In a recent interview, renowned psychology professor Dr. David Matsumoto says, "As humans, our whole communication package is not only about sending signals across all the modalities; it's about receiving them in all the channels as well. Not only that, we've evolved for these emotional bonds to develop. This reciprocal exchange through words, through language, but also emotions and feelings and sentiments, non-verbally, is an important part of human interaction."

According to Dr. Matsumoto's research, there are several emotional consequences when we rely on digital communication at the expense of face-to-face communication:

• It's challenging to develop strong relationships with others.
• It's harder to maintain good relationships with others.
• It's easier for existing relationships to degrade.

Ultimately, the scientific reason for the advantages of face-to-face communication may come down to mirror neurons. These are activated when we perform an action or observe another person performing the same action, such as smiling, frowning or crying.

Communicating digitally limits our ability to observe others closely, which can mute the empathic effects of mirror neurons. As psychologist and author Dr Camille Preston explains in The Neuroscience of Remote Work, "when we are in the presence of other people, our brains fire on different levels, making it easier to build and sustain authentic connections. It all starts with mirror neurons."

Digital communication doesn't eliminate the impact of mirror neurons, "but it does reduce their impact," says Preston. "In turn, this affects our ability to connect with team members and build authentic and empathetic connections."

How Can Employers Encourage Face-to-Face Communication Among Employees?

In terms of communication, returning to the office worries some employees in two areas:

• Face-to-face presentations.
• In-person meetings.

Let's look at an example from my coaching practice:

My coaching client Abbey (not her real name), like many others, is concerned about embarking on non-digital communication.

"I got used to delivering virtual presentations," she said. "I am very anxious about going back to the boardroom and standing at the front of the room with 24 pairs of eyes staring at me.

"In virtual meetings, I didn't feel self-conscious if I wasn't always participating as much as others. And in lively meetings, where it's often more difficult for me to butt in with my comments, I appreciated the convenience of typing them in the chat box instead."

A Financial Times interview explains how COVID-era graduates also struggle with communication after long periods without face-to-face learning or socializing.

So some big accounting firms are now offering extra training to new employees who have "less confidence doing basic tasks." The training includes how to deliver in-person presentations and participate in meetings.

Why not ask your L&D department if such training is available in your organization?

Here's what you should consider doing to encourage face-to-face communication between employees.

1. Help Employees Regain Interpersonal Skills.

There are various things managers can do to help their employees connect:

• Encourage social interaction by scheduling simple team-building activities.
• Make time for regular, informal get-togethers.
• Allow a few minutes at the beginning of meetings for chats between attendees.
• Use breakouts and small group discussions in meetings to encourage communication.
• Schedule an extended catered lunch occasionally. Use it to help employees reconnect face-to-face and restore the joy of small talk.
• Encourage managers to check in with their direct reports one-on-one without an agenda.
• Provide emotional intelligence training, focusing on reading body language and active listening skills.
• Encourage team members to express their concerns and anxieties about face-to-face presentations or meetings.

2. Educate People on the Benefits of In-Person Collaboration.

Think of what you could say to team members when you meet up informally. For example:

• Point out how meeting colleagues encourages them to bounce ideas off each other.
• Explain how in-person teamwork gives people a sense of belonging.
• Remind them of the value of relaxed moments when they can access leadership, like meeting the boss while grabbing coffee.

3. Encourage Company-Wide Empathy.

Try to create a connected community at work where people care for each other.

Help everyone understand that in-person working may disorient some returning employees and make them anxious. This might also apply to employees rejoining the office crowd after returning from maternity leave, a sabbatical, or long-term sickness.

Now is the time to put empathy into practice to help your team members build up confidence in their in-person communication skills. Here are a few strategies to help you do this:

• Initially, consider scheduling meetings and presentations less frequently.
• Be flexible. Give those who need it more time to deliver an in-person presentation to a large group of people.
• Rotate the chairing of meetings to give people a break if they're not quite ready to run a meeting.

