Make it personal

Recently, I attended the annual meeting of our global agency network, BBN, in Paris. Mineo Kamiyama, CEO of Business Decisions in Japan, shared some very recent research on the impact of the tsunami on Japanese attitudes and behaviors. 

One of the more telling results was that a vast majority of respondents said they were going to spend more personal, face-to-face time with their friends, relatives and colleagues and would not overly rely on social media tools and other impersonal communications methods. The emotional impact was readily evident.

It really struck a chord with me. Fortunately, not many in the world have faced such a major catastrophe, but it is a reminder that we shouldn’t forget about the need to interact in person.

An article published earlier this year by Psychology Today reminded readers that human beings are social animals. And while Twitter, Facebook and other social networking fulfills our need for communication, there has been a noticeable paradigm shift thanks to the lack of face-to-face interactions.

All in all, we can’t let our computers and smart phones keep us from truly connecting with each other. Whether that means leaders of organizations create opportunities for more interaction or you simply attend that family reunion you’ve been ignoring … it will make for a better world.  Get out of your office or condo and instead of sending an email, go see someone in person. Connect beyond the computer. I think you’ll “like” it.