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Thursday, January 15, 2009
Small groups and teams in pervasive communication- web lecture
Virtual Communication is easier to communicate but who says communication is clear to begin with? Time and time again we hear the basis of a solid relationship is communication. If women and men have such a hard time understanding each other in general who’s to say that communication through technology is going to make it easier? How simple is it to misinterpret a text or IM from a friend? It’s equally as easy to misunderstand someone’s viewpoint or plan of attack in a business meeting with a group of individuals. As valuable as virtual communication is, we still need to have that real interaction from time to time. Developing a genuine bond with someone whether it’s a co-worker or a client needs to happen with real communication. That face-to-face interaction is the key to a successful relationship.
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Interesting post. I definitely think there are both benefits and consequences to virtual communication. Though the negative aspects you pointed out are so true. Many times I have had arguments with friends that were based off of a text message, email, or even a voicemail. I think that often times face-to-face interaction is great because you can interact using spoken language and nonverbal communication. Though I think virtual communication is great for global companies who have to communicate with other time zones. It likely depends on the specific company and needs of its employees. Great thoughts! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is a funny point you make about the how easy it is to misunderstand technology and I agree with you alot. I often get text messages from people that leave me having no clue as to what they are trying to communicate to me. I will always prefer face to face communication to virtual communication because so much of communication is nonverbal. It will always be much easeir to understand someone when you can see there facial expressions, body cues with there words which is one of the problems with virtual communication. I understand both forms are neccesary in all organizations though.
ReplyDeleteVery well said! I couldn't agree with you more. Although virtual communication is very real, it does not justify the fact that miscommunication happens everyday through all forms of virtual communication. I can count endlessly the times I have had arguments with my boyfriend over the tone of a text or the verbal usage in at text, etc. Emails can be the same way, but they are a little more formal. There is a very fine line between the effectiveness and non-effectiveness of communication. For a long time I avoided deep, insightful texting for this reason. I would only stick to straightforward notes. Even in the workplace it is crucial to maintain a face-to-face interaction. Relationships need that same interaction to maintain a healthy open communication.
ReplyDeleteGood point! My dad was telling me a story the other day about how some of his clients were responding to some of his emails as if he sent the email in anger. The response emails said things like, "Please don't be upset..." And my dad was confused about why they thought he would be upset when all he was doing was his job. I read his email and told him that it sounded pretty harsh when it's open to interpretation like that. I told him, since we're a virtual generation who mostly communicates in virtual communities, he might want to take a different approach. He responded by saying, "Well, I'm not going to include any smiley faces, if that's what you mean!" We had a good laugh over it, but it makes a very clear point.
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