Don’t Let the Digital World Divide: Face-to-Face Communication Still Critical

I just got back from a meeting in Tampa. Following the meeting, a group of us went to the hotel bar to continue the conversation.

Guess what happened instead?

Everyone sat “playing with” their iPhones and BlackBerrys! What little conversation there was revolved around the latest apps.

Somehow, with the need to communicate quicker, and more easily, we seem to have lost the art of the conversation.

You know … actually talking to people.

When I think of the time it takes to post a tweet on Twitter, send an e-mail, or to update a Facebook page, I also think about how many people we could have actually spoken to, if we just picked up the phone.

What’s happening in our workplace when colleagues who work next to each other end up texting instead of getting up to chat face to face?

What does that say about interpersonal communications? Is this really a way to build a relationship?

Believe me, I am a proponent of using the latest social networks -- check me out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Naymz – but NEVER in lieu of meeting people for coffee, or phoning someone and having a real conversation.

Business particularly is all about the connections you make – and these are much more effective when done face to face.

Reading words on a screen, even with a video and/or audio element added, is and never will be the same as having a real dialogue in person.

Many times there are subtle nuances to communication and body language that “speak” far greater than actual words. How does this non-spoken “conversation” get conveyed online?

In the search to expand our networks, I truly believe that something is being lost.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Modern-Day Networking: “Dripping” Can Solidify Relationships

Are you dripping?

Think of “dripping” as a way to keep in touch with clients and colleagues – a little bit at a time, repeatedly.

In the course of a day, many of us might meet one or several people who we want to build a relationship with – one that is mutually beneficial, win/win, and helping others.

Yet, just a meeting, whether chance or purposefully planned, isn’t enough.

That’s where the dripping starts.

Immediately after meeting someone that you want to foster a relationship with, send something to the person – an e-mail, a text, a Tweet, a note, an article.

Then, touch base again with a call or even offer to do lunch. Look for ways to help the other person. Find commonality.

As the relationship starts to build, you continue to “drip.” Your contact might be once a month, or once every other month.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder” is a fallacy! When it comes to business networking and building relationships, it’s more like, “Out of sight, out of mind.”

Dripping keeps you in the mind’s eye of the other person, since you touch base on a frequent basis.

Building relationships is more important, and easier to do, than ever before.

So, just keep on dripping!

My Initial Report from NSA Convention: Relationships Rule!

I have been at the National Speakers Association (NSA) National Convention in Arizona, since July 16, and it ends today.

Whether it’s been during a board meeting (I’m a National Board Director), a keynote, a breakout session, or in the hallways, the biggest takeaway for me so far has been a reminder of the power of relationships.

You see, my goal when it comes to meetings like these is to always come back to my office with one to three things that I can immediately implement which will change my business.

This time at the NSA Convention, as good as the content has been, it can’t begin to compare with the new friends I’ve made -- and the old ones that I’ve reconnected with … relationships.

One specific highlight of this past week has been having dinner with Keith Ferrazzi, author of the best-selling books Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your Back. Whether in private conversation or as a dynamic speaker, his theme is always about relationships.

What are you doing to develop and nurture your relationships?