By Kristin Zehnder

Remember when Palm Pilots were introduced at work? They were coveted, cool and replaced the need for pocket-sized paper calendars, clunky cell phones, pagers and walkie-talkies alike. Naturally, they carried a stiff cost, so not everyone piloted by palm.

“Land line” versus “mobile” became terms of distinction and those chosen few treasured their new technology like a status symbol – or so it seemed.

Not All Change For Better
I remember a distinct change in our daily operations meetings once the Palm Pilots arrived. Those that had them were so busy checking them and “click, click, clicking” away to enter data with their stylus that they missed half of what was said at the meeting. Simply put, the quality of the meetings declined because the focus changed from attentive interactive communication to distracted and disjointed communication.

Fast-forward to today. New technologies have vastly increased our ability to communicate with one another through a variety of easily accessible mediums. The result?

Communication has become individually instantaneous and global. Information has become easily accessible and virtually limitless, but at what cost?

The Unexpected Cost of Connectivity
Think about some of the new technologies. Wireless. Social media. Smart phones. How have these changed our communication? We no longer wait to share information. Now we can snap a ‘selfie’ and post it online for the world to see and comment in real time.  We can participate in virtual meetings across the globe without the need to travel. Clearly technology has had a profound and positive impact on communication, but again, at what cost?

There is an unexpected cost; technology has had an adverse influence on human-to human interaction and interpersonal skills.

Direct Impact on Customer Experience
I recently attended a hospitality industry conference where one of the discussions entailed measuring guest service standards. The two standards being measured were universal (standards applying to all associates regardless of position) and operational (specific standards which are unique to the position).  Many of the standards involved direct guest interaction. These standards would involve greeting the guest and using the guest name in their conversations. Measurement scores are typically provided through quality assessments (a.k.a. secret shoppers).

The speaker brought forward the issue of a disturbing trend—scores were noticeably decreasing in all categories involving direct guest interaction. The speaker jokingly said, “Don’t worry, it’s not just your location, it’ s all over North America.”

Imagine the effect this information had on the audience. The speculations as to ‘why’ were immediate. People were quick to blame younger generations because they epitomize technological dependence. However, this trend is not generation-specific; just think of all the varied ages tapping on their tech at inappropriate times.

Social Media’s Anti-Social Impact
Have we become anti-social by avoiding face-to-face communication because of social media?

Consider following definition of “communication” from Wikipedia: “The activity of conveying information through the exchange of ideas, feelings, intentions, attitudes, expectations, perceptions or commands, as by speech, gestures, writings, behaviour and possibly by other means such as electromagnetic, chemical, or physical phenomena.”

Technological communication is missing the non-verbal cues people use to relate to one another. Sure we sometimes use emoticons to help us show our feelings, but have you ever misread or read unintentional tone into a message? How do we accurately interpret human behaviour when we are out of practice?

Eyes Open to Non-Verbal Communication
That brings us back to non-verbal cues and interpersonal skills. Animals, for example, are social creatures that interact frequently with humans through non-verbal communication. Have you ever had the sense that your dog knew when you were feeling a bit blue? Similarly, have you seen a range of emotions in your pet’s eyes and behaviour—curiosity, excitement, fear, love?

Have you noticed that many people have a difficult time maintaining direct eye contact with others? Eyes are the windows to the soul. This is true not only with animals, but with people. When we are able to communicate with eye contact, we see an array of emotions which provide an invaluable overlay of non-verbal information.

Manage Your Mediums
The draw of being connected, virtually, via social media is strong. The lure is the immediate connection with people worldwide in an omniscient way.

However, while social media has amazing and impactful merits, it is diminishing the desire and reality of people connecting face-to-face with one another. As evidenced in the decreasing usage of standards involving direct interactions with guests, we are either choosing not to interact with people directly, or we are no longer comfortable with these direct interactions.

Changing this behaviour is a tedious task at best. Technology is a means to support and enhance human connection and interaction. However, we need to train and review interpersonal connectivity in order to improve it. Take the time to slow down and be present in the moment. I invite you to take a step back from technology to practice and embrace face-to-face interaction.

Kristin Zehnder, CHRP is director of human resources for Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa.

(PeopleTalk Summer 2014)