Communication Skills: The Case for Face-to-Face

Face to Face Still Best for Using Your Communication Skills

Summary: Videoconferences, webinars, you name it; All sorts of new channels or media have emerged recently. Still, sitting down, face to face, may still be the best bet when the outcome matters.

At times, it’s tempting to turn to one of the new technologies for important communication tasks.

But, there’s still nothing as effective as face-to-face communication when there’s a lot at stake. In these cases, choosing the right medium for the message can be the most critical communication skill . As a rule of thumb, we might say that the more critical the message, the more reason for face-to-face talk.

That’s because face-to-face offers many benefits that aren’t otherwise available to us, benefits such as being able to see body language, listen to voice tones, and observe eye movements. And that’s just the receiving side.

Flip the coin to the sending side, and your messaging can convey emotion, put you in physical proximity, and give immediate feedback.

Let’s now take a quick look at these benefits individually: When we can see the body language of others, we get a glimpse into what the other person really thinks or feels; his or her body language may give us a more accurate reading than the words that come back to us.

Voice tones work much like body language; hearing the words, as well as reading them, opens many doors to understanding the other person, and that, in turn, increases the odds of making the point we want to make.

We know, too, that eye movements contribute to understanding, as we watch for factors such as direct eye contact, duration of the contact, and so on. Is the message you’re getting from the eyes consistent with the words you’re hearing?

An emotional layer leads to bonding, whether to a lesser or greater degree. Even something as simple as drinking coffee together creates an emotional link that can help the flow of communication.

Close physical proximity, such as being in the same room, allows us to see, and perhaps control or compensate for, the environment. For example, if we meet in a room with lots of glass, the other person may be distracted by people walking by.

And, when we’re face-to-face, we can get immediate feedback by watching the body language, listening to voice tones, and tracking eye movements. As we get that feedback, we can immediately and continually adjust the tone or content of our message to match the situation. Over time, we also have an opportunity of improving communication skills .

All of these factors taken together tell us that the efficiency of new communication technologies may not make up for the loss of effectiveness we suffer by using them.

Of course, given the higher costs of face-to-face communication, it may not always be feasible. But, if the message is important, then it’s worth considering.

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