With all of us increasingly operating digitally, we are all having to learn how to communicate effectively in this medium. This is the future, not just something that happened in the pandemic.
Non-verbal cues make up 60 – 70% of face to face communication which makes online conversations a very different prospect. With so much communication – business meetings, training, interviews – happening remotely, we need to learn new skills to succeed.
I recently read a fascinating post about a book called Digital Body Language by Erica Dhawan. She says:
” Most of today’s workplaces, in fact, minimize the conditions necessary to foster and augment clear communication, leading to widespread distrust, resentment, and frustration. There is more physical distance between teams. There are fewer face-to-face interactions. There is virtually no body language to read.
Plus, every few months, things seem to get faster( or maybe we are all just imagining it),leaving us no choice but to adapt to the newest normal.
We become thoughtless. We grow more accepting of distractions and interruptions, more indifferent to the needs and emotions of colleagues and work-mates.
“We are cue-less.”
Erica recommends 4 simple things to improve our digital communications:
1. Value visibly
2. Communicate carefully
3. Collaborate Confidently and
4. Trust totally
4 simple things for us all to remember and put into effect. Good luck!