After reaching out to a someone recently for an interview to supplement a story I was writing, I was surprised when the person offered to meet for the interview over coffee, rather than just answering the questions via email (as routinely done).
While today’s digital communication makes it easy to sit behind a screen and connect with many people conveniently, we lose the face-to-face connections that build real relationships and the social cues that give us complete messages.
Forbes magazine said 93 percent of communication effectiveness is determined by body language. Tone and body language contribute to how we interpret messages, both of which are lost via digital devices. Consequently, miscommunication via digital mediums can leave employees feeling stressed as they obsess over the meaning of their boss’s “K” (okay) in an email response.
If you’re crunched for time but intend to have in-person meetings, set guidelines beforehand so everyone in attendance knows what the expectations are and what they need to bring to the table. You can accomplish more in a 30 minute in-person meeting than a series of hurried emails.
In addition to constructive meetings, it’s important to take time to foster relationships with those who work around you. I recently attended a lecture by Ali Zelenko, University of Wisconsin alumna and Senior Vice President of Communications at NBC News. She said she aims to eat lunch with a different person that works around her office each week to get to know them.
Ultimately, it’s important to be in contact with those you interact with to ensure clear communication and to build relationships that strengthen your work space.