ONLINE ASSIGNMENT - FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION & COMMUNICATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY- RELEVENCE IN THE PRESENT SCENERIO

FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION                                       
                                                                                             Submitted To,
                                                                                                           Sudha Mam

INTRODUCTION

Face to face communication is an important medium of oral communication. Everyday people exchange their ideas and opinions through Face to face communication whenever they get chance. It is a widely used technique of oral but informal communication. Definition of face to face communication, Meaning of face to face communication, Face to face communication definition below here-

So, “when a small group of people or only two persons involve them in informal talking when they come to face to face, it is called face to face Communication.”

In other word, “when two or more persons talk to each other and see each other physically, it can be termed as face to face Communication. It is one kind of two-way oral communication as both the parties are involved here in conversation.” Business communication

Hence, all the informal talks that place when people come to face to face are considered as face to face conversations. However, telephone conversation cannot be termed as face to face conversation, though it is an oral communication.

 

But the presidents of two countries greeting each other with a smile and shaking hands warmly are engaged in face to face conversation, though their communication is not oral due to lack of uniqueness in language.

Characteristics of Face to Face Communication

Face to face communication is an informal oral communication technique. It has some unique characteristics that are not found in other communication methods. The important characteristics of face- to- face conversation are discussed below-

• Straight Communication: The important feature of Face to face communication is that it is very much direct or straight. The parties involved in Face to face communication exchange message directly without using any media. No other communication technique is as direct as it is.
• Informal: Face to face communication is very informal. Under this method the sender and the receiver exchange message freely and openly. No formalities are maintained here.
• Mutual Relation: Face to face communication depends on the mutual relationship between the sender and receiver of the message. Nobody can interfere in such type of communication.
• No Cost Communication: Face to face communication is a no cost communication in nature as it does not require any instrumental arrangements.
• Widely Used: In most of the cases, communication takes place in the form of face to face conversation. Because of its inherent nature, it is widely used in every sphere of life.
• Word of Mouth Effect: Another important characteristic of Face to face communication is that it produces huge word of mouth effect. It helps to spread the negative and positive news about anything of the message.
• No Legal Base: Face to face communication or communication does not have any legal acceptability as it is not written. Face to face communication is almost like invisible communication.
• Spread of Rumor: Face to face communication often helps to spread rumor that may create negative image of the organization.
• Effect of Facial Expression: Another important characteristic of Face to face communication or communication is that here the facial expression of the sender and the receiver has immense effect of the entire communication or conversation process.
• Instant Feedback: An important nature of face to face communication is that it produces instant and quick feedback.

 ADVANTAGES OF FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION

In this modern age of technologically driven business, it can be easy to push aside actual, physical human interaction for communication via electronic device. We email, we IM, we use social media, we text, we talk on the phone… but we often forget that all of these are missing one common component… real, face to face, human interaction.
Therefore, the question must be asked… does it matter? Does face to face time with your team really make a difference to them, or are they more than willing to receive their instructions via email and through phone calls?
This is a great question, and I believe that it is one that holds a lot of relevancy today. We do live in an age of electronic communication, and it does help us in a lot of ways… but has it gone too far? Are many employees feeling disconnected due to a lack human interaction, and is it having detrimental effects on their productivity?
I think that, to be honest, the answer is different for everyone. There might be people out there who don’t mind not speaking face to face as often, though I do believe that the largest percentage of people would benefit from more actual, tangible human interaction… especially where their management is concerned.
I guess the real question would be, then, is ‘what are the advantages of face to face communication over communication via electronic devices?’ That is actually a great question, and here are some answers that might help you to arrive at a decision that will work the best for your team and in your organization.

1) Face to Face Communication Creates More Motivation

There is no denying the fact that speaking to someone in person can make it much easier to motivate them. Of course, you could write a long winded message to your employees telling them how much they do for the company, but is this going to be more effective than walking up to them, smiling at them, and thanking them in person for their hard work? While you can definitely contribute to motivating your team through electronic communication, there is no doubt that face to face interaction has a special relevance in this area.

2) Face to Face Communication Makes it Easier to Sense What a Person is Really Thinking

While it might be possible to ‘read’ a person based on the language in their emails, there is no greater way to gauge what an individual is thinking than to speak to them in person. Did you know that spoken words account for less than 10% of the communication between humans? The rest consists of body language, voice inflection, facial cues, etc. Therefore, it stands to reason that, in order to really communicate with someone on a level that will allow you to ‘read’ the subtleties in their communication that are not made up of actual words, making sure that there is at least a healthy amount of face to face interaction would definitely be a positive thing!

