Improve your talking pattern; be aware of the ‘Talking Traffic Light’

The pandemic has changed our world, behavior, habitat. We are working more remotely than ever, where teleconferencing is the primary medium for communication for office work.

Why do people love to talk?

1. All human beings have a hunger to be listened to.
2. In the process of talking we release dopamine, the pleasure hormone. Communication can also serve to maintain and improve social connections which releases oxytocin.

There are three stages of speaking to other people remotely:

1. In the first stage, you are on task, discussing relevant topics in a concise manner.
2. The second stage is getting carried away — namely enjoying talking to the point where you do not notice the engagement levels of others
3. The third stage occurs when you have lost track of what you were saying. At this point if your conversational partner has begun to lose interest, it can be hard to rekindle.

Remote working will continue for the foreseeable future which makes it all the more important to practice mindful communication, especially since it is harder to judge behavioural cues that would normally be picked up face to face.

So be aware of the situation and the balance of the conversation, giving others the opportunity to talk, too.