Face to face communication
| Face to face communication |
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| See also |
Face to face communication is also named as face to face interaction or face to face discourse. It is defined as an interaction that "takes place in the context of co-presence; the participants in the interaction are immediately present to one another and share a common Spatio-temporal reference system. Face to face communication is also dialogical character, in the sense that it generally involves a two-way flow of information and communication, so that producers are also recipients and vice versa. Furthermore, the participants in face to face interaction commonly employ a multiplicity of symbolic cues – gestures and facial expressions as well as words – to convey messages and to interpret the messages conveyed by others [1]".
Advantages of face to face communication
The advantages of face to face communication for students are[2]:
- group interaction,
- knowledge sharing,
- fewer barriers to communication,
- fewer distractions so greater concentration (e.g. doing simultaneous tasks during conference calls)
- reading body language,
- facial expression,
- being able to remember messages for longer.
The advantages of face to face communication in a learning environment are[3]:
- learning from industry experts & gurus first hand,
- listening to speakers who inspire new ideas, challenge the norm and initiate change in everyday thinking,
- networking time with colleagues that helps build relationships,
- networking time with peers in similar field from other businesses,
- getting time out of the office for clearer, creative thinking,
- gaining insights into industry research and development issues,
- important updates for my day to day work.
Face to face communication vs Online communication
In an opinion of P. S. N. Lee, L. L. Ven-Hwei Lo, C. Xiong, T. Wu: Face-to-face communication demands the effort and engagement of participants to succeed and be maintained. The efforts made by participants indicate certain degrees of respect and appreciation of the communicating partners. Internet communication, on the other hand, can be interrupted at any moment or conducted with intermittent delays. Internet users are not required to have immediate responses, and mind their facial or nonverbal expressions when they are online. These differences between online and offline interpersonal communication contribute to different types of social interactions and support, and subsequently perceptions of life quality.
The damaging effect of online person-to-person communication on aspect of life might be clarified by the fact that individuals who like social interactions and support offline, frequently involve in online interrelation connection for some reasons, such as supplementing offline interactions or communicating with unknown people. Nevertheless, they think that such networked disclosure is less pleasurable in terms of providing social interplay or support like that which they have gained offline. For that reason online users have a low rating on the influence of online interpersonal communication on quality of life[4].
Footnotes
References
- Crowley D. J., Mitchell D. (1994), Communication Theory Today', Stanford University Press
- Lee P. S. N., Wu T, Ven-Hwei Lo L. L., C. Xiong (2011),Internet Communication Versus Face-to-face Interaction in Quality of Life, Data Analytics and Survey Research Centre
- Travers C. (2015), Does The Future Have Room For Face To Face Communication?, Loughborough Limited Loughborough University Leicestershire
Author: Dominika Pałkowska
