Written by: Kendra Wormald / Professional Communication / November 09, 2022 / 10 minutes read

As incidences of COVID-19 have decreased, employers are requesting workers to start returning to working in the office, whether for a handful of days or everyday. We were challenged to adjust to a virtual world and through that had to learn new strategies and develop communication skills appropriate for virtual responsibilities and expectations. Learning how to balance communication skills for both virtual and in-person interactions can be a skill in itself.

Although you may be happy to never again hear ‘ can you see my screen’ said at least once in a meeting, coming back to in-person presentations can stir up challenges with confidence and nervousness while presenting. To set yourself up for success, consider the following points: 

• What environment are you presenting in, is it small or vast like a lecture hall?

• How will you change your slide? Do you have a clicker, will you have to keep returning to the computer?

• Write out your presentation points and practice, practice, practice. 

• Consider your audience, what do they already know? 

• How can you engage the audience?

• Prepare answers to possible questions.

• Use your new media skills to your advantage. Will you use visuals, charts, special effects? 

• Prepare an outline before writing

• Ask for feedback 

Language and Voice 

How you express yourself through word choice, tone, word stress, pacing, where you pause and your breath support, all impact how effectively you convey your message. 

• Record Yourself. Did you notice how fast you spoke, did you rush through words and mumble?

• Be Concise. Think about the main points and express these ideas in a succinct manner, not going on tangents or using jargon. 

• Use a deep replenishing breath while speaking. For more information on breathing for communication, follow this link.

• Remember to Pause – it’s an opportunity to mentally re-group, and it will get the audience’s attention too.

• Use humor to help convey a point that is appropriate for the environment. 

What we may have missed out on the most during lockdown, are the social aspects that come with an in-persona working environment. Meeting around the ‘watercooler’ may be a thing of the past, or maybe you habitually put out your hand just to be met with hesitation. Either way, things are not as they were, which calls for an adaptation period. Humans thrive through connectedness which can be facilitated in the office, as long as there’s intentionality behind it. 

“You need today’s office environment to allow each person to show up as their whole self. This could be through presentations or small talk where people will be a bit rusty. You need a nurturing and inclusive workplace and culture.”  – Lucky Goodchild, TED

Does the thought of meeting people you’ve only met virtually, being close to someone while eating lunch or having to fully engage in a conversation scare you? Well you’re not alone. In fact, 57% of people between ages 18-34 stated their ability to make conversation in the office had diminished, and 84% admitted to feeling ‘out of practice’ 

(Bajorek et al., 2022).

How to Facilitate Conversation in the Workplace

Plan Ahead. Come up with scripts you can have in your ‘back pocket’ that could be appropriate for most situations. For example, you might ask people how their family is, how their hobbies are going, how they feel about the return to the office etc.

 If discussions around socializing start coming up and you don’t feel comfortable, utilize scripts to express your feelings, for example, “I’m not ready yet, I’d rather get together outside, I need time spent alone to decompress”. It’s ok to give yourself time to ease back into social life inside and outside of work. 

Take Small Steps. You don’t have to have lengthy conversations with your co-workers, a simple acknowledgment may be all you can manage at this time - and that’s ok. As you become more comfortable in this environment your willingness to engage in social communication will likely increase. Give yourself some time, and take advantage of easy and unexpected and small interactions.

Be an Active Listener. A large portion of communication, often undervalued, is the power of listening. Ways to be a better listener include:

• Not speaking over the other person

• Make eye contact 

• Ask questions 

• Use affirmative head nods and appropriate facial expressions

• Paraphrase

• Be empathetic 

• Be present in the moment. When you exhibit presence, those around you feel listened to, respected, and valued. 

Through this transition you may have already asked yourself “where do I put my hands, where do I look, how should I sit?”, which makes sense considering you’ve seldom interacted with much more than your head and shoulders through video calls for two years. It can take an adjustment period to become more comfortable with our body movements in a professional setting.

• Allow Yourself to Take Up Space. This sends signals to your brain indicating that you’re relaxed and confident which will carry over into your communication. 

• Smile. Although it is possible to overdo this, try to lean into your natural and genuine reaction of happiness or laughter to make your smile more natural.

• Be Accessible. Don’t block yourself off, give the speaker your undivided attention, uncross your arms and ignore your phone or that email that just chimed through.

• Perfect Posture. Keep your head up and shoulders back to appear more approachable and open for conversation. 

• Increase Eye Contact. Like smiling, this can be overdone. Follow the rule that about 60% of the time you should be looking in the other person’s eyes. A lack of eye contact shows disengagement and untrustworthiness. 

• Angle your Body. Be aware of your legs, feet, shoulders and overall body positioning. You should be angled towards the person. 

• Mirror the Other Person. If the conversation partner is using their hands to talk, try incorporating this into your communication. This promotes feelings of comfortability and respect. 

You may have just become comfortable with your virtual work routine and having to go back to in-person may cause feelings of anxiety, stress, uncomfortableness and panic. 

The mental effort required to be around people when you are not used to it can be quite exhausting. It will be draining to build new routines and adapt behaviors once again. Be intentional about taking care of yourself and your wellness through this transition. Here are some ways you can do this:

• Show compassion to yourself and others 

• Recognize what you’ve collectively been through the past 2 years 

• Be intentional about maintaining your work-life balance 

• Create a routine 

• Set realistic expectations and goals for yourself 

• Give yourself time in the morning 

• Consider your sensory boundaries

• Express concern with confidence and assertiveness 

• Give yourself rest 

• Make your office space comfortable 

• Plan something you enjoy for after work 

• Step away from the crowd to have some time alone

“We will have fluctuations and anxiety around returning to work, and being kind to ourselves increases our optimism and makes us better problem-solvers.”  - Jennifer Wild, Psychological Scientist

Find more information about the role emotion plays on communication, here.

As you return to a hybrid or fully in-person workplace approach, keep in mind the skills and time required for tasks and make time to reflect on your own adjustments.The pandemic took a toll on everyone in some way. It’s time to remember what you bring to the table and lean into the intentionality of learning and applying these skills once again. 

To speak with a psychotherapist or one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.