which allows for casual talks and catch up with colleagues which replaces cafeteria and corridor chats of the past.
Besides, it promotes better understanding and reduces miscommunication and misconceptions rather than e-mails.
Interestingly to note, a survey conducted by project.co on communication statistics in 2020 indicates that 63% of people have missed important information that has been stuck in an absent colleague’s inbox.
In a nutshell, they suggest that email or audio calls are less reliable which is likely to lead to miscommunication and loss of information. Besides, the best way to resolve a conflict and reduce misunderstanding is to have face-to-face communication.
Next, if speed is what concerns you, face-to-face communication can provide a quicker and more efficient solutions with regards to issues related to work that would normally take hours of communicating and resolving via email which could hamper the productivity of employees.
As an example of a scenario, while you are replying to an urgent email, a ping in your inbox indicating the arrival of a new email can distract your attention. As much as you would want to stay focused, you cannot resist the temptation of opening the new email especially when you know the sender of the email. This leads to a loss of focus for the email that you are replying earlier (B.Meredith, 2022).
Sometimes, the tone and intonation in written form cannot persuade and convince someone. Face-to-face communication allows you to assess their reactions through visible nonverbal cues and obtain feedback.
If you aim to create a sense of belonging in a community, frequent face-to-face communication empowers teams with the feeling of being heard. The more you interact with someone, the more it enhances the engagement. This eventually encourages them to speak without fear in any kind of setting.
Therefore, this empowerment leads to building trust with teams. Trust is the most crucial component when it comes to teamwork and face-to-face communication is just about promoting togetherness.
To conclude, listening is a crucial skill that requires observation of nonverbal cues coupled with the arts of giving constructive feedback in any form of face to face communication, be it physical or online. Let us all embrace the radical change in communication and work to foster a meaningful relationship among members of the team.
By Dr Padma Pillai, Head of Department of Communications, School of Arts, Sunway University
