FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION

Today we are leaving in a society where face-to-face communication has been replaced with other methods such as; emails and phones. It is so common to walk down the street and see people texting or navigating their blackberries, Iphones or similar devices. The business world depends so much on email when communicating with their employees, clients and vendors. This is the main reason why people around the world are not paying very much attention to their face-to-face communication styles and skills.

I believe that one of the most effective traits when communicating is to be attentive. Attention is very important when someone is speaking because we can provide accurate feedback. When most of us talk to somebody we like to be heard and paid attention to; therefore we should treat others as we would like to be treated. I have been working on this matter since a couple of months ago. When I spoke to other people I tended to interrupt if I heard something that wasn't accurate according to my eyes or just because the subject was really interesting to me. I found out that I do more by listening so that when it's my turn to communicate I can express and touch points of interest. Open-minded people listen and understand the different ideas, points of view, backgrounds, etc

Our tone of voice is really important because we need to make sure that the other person or people in the room could hear the message. Gestures go along with our tone of voice. Together they can tell part of our story. An animated person who uses his/her hands and face expressions are more likely to convey the message in a very successful manner. Just imagine for a second. You are in a conference and the speaker is standing in front of everybody without making eye contact, without being animated at all, his voice is low and you can tell nervousness as he speaks. What is more likely to happen? We tend to not pay attention and lose interest. It is a good idea to maybe walk around the room or the area where you are standing. Eye contact is also essential because we can tell if people are listening to us.

Leave a positive impression. Our words, conversation, comments, feedbacks, etc will always leave an impression on others. We have to always keep in mind that everything that leaves our mouth will create a reaction, feeling and/or emotion. When speaking our words have to be chosen properly. We have to learn to agree to disagree and there are so many ways to transmit a message. For instance; when replying to somebody that you don't agree with, you can start by saying: I understand your point and you are right but .... Nobody likes to be wrong and by that statement you are telling they are right but to also consider your point of view.

I believe that we should all improve our communication skills because interacting with others will never get old fashioned. I learned that we can always leave a positive impression. Nothing will replace the intimacy of people sharing their ideas and thoughts in the same room looking at each other. Communication should be balanced and people should not depend 100 percent on technology but take time to communicate face-to-face.