The Critical and Life Affirming Need for Conversations

The Critical and Life Affirming Need for Conversations is a new article penned by Stephanie Nora and available on CEOWorld.biz. Stephanie is a long-time opinion columnist for the publication. An excerpt is below but the full article can be found at https://ceoworld.biz/2025/05/13/the-critical-and-life-affirming-need-for-conversations/

Email, texts and social media mean people don’t talk much anymore, which threatens personal health and happiness and business success. 

After I selected a new office computer at my local Apple store recently, the 20-something, extremely helpful sales associate said I should go online as soon as I returned home to schedule “Genius Bar” time to transfer data between my old and new computers.  “Can’t you please make the appointment for me right now, since we are standing here talking?” I asked her. Seemingly surprised by my question, her response was heartening: “Yes, of course. Sometimes we get so sucked into using technology all the time.”  This coming from a representative of the citadel of all things digital.

I also volunteer with a Chicago nonprofit that provides life and career mentorship for community college students. My only rule in working with these ambitious young people: Our weekly interactions must be over the phone. Some calls are minutes long, others are up to an hour. I allow emails and texts above and beyond that, but not as substitutes for an actual conversation each week. In contrast, the nonprofit considers a monthly text exchange success.

My position: When connection and establishing trust are important, the digital world just doesn’t cut it.