According to research from Oxford University, conducted by the Dutch principal investigator Lucas Seuren. He specializes in conversation analysis and studied 25 online conversations between doctor and patient. “Sometimes people are silent when they should be talking, and sometimes people start talking at the same time.”
Normal silence: 0.1 second
To know where the problems start, we need to know what the conditions are for a smooth conversation. This has to do with immediate response, and therefore short silences. All our lives we are used to sitting in a room and talking to each other in that way. That is the ideal situation. Average duration of silence during such a conversation before someone responds: 0.1 second, says Seuren.
–
–
With a perfect internet connection, the problems in meetings are often barely present, says Seuren, but then both parties must have a good connection. And that is not always the case. “The worse the infrastructure, the greater the problems.” And then sometimes action has to be taken.
Don’t sing songs
If those problems do occur, it will take a while to get the conversation back on track. Ten to fifteen seconds in the worst cases. If this happens several times, it can lead to a less successful conversation and maybe even to break it off. Although Seuren did not see that happening in his research.
Problems arise especially when you want to do something at the same time in an online conversation. Maybe in an online meeting this year you already sang ‘Long will she live’ when it was a colleague’s birthday? Then the delay on the line really comes to the fore, says Seuren. “Total chaos. Nobody sings at the same time.”
–
–
More serious then: because in the doctor-patient conversations that Seuren analyzed, no songs were sung. He saw problems arise in conversations about, for example, medication intake, where the doctor repeated her question, but wanted to answer the patient precisely at that moment, due to the delay on the line.
Second of silence is very long
Seuren says: “Think of a conversation that you would have at home, and the other person does not respond to your question for a second. Then you immediately think that the other has not heard you well. Or you may receive an unexpected answer.”
And that doesn’t have to be the case in an online conversation. In the same example, the doctor has to wait almost a second for her answer and therefore repeats the question exactly when the patient does not respond. But the patient in turn reacts directly from his perspective the moment he has heard the question. The conversation is therefore very different for both.
–
–
The fact that both participants in the conversation are not aligned is also evident from their body language. In the same conversation, when the patient turns his face towards the screen, the doctor expects him to answer. In reality, he turns his face the moment he hears the doctor speak, while the doctor sees the patient turn when the question is almost finished.
Soon back at the table
Seuren expects that it is one of the reasons why doctors and patients quickly reunite after corona, instead of on Zoom or Skype, but there are also situations in which it can be a solution. For example, with chronic illnesses. “If you have to go back for a check-up every six weeks, and you are in a traffic jam or cannot find a parking space. Then it is nice if you can do your check-up at home. And in some cases those people can do the physical examination that the doctor normally does. , also do it yourself. As long as the doctor can direct or supervise it. “
–
–
It has taken some getting used to for people in the office, but after months of online conversations, the majority will have gotten used to it. “We really had to learn to talk again,” says Seuren. “Because what is normal silence? Online is very different.”
Structure
Seuren also has a few tips to make the conversations run smoothly. The most important: structure. “Who’s leading the conversation? That’s important.” What can also work are the functions such as raising the hand. But then that must be monitored by the moderator, and people must adhere to it.
–
–
Another way to indicate that you want to talk is to turn on your microphone. That can be a signal. “Even clearer is turning on your camera, provided everyone has it off. When you turn on your image, it is a sign that you want to say something.”
These are all ways to understand the silences in online conversations, and at the same time avoid talking. But perhaps most importantly, don’t sing songs.
More tips on how to make successful video calling? You can see it in the video below:
–
–
