8 Useful Face to Face Communication Tips
Have you had some kind of face to face communication lately? If not then you're not alone. Take a look around you. Most people are looking down on their smartphones and tablets. Even kids these days have access to their own gadgets. On top of the time that they spend using their smartphones and tablets, most people are also using laptops and desktops.
People are so connected now. Distances have no meaning because people can communicate online. The problem is that this connectivity comes at a price. The price we have to pay for being so connected is that face-to-face communication has become a rarity these days.
In the next few minutes, you'll learn about face to face communication tips that can help you to become more effective when it comes to connecting with other people. Before this, let's look at some main advantages of face to face communication.
Benefits of Face to Face Communication
The decline in face to face communication is unfortunate because it has its many benefits:
First of all, face to face communication is less prone to misunderstanding. How many times has another person misunderstood an email or a text message that you sent? That’s not likely to happen when you are communicating personally.
It helps in building relationships. When you are communicating personally with another person, you are also building on your relationship. That's difficult to do when you are communicating through some other means.
It shows how you value a person. True, face-to-face communication can be more troublesome since it may involve traveling to meet someone, but it can also be a means of telling that person how much you value him or her.
Body language. Your body language can convey a lot of things that cannot be said through words. Those things can only be shown when you are there in front of another person.
So, is face to face communication better than other forms of communication? In some respects, yes, it is way better. It also has its limitations, but it is something that we should not forget.
If you want to become more effective when it comes to communication face to face, then here are a few tips that should put you on the right track:
1. Smile a Lot
This is probably the most important of all the face to face communication tips that you’ll read. The importance of body language has been mentioned and smile is the best language that you can use to put other people at ease. Make sure that your smile is genuine though, because a fake grin is worse than not smiling at all.
2. Show Interest
At the start of a conversation, you have to show that you are genuinely interested in another person. You can show that by giving a firm handshake. You can also nod or lean during appropriate points during the conversation to show that you genuinely understand what the other person is saying.
3. Maintain Eye Contact
Distractions can be permitted in digital communication. You can type away or work at something while you are chatting with your co-worker online. When you are communicating face to face, it’s different. You should maintain eye contact with the person that you are talking to in order to show that you are prioritizing him and that you are not distracted by other things.
4. Pause
Don’t rush in to fill the conversation when the other person stops talking. Make a habit out of pausing before you speak after the other person has stopped talking. It could be that the other person is not done yet. Pausing before talking is a sign of respect and it is something that the other person will notice and appreciate.
5. Don't Interrupt
Never interrupt the person that you are communicating with. Interrupting another person in the middle of a sentence is a sign of disrespect and the other person will not appreciate it if you do it.
6. Ask Questions
What is the best way to show that you understand where your conversation is headed? Just ask questions. The questions will show to the other person that you have understood what he/she is trying to convey. It's also an opportunity to clarify things.
7. Ask for Feedback
You should also ask for feedback from the other person. It will show that you appreciate what he or she is thinking and that you are ready to listen to what she has to say. You can also learn a thing or two from the feedback.
8. Practice Active Listening
In a way, active listening is a combination of some of the tips here. It involves listening and taking note of important details, not interrupting, and clarifying important points.
Conclusion
These are some of the face to face communication tips that you should know about. Though the world maybe filled with computers now, communicating face to face is still a practice that we should never forget.