3) Face to Face Communication Creates a Bond

Whether you want to call it friendship, a partnership, camaraderie, or simply a good working relationship, developing a real bond with someone is far more difficult if you do not ever get to speak to them face to face. When it comes to your team, you are likely going to need to develop at least a decent amount of trust for each other… so why forgo face to face interaction when it could serve to better strengthen the bonds of trust between two people who are going to be relying on each other and working together? Of course, you don’t need to be friends with everyone that you work for, but friendship can happen in the workplace, and avoiding face to face interaction may definitely impede this natural process from running its course.
These free eBooks will help you to develop the active listening and communication skills needed for successful face to face communication.

DISADVANTAGES OF FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION

Disadvantages of face to face communication over written communication are follows:

1. Unsuitable for some people
2. Unsuitable for large audiences
3. Unsuitable for large organizations
4. Not accountable
5. Low legal and reference value
6. Poor retention by listener

Disadvantages of face to face communication in business are.

1. Unsuitable for some people

Face to face communication may not be suitable for people who are nervous or poor communicators.

2. Unsuitable for large audiences

Face to face communication is not possible to establish a proper rapport with a large group, through face to face communication.

3. Unsuitable for large organizations

Face to face communication is unsuitable for large organizations as they have branch offices located at different places and even in different countries.
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4. Not accountable

Face to face communication is difficult to hold someone responsible or accountable for something spoken face to face.

5. Low legal and reference value

Face to face communication is oral; no written records are kept so it cannot be quoted in the court of law.

6. Poor retention by listener

In face to face, the communicator can speak at the rate of 100 to 200 words per minute, while the listener's brain can process about 600 to 700 words per minute. The result is that the listener's mind wanders and he does not grasp all the message of speaker

Use of Technology in Communication

Using technology in communication has become a necessity, it’s now part of our lives. People communicate through emails, faxes, Mobile phones, texting services, video conferences, video chat rooms and social media channels. As time goes on, more emerging technologies will change the way we communicate and it will be up to us to embrace them or not. Let’s look at the impact or use of technology in communication both to individuals and businesses. Because technology has completely changed how these two parties are communicating?

            The impact of technology in communication to a business: Today, every business uses technology in its own way to reach the media and targeted consumers. Also, businesses have embraced technology by easing communication within companies and among investors and suppliers. Below are a few uses of technology in communication to a business.

• Easy Product Launch: During the past, companies and small business used to face a lot difficulty in informing their consumers about a new product. A company had to pay for expensive door to door marketing which could even take a lot of time to yield results. Nowadays, things have become simple, through email subscriptions, companies will have data for most consumers, so if they introduce a new item or service. The company will draft one email with details about a new service or product and that message will be delivered to all consumers in a minute. Now their companies online specializing in this type of communication. A good example is ‘.’Mailchimp’’’. With their massive mail submission, all your clients will receive the same message in a minute via email.

• Product or service surveys: Before the invention of the internet, it was so difficult to conduct a survey, most companies would pay money to magazines and place survey forms and offer gifts to users who filled those surveys and mailed them back to the company. Taking a survey is very important to a business because that is how you will know what your clients want and know areas of improvement. Nowadays, a business can conduct a survey using social networks and provide users with incentives like ‘’gift cards’’. This produces a quick response and saves the company money and time.

• Social interaction with consumers:  With the recent invention of social networks like facebook and twitter, a business can create business pages then get followers for these pages. The process is so simple and free. For some business, they set a budget for building a fun base for their pages, so they use these pages to update and communicate with their followers. A good example is ‘’Nordstorm’’ this is one of the largest fashion retail businesses in America. Nordstrom used its face book page to update followers about new items and discounts. As of today, its face book page has over 1,667,162 likes.

• Video Conferencing: Gone are the days when you had to wait for your boss to be in the meeting to start a presentation. New technology enables your boss to be in the business meeting while in a hotel in Hawaii preparing for a partnership or investors meeting.  This has been made possible by the invention of video conferencing.

• Use of digital networks – ‘’Phones and printers are all digitized, not like before when communication was hindered by telephone lines. During bad weather, most the lines would go off. Now with satellite and broadband transmissions, you can communicate with anyone at work or off work via their mobile phones. You can also send a file to a printer while you are at home and someone in the office gets the printout.

          
              The impact of technology in communication to individuals.

• Technology has changed the way we interact and communicate with other.  With the increased use of social based networks, people can create new relationships and also discover old friends. With technology, parents can communicate and keep track of their children. So communication has become easier and cheaper.  Below are a few uses of technology towards individuals.

• Text messaging services: Keeping in touch with friends is very important, so text messaging services have solved this problem by creating mobile phone apps, which enable you to text your buddies on instant for free.  A good example is e buddy. The buddy chat service will allow you to chat with your close friends via text for free.

