A central Birmingham conference and meeting venue has banned internal emails for a week in a bid to help keep Britain talking during National Meetings Week.

Staff at Conference Aston are being encouraged to talk directly to their colleagues, either face to face or via the telephone instead of using emails for routine exchanges of information.

Paul Bunce, spokesman for Conference Aston said; “The exchange of ideas and information is vital for business and consistently the most effective way of communicating is face to face. In the hi-tech age of instant electronic communication, emails and twitter there is a danger of interpersonal skills deteriorating in business. This week we’re asking everyone to use their feet, not the phone. What business needs right now is more face time, and less Facebook. People should be talking – and listening more.”

“It’s too easy to sit at a computer and rattle off requests and instructions without a thought beyond just getting a job done. We should be thinking about the quality of our communications and the level of personal interaction with our colleagues.”

Conference Aston is part of Aston University and offers businesses from around the UK and Europe purpose built meeting facilities and hotel accommodation within the heart of the Birmingham.
 

ENDS