Are our kids turning into aliens?

If you believe that business in the future will still need effective, persuasive, confident communicators, negotiators and sellers – and will still need those who inspire and motivate - now is the time to make sure that happens.

Because much of my life has been spent in coaching, I’m sensitive to the biggest concern I hear from parents and grandparents, who believe their offspring are spending far too much time on devices, playing games and watching screens and effectively speak an alien language.

In a world in which our children are enthralled by on-screen entertainment, a world in which they can sit for hours watching screens of various sizes, a world in which parents park their kids with the “electronic babysitter”, we should rightly wonder about the long-term effects this technology may have on them.

Of course, we don’t know. But we can take steps, just in case…

First the disclaimer, this is not about face-to-face versus on-line. It’s not a battle to have face-to-face beat on-screen communication. On-line entertainment, social media and the power of the web are a given. This is about ensuring there is a balance. It’s about believing that our children can be both adept at on-line and yet effective and confident as communicators, one-to-one and in a presentation scenario.

It may change, but most of the biggest deals, negotiations and pitches in business and politics still and probably will always, involve powerful face-to-face communicators. But if children grow up without persuasive skills, because they have spent their childhood and youth interacting with a screen, what does that mean for your business?

Among them and of prime importance is the use of eye contact, both one-to-one and one-to-group, not only the amount used (which I’d argue will probably diminish as one-to-screen time increases), but the timing of eye contact.

Second is the ability to structure a communication, including ways to build a logical argument and have an audience follow the reasoning to the point of agreement and action.

Third is the ability to use evidence, facts, statistics, case studies, testimonials, visual aids, demonstration, and hypothetical arguments to persuade and convince.

And fourth is the ability to make communication creative, to capture the imagination, to inspire and motivate.