Episode: 574

Episode Title: Screen to Screen

Can a meaningful human connection be forged in a virtual environment? Let’s talk about this question, next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 574 show:

This is The Perna Syndicate—and I’m glad you’re here! When I talk about connecting, engaging, and answering why for young people, I admit I’m often envisioning this connection as a face-to-face, belly-to-belly interaction where you look the other person in the eye and demonstrate interest on a human level. 

A firm handshake, a warm smile, a friendly greeting—we all crave the sense of connection that these simple gestures can bring. So what happens to the human connection when we’re connecting virtually? Can we even forge that human connection when we’re screen to screen instead of face to face?

I believe the answer is yes, and this is borne out by the tremendous connections I was able to build with audiences across North America at the start of the pandemic. Everything went remote overnight, including my consulting meetings and keynote presentations. We were all scrambling to adapt. 

Through all the challenges of learning new technology and communication methods, I always remembered it was the people on the other end who mattered. Not whether or not my Internet connection was perfect, not if I had the right Zoom background and all the bells and whistles—no. All of that was there to serve the main objective, which was to connect with people on a personal level. 

It may not come as naturally, but yes, we can build human connections through a screen. And in our increasingly virtual world, the skill of truly connecting via a screen will only become more vital. Because it’s not about the screen, is it? It’s about the person.

On the next episode of The Perna Syndicate, how do you respond when someone wants to connect with you? Let’s talk about it on tomorrow’s show. Take care and we’ll see you then!