CHITCHAT IN FREE

Does this ever happen in the virtual world? In the hallway you may run into the same student several times and ultimately become acquainted. And by then, 20 minutes have gone by.Īs faculty, staff, or administrators, you may have a hard time remembering students’ names, and if you are like us, it helps to see faces and have personal interactions to remember individuals. And, as long as your office door is open, they knock and ask, “Do you have time for a quick question?” For us, the answer is undoubtedly, “Yes,” and often this chit-chat evolves into later structured meetings resulting in manuscript submissions, conference presentations, or even new ideas for proposals. There might be that student, staff member, or colleague who perhaps doesn’t want to ask a question in front of a larger group, however, wants to hear your perspective or advice on an issue. When we know that someone has been working hard on a task and we run into them, we can (and should) ask if they ran that half-marathon they were training for or submitted the manuscript you reviewed for them…don’t forget to say, “Congratulations! That’s wonderful!” It’s like a shoulder tap. Also, when someone seems stressed and tired, asking how things are going can give them permission to vent with a trusted person. But, to keep the chit-chat going you might respond with, “ Really, was it that big of a win?”īody language provides cues about how we are feeling and doing, and another person can pick up on our happy or not-so-happy mood and respond empathetically or cheerfully.Īsking about someone’s children, pets, or their hobbies creates connections and puts a smile on people’s faces. “ Well, that was a great win yesterday, wasn’t it?” You didn’t even know it was a big football weekend, so you’re trying to hide your lack of awareness and embarrassment, and feel humility. And on the days when you don’t want to be seen, you can hide behind doors or walk in with your headphones. Let’s be honest: We all like to be seen for the color that looks good on us or the new haircut-the pandemic hairdo would be a great topic! Perhaps someone comments on the funny or inspirational saying on the coffee cup you are refilling, or the cup that shows you are taking pride in your identity or cultural background. Chit-chatting about a deadline may show someone you care about their progress in an admonishing and motivating way. This brief encounter inspires you to go back to something that has been on your backburner. Perhaps a professor runs into a student who asks about that looming semester project, article review, or experiment. You may bond over discussing the results of the latest college football game, a new online yoga class you tried, a home improvement project, an article you just read, or a conference you recently attended. So, what are the potential functions of chit-chat in higher education? What could university community members be missing out on in this virtual environment?īonding, maintaining trust, and building collegiality Yet, in our work-from-home world we are missing out on our informal touch points with colleagues and students. Perhaps, rarely before have we thought about chit-chat functions in the academic environment.

CHITCHAT IN FREE

How do we define chit-chat? Chit-chat, much like small talk, has been viewed as phatic communication, which is free and aimless to connect socially rather than deliver content (Methot et al. Oh, how we now long for chit-chat by the department coffee pot or following a staff meeting. Chit-chat seems to be an occurrence of the past, a not much thought about lost (p)art of our work-life culture: It has become nearly extinct.

While these seemingly insignificant, occasional, and spontaneous hallway encounters may have taken up a relatively small part of our days, the chit-chat in higher education has suddenly vanished, become elusive, and is nowhere to be found in the back-to-back Zoom or Teams meetings. Do you remember having these interactions with colleagues and students on our campuses? You may not, as these chit-chats often occurred before the pandemic forced most of us to work from home.

Remember the “good ol’ days?” How often did you walk down a hallway of your academic unit and pass a student, faculty or staff member, or administrator and have a short conversation about the new course you were teaching, asked for advice about applying to graduate school, talked about the upcoming faculty-staff-student barbeque, or discussed a pending sporting event between rivals? We have all taken part in these chit-chats, whether distracting or welcoming.

Chitchat in