We have previously addressed the wonders of technology designed for the business world as it continues to emerge. With each new app designed to bring greater speed and efficiency … or … enable us toThe drive to be the first on the block to have ”the latest” creates a frenzy. What comes with this is the inherent message that the way we used to do it is outdated and passé. up … to just 
learning the latest and greatest … and how and when to effectively apply it in our work and in our communication with others.
The drive to be the first on the block to have any given new technology creates a frenzy and what we see is that with this comes the inherent message that the ‘old’ ways or the way we used to do it is outdated and passé. But is it? Always? We don’t think so especially when it comes to really connecting with your team, your boss or a single co-worker. Please read on.
In an article entitled “Get Off Your Phone: Why Face To Face Still Matters” by Melissa Feemster, she reported that every minute of the day, email users send over 200 million messages. Facebook users share 2.46 million pieces of content. Twitter users tweet 277,000 times. And Google receives over 4 million search queries. Because we’re connected in every way imaginable, we have come to use our mobile devices as an extension or expression of who we are as people. There’s no escaping it. Is there a potential cost of this and what would that be?
Feemster asks, “So, why the insistence of actual versus virtual meetings? What’s wrong with our current state of over-reliance on email, teleconferences and instant messaging? As it turns out, there is still something technology cannot replicate: the human connection that is the foundation for all relationships in business and in life.
There are 3 major benefits that accompany face to face exchanges that more than compensate for the speed one may be sacrificing:
• Building of trust
- o Today when we get a letter via snail-mail, it’s unusual and stands out. And because of that we tend to read it. It becomes special because someone took that ‘extra’ time to actually write us in the ‘old-fashioned’ way. The same holds true for face to face meetings. That one takes their time to communicate in ‘yesterday’s way’ says this it’s important enough to do so.
- o Meeting in person fosters effective communication
- o Face-to-face demands attention, indicates the value you place on the others involved and promotes and furthers trust
• Body Language
- o In communicating with others the intention is to get our point across … and to make certain it is understood as one intends it to be. Using today’s technology easily deprives us of being able to read that ‘field’ and thus, we potentially miss out on having the confidence that we are being heard and understood as we need for us to achieve our goal.
• Old-Fashioned Bonding
- o Social interaction (and not the Facebook kind of social) allows you to speak the same language. When you meet with someone face to face, you are creating an experience that you both share. It is something you now have in common with the other person — a sense of community. This camaraderie enhances future communication as well. When you interact with someone socially, you promote collaboration, richer sensory experience, and better understanding of the other person.
Without any question, the conveyor belt that delivers the new and improved methodology is exciting … and valuable. It will only continue to bring effectiveness and efficiencies to the way and how we do things. Time is money. And still, it seems inconceivable that personal interaction will ever become an albatross to achieving our true goals. Think about it. Some of yesterday’s ways still have a key role to play.
Mike Dorman
