It’s hard not to be impressed when new tech advancements and gadgets hit the market. It seems as if each innovation is shinier, sexier, and more impressive than the one before, and the upgrades happen fast.
Society’s techno addiction has officially permeated into our personal and professional lives. At home, we’re obsessed with Instagramming every cute kid and pet that crosses our screen. At work, we sign into a chat platform the moment we sit down. We email our colleagues and clients when we’re out of the office, in the air, and sadly, even five feet away. We text friends, family members, and our bosses 24/7. And, I kid you not, this year on Easter Sunday, I witnessed an altar boy snapchatting from the church front. (Church is getting in on the tech action!)
We tweet, share, post, like, and comment from the minute we wake up until our heads hit the pillow. And often, we even do it from the pillow. Then we rise, rinse, and repeat. Using technology as a way to communicate is core to our lives. And it’s everywhere.
Put Your Gadget Down – Face-to-Face Conversations Are Better
I’ve thought about this constant “connection” a lot lately and I feel passionate about encouraging clients to put away the gadgets and take advantage of in-person, face-to-face interactions when communicating with and engaging fellow employees. This is especially important when it comes to change.
And I deeply understand why. Change is emotional. It’s not something that can be mandated. It must be felt in both the heart and the mind. A printed memo, email, or flashy PowerPoint isn’t going to do the trick. These tools struggle to stir emotional connection.
I believe that in a world of technological advancement, there is nothing more powerful, nothing more effective than engaging peers through a change effort using a face-to-face group conversation as a tool. There’s nothing like person-to-person interaction. Simply being in the same room is a good thing. When people are in the same physical space, they have the opportunity to talk about the true story behind why your business is changing and how they see themselves impacted in that change. And those are the discussions that help your change stick. Root’s methodology is the perfect answer to engaging folks in a world that seemingly lacks an attention span and is guilty of a technology overdose.
