Imagine a sales representative for a medical device company. She is used to meeting with potential buyers at their offices or hospitals. She can easily establish rapport as they settle into their seats, finding common ground to chat about as everyone prepares for the meeting. By the time she fires up her PowerPoint deck, everyone in the room feels like they know her and trust her.
Imagine a 4th grade teacher. When he teaches a lesson, he often has students grouped at tables to work together. He can circulate through the room and see in moments how well each student understands the lesson, and he can give support or redirection with a word or a look. He can feel the energy of the whole classroom and spot issues before they erupt. He can tell how engaged the students are.
In both of these examples, the sales rep and the teacher have honed their expertise in an in-person, 3-dimensional environment. They are used to being able to rely on physical touch, proximity, eye contact, and a million other small, subtle cues to establish rapport and communicate effectively. This is so much a part of their communication repertoire that they may not even be aware of all the ways it influences their work.
The technology that has allowed us stay connected with family and friends and to work from home is astonishing, and I’m grateful for it every time I fire up Zoom or FaceTime. But we are fooling ourselves if we look at this 2-dimensional replica of interaction as a full-bodied stand-in.
As these two examples illustrate, there are opportunities and cues we don’t have when we move to conversations via screen. The first step to bridging this communication gap is in identifying what we lose, and assessing what the impact is.
As you think about the areas of your life that have moved to on-screen instead of in person, what are the small and big things that are gone? Have you experienced frustration at the limitations of video? What have you experimented with to close the communication gap?
I am excited to announce an upcoming workshop series with JB Media Group called “Break Through the Screen.” This version of the workshop is specifically for educators who are moving part or all of their teaching from the physical classroom to the virtual one.Free 2-hour webinar on Wednesday, July 22 and paid 4-hour webinar on Wednesday, July 29
Early bird tickets are $59 through July 23 for the July 29 event. Registration and more info here: https://jbmediagroupllc.com/break-through-the-screen/
