Boost morale, productivity with actual conversations

Abstract

Remote work, Zoom meetings, emails, texts, and social media can help you stay connected to career and family while limiting your exposure to the COVID‐19 virus, but they won't protect you from catching the loneliness bug triggered by limiting your exposure to chit‐chat. Even before the shutdown brought on by the COVID‐19 pandemic, “the world was already experiencing a loneliness epidemic,” according to Celeste Headlee, an award‐winning journalist, professional speaker, and author of  Heard Mentality  and  We Need To Talk: How To Have Conversations That Matter . She spoke during a webinar hosted by NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. “The human voice is healing,” she explained, and authentic interactions boost the immune systems of those involved.