The art of conversation
It’s National Conversation Week this week in the UK and it really got me thinking about how important it is to talk to others.
You only need to go back to being in lockdown a few years ago to understand the importance of conversation. Being separated from people and not having those random interactions with strangers in a shop or in the street was something that a lot of people missed.
Of course, we could still talk to, and see each other, via Zoom, Teams and FaceTime, but having a conversation digitally is a very different experience. Reading social cues in real life is unlike reading them on a digital screen. It was almost like learning a new skill!
One thing that I’ve found since being involved in more face-to-face engagements is that it’s not quite so draining. I’m not sure if you’ve found that too? Looking someone in the eye while talking to someone was something that I possibly took for granted before.
I love seeing this in action when I’m in one of our offices. The way we all interact with each other; asking someone how they are, how their weekend was and if they have any holiday plans. All of these ‘watercooler’ moments are special in their own way.
The importance of conversation is why I think Time to Talk is such a great initiative from our NASHability Employee Resource Group. Launched at the beginning of May, the sessions allowed people to take time out of their busy day to connect with colleagues from across the globe, speak about what we have in common and learn more about how we can support each other. I do hope that this is something that we continue going forward.
Opening the gateways to communication is very important to our business. Talking to each other allows us to collaborate more effectively. Talking with our customers allows us to tailor our solutions (be they technology or talent) to suit their needs. Talking to our candidates allows us to delve more into the type of person they are, so that we can find them a role that they will flourish in.
It’s important that you keep talking to me and the rest of the Executive Council too. As I’ve said before, I always have time to listen either with ‘Ask Bev’ or just drop me an email if there’s something you’d like to discuss.
Hope you have a restful and relaxing weekend.