During the “Abend der Wirtschaft 2018” event, which consisted of a sequence of presentations on the topic from a panel of speakers, I could observe multiple forms of interactions as follows:
– Interaction of the speakers with the audience: through eye contact (some speakers establishing it with the audience, some of them not and just staring into space), body gesture (some speakers using their hands to emphasize their speech, some of them not), dress code (business attire versus business casual dressing, a female speaker wearing very colorful jewelry and accessories, another female speaker dressed in total black), sense of humor (some making funny jokes, some displaying funny video, some being more serious), referral to a specific person in the audience by his first name (“Menschen wie Stefan”), different communication tools (language, screen presentation, videos), different ways of occupying the space (some speakers standing still, some going back and forth, some walking through the whole available space) and through the use of devices (different types of microphones).
– Interaction of the audience with the speakers by clapping hands and laughing.
– Interaction between the attendees during the coffee pause: forming several discussion groups, varying in size, some people queuing to get something to drink/eat, some people going outside to smoke.
– Interaction between the attendee and the artefacts of the venue: use of loudspeakers, use of a projection screen with live zooming/image adjustment, audience installed in chairs with tablets arranged in different levels so that everyone can see the speaker, photographers, a big bunch of flowers in a pot set next to the speaking area, architecture tools on the board, with light …
– Also, a side note here is that the attendance was at least 80% male.
I think interaction is a key topic, at the center of our life in every context. Interaction comes from Latin “inter”, meaning between, and “ago” meaning to do or to act. Any “action between” is considered an interaction. When interaction involves a sequence of actions then it could be seen as a process. When two people or two things interact, the two people or two things affect each other’s behavior or condition, react to each other. Interaction implies a two-way effect. The purposes of interaction are multiple. In my opinion, any form of communication implies interaction. Transmitting or receiving an emotion, a knowledge or even just a simple information require interaction with someone or something. I think to interact is to talk, to look, to communicate, to be with, to create contact, to engage, to share, to shape, to impact to change, to affect. I can’t imagine a single life experience without interaction.
To be further discussed …
Maha
The male predominance in that specific event didn’t leave much space for female/male interactions! However – and even if i am supportive of the underlying arguments – I would like to emphasise here that unfortunately the #metoo movement communication has globally biased the female/male interactions nowadays. I think interactions are closer, amicable, lively somehow more familiar in groups sharing a lot of similarities, consequence of the belonging feeling, but with a counterpart of not letting much space for expressing differences.
The male dominance of that event has been noted by several. In fact, it is interesting to revisit the kinds of interaction from that view point. Did you observe female/male interactions? How do interactions happen in groups that share a lot of similarities? What kinds of interactions do they accept, which ones are not on the table?