The art of conversation is being lost in the workplace

We’re all bombarded with so much communication that we’re forgetting how to communicate effectively. This is having a huge impact on relationship building in and out of the workplace.

Communication is critical in every relationship, personal or professional. But we’ve stopped talking and we’ve stopped listening! We email, text, WhatsApp, send messages via apps like Slack, ‘like’, ‘comment’ or otherwise ‘engage’…we virtually meet in groups but we don’t all speak! We’ve stopped talking and the art of conversation is dying!

Way before the pandemic, this was having a massive impact on the relationships employees and management held and creating a plethora of unnecessary issues that could easily be remedied if we stopped hiding behind technology and using it to do the talking for us. During the pandemic there was some conversation but in truth, I’m not sure much has actually changed as we come out of the pandemic and move towards a new era of working!

“If we communicated more personably by talking to one another and actually listening, efficiency would improve - you can cover off in one five-minute conversation something that may take 10 emails back and forth to nail.”

As a business mentor, when I broach this with clients, I am often told “it’s easier to write an email” or “that’s what the WhatsApp group is for” or “it creates a paper trail” or “it’s just what everybody does” but if we communicated more personably by talking to one another and actually listening, efficiency would improve - you can cover off in one five-minute conversation something that may take 10 emails back and forth to nail. However, having something in writing is very important so write one email confirming the conversation you have just had! With efficiency improved, it would make everybody’s roles easier and would help build trust in those relationships. This doesn’t mean nothing will ever go wrong but it does mean you have built a rapport with someone who you can then talk to.

Whether the relationship is internal or external, between manager and subordinate, peer-to-peer or between any other stakeholders within the organisation, without proper communication, there exists only a very surface level transactional relationship that simply cannot deliver the best for any business.

Our heavy reliance on tech-based communications ‘solutions’ removes so many fundamental factors that form ‘good communication’. We can no longer see sincerity, properly interpret tonality, convey emotion or show empathy. It creates a closeted façade that fuels anxiety both inside and outside of the workplace. Comments get misunderstood and we lose the associated feeling, all the things that are a necessary foundation for good relationships.

Social and tech-based communications inevitably have their place in most modern organisations, but they must come as support functions to actual relationships, which are built through real, good old fashioned, transparent communication.

Mental health and wellbeing in the workplace start here. Being able to see body language and hear tone and actually listen is essential from the very moment you start a job.

Let’s get talking to each other. Book a demo to find out how we can help.

Alexandra Lichtenfeld - a workplace wellbeing specialist for 87% and business mentor who works with business owners, senior management teams and entrepreneurs changing the face of employee wellbeing, getting the best out of their business practices and employees.