What's Next?

Have you gone back to the office after a long period away? Are you finding yourself having to relearn face-to-face “people skills”, or maybe having to learn them for the first time?

If you’ve become used to communicating virtually, you may need to brush up on your body language skills to get the full picture. You may also need some pointers on how to collaborate successfully.

Or are you anxious about presenting to a “live” audience after all those Zoom calls? Mind Tools can help you conquer presentation nerves.

Tip of the Week

Promises, promises...

By Sarah Harvey, Mind Tools Coach

How do you feel when someone breaks their promises to you at work? Let down? Upset? Angry? Disappointed?

From time to time, despite our best intentions, we all find ourselves unable to meet a deadline or keep a promise we've made. This happened to me recently and I really hated letting someone down at the last minute. I had no choice but to communicate the issue in the best way I could and explain that I needed more time.

I felt terrible and beat myself up about it for hours. The thing is, the person I'd "let down" didn't feel let down at all. Because I was able to communicate the issue clearly and in a timely manner, and offer a solution, they were very understanding and no harm was done.

The lesson here is, we're often our own harshest critics. But as long as we act with good intentions and communicate respectfully, people generally understand that life happens, and are open to forgiveness. You can bet they’ve been there too.

If we regularly break our promises we'll be seen as unprofessional, untrustworthy and unreliable. But if we’re organized, motivated, and honest, people will likely trust that we did the best we could and will work with us to find solutions.

Weekly Roundup

Workplace Debates in the News

Sold on Bold

What makes for a bold organization? And what advantages does being bold give?

Bold organizations know their own values, know where they want to get to, and are prepared to take big risks to get there. Think of Amazon and its investment in voice-activated technology. From unpromising beginnings, it developed Alexa by insisting that the idea was sound and the outcome achievable, despite the cost.

The payoff wasn’t just in customer satisfaction. Alexa attracted new talent to the company. That talent in turn tried bold new ideas.

And all this was voluntary. Neither market forces nor internal pressures were forcing Amazon’s hand. They stayed ahead of the curve by believing in a vision, and in the capabilities of their people.

Find out more

What companies like Amazon and Microsoft can teach leaders about how to build a bold organization

The Power of Flexibility

Ludmila Praslova is a powerful voice for neurodivergent and disabled employees. A professor of psychology, she is herself autistic. So her views on the value of flexible work, and the potential it can unlock, command respect.

In her view, true flexibility is about more than work location and hours. It covers what people do and how they do it. Work should fit people, not vice versa.

True flexibility isn’t bestowed on a few. It's an essential part of organizational culture. But organizations still fall short of adopting it, resorting to inflexible policies that discount individual needs.

What should they be doing? Aligning what people do with their strengths. When people do what they’re best at, they’re more creative and innovative. Seems obvious, but some organizations still don’t get it.

And they should be aligning how people work (including where and at what hours) with the demands of their lives.

Find out more

The radical promise of truly flexible work

The Trouble With Trust

Trust is a fragile thing, especially in the workplace. Employees trust organizations that allow them to fulfill a purpose and make a difference. But the ones that keep tabs on them, measuring everything they do and every second they spend away from their desks – not so much.

Deloitte thinks that organizational trust is in trouble. Why?

It turns out that across a range of companies, even well-meaning execs don’t necessarily trust employees as a group. Their relations with individuals are often fine. But they can’t quite trust everyone. Which leads to excessive monitoring and micromanagement.

And the response from many workers? Well, we’ve heard plenty about quiet quitting, the buzz phrase for doing the bare minimum to keep drawing a paycheck.

So what’s to be done? Deloitte thinks it’s a case of a more human kind of management, engaging employees and giving them input into policy-making. A tough call for some workplaces. But surely better than the alternative.

Find out more

Workplace monitoring and the lack of trust in the workplace

Quiet quitting is the status quo

We hope you enjoyed this new-style newsletter.

See you next week for more member-exclusive content and insight  from the Mind Tools team!