• Social networking platforms: These social interaction networks have helped individuals discover old school friends and also get new friends based on interests and region. Before this technology, it would be next to impossible for you to find all your old friends and interact with them on an instant, share life and your past on instant. It would even be difficult to get new friends from other countries. But now that barrier has been removed by social networks like face book.com

• Parental security apps: Gone are the days when you had to lie your parents about your location. Now with GPS tracking mobile apps, your parent will install this GPS-enabled app, and they can see where you are. These apps, also have maps which indicate red zones, so you can tell if your child is in that area. When something wrong is detected, the App will notify the parent that their child might be in danger. See an example of such App. Securatrac

• Free internet calls: Friends can call each other for free using free internet call centers. A good example is SKYPE. With Skype software installed on my laptop, I can communicate with my friends for free if they also have Skype on their laptops. This software can also be installed on smartphones. Get this software from Skype

• Use of emails: Even though social networks are trying to replace email communication; there is certain information which users can not exchange via social networks. So email services like yahoo mail, Hotmail, and G mail. Have eased communication. It’s now very rare to find a person writing a letter because that will involve posting it to a postal office and paying delivery fees, which is not the case when you use electronic mail.

In conclusion, technology has transformed the way we communicate, it has created a big impact in how businesses interact with consumers and how friends interact with each other.

The Role of Communication Technology in Today’s Society

Communication technology encompasses a broad range of mediums, from the internet to radio to television to wireless signal providers. It is used in the business sphere, in personal relationships and also in public spaces that are neither primarily commercial or personal, such as a subway stop that uses televisions to broadcast schedule changes. Traditionally, communication technology is limited to hardware such as radio receptors or television sets. However, the popularity of wireless technologies has correspondingly made the concept of communication technology slightly more ethereal. Although “hot spots” are required to transmit wireless signal, the seemingly unlimited variety of wireless devices makes this form of communication technology particularly invigorating in terms of its potential growth.
Regardless of their specific form, the last few decades have seen an unparalleled rise in the availability of these technologies among the public. In 1985, for example, there were a total of 340,000 cell phone subscribers in the United States. In 2012, there are now 5.9 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide. This shift in the span of only 27 years has had a dramatic effect on how people relate to one another.
In previous eras, for example, there was a clear line between the “public” and “private” spheres of daily life. Because communication technology could only be transmitted in very specific forms like a television set or radio signal, people interacted with the technology in limited bursts. The news cycle was geared to produce a compendium of relevant stories at specific times, leading to more thoughtful and well-researched presentations. Because the hardware was somewhat costly, people tended to gather in groups to experience presentations together. When the presentation was over, people would turn off the technology and return to their particular social grouping without the expectation of further media interference.
In our present society, communications technology is never “off” in the same way that it used to be only a few decades before. While people can elect individually to participate with the technology, the public/private boundary has become very hard to differentiate. Cell phones, which allow people to connect to the internet, are designed to remain receptive to messages unless their battery has died. The natural human urge to connect with others is now a constant option, instead of an occasional luxury.
The presence of older communication technology such as radio or television in people’s lives does not have the same significance that it once did, although it still plays a role. Increasingly, communication technology is viewed as a kind of platform. A radio show might be more popular than a television show, or vice-versa. People accord relevance to content, not necessarily the platform on which it is found. This has forced content providers to become increasingly competitive in terms of branding themselves in the market in order to attract attention. Television competes with Twitter competes with radio competes with memes on the internet. There is no center in the communications technology universe, only a constantly revolving door of options. The consumer chooses what content appeals to him, and the benefit to the communication technology provider is therefore second-hand.
This is partially why the rise of wireless technology may ultimately become the distinguishing factor in who influences major communication shifts. Much like electricity, without wireless access many people will be unable to access the content. However, the sheer numbers of people who are actively participating in communications technology by virtue of owning cell phones makes it unlikely that only one provider will be able to capture all wireless communications. Because cell phones and tablet computers have evolved so quickly, it is likely that smaller markets will be able to create sophisticated “off-grid” technologies that use a specialized form of wireless signal to transmit messages to a select group, much as the London rioters of 2011 sent each other private messages over their blackberry's or iPhone's.
Regardless of what the future holds, the present is very much an environment influenced by communication technology. It is not an uncommon sight to see someone walking down a crowded street, completely absorbed by the display of their smart phone. The way we choose to connect with people has become largely mediated by communication technology. Most of us, perhaps not surprisingly, have accepted this transition without question.

CONCLUSION 

   Most of us use our cell phones and computers to inform, make requests of, and collaborate with co-workers , clients and customers. The digital age has connected people cross the world, making e- commerce and global networking a reality. But does this reliance on technology also mean we are losing the ability to effectively communicate with each other in person ?

   Ulrich Kellerer think so. He is a leadership expert , international speaker, and author. According to Kellerer, "When it comes to effective business communication, over reliance on technology at work can be a hindrance, especially when it ends up replacing face to face , human interaction".

REFERENCE

1.Influence of information and community technology on digital drive-Global journal of computer science

2.Wikipedia