Experts says clearer communication required in masked up state

Tom Ravlic

Employees will need to ensure they remember to be unambiguous in communication with colleagues while rules related to wearing masks are in place to minimise the spread of coronavirus.

Dr James Collett, a lecturer in psychology at RMIT University, cautions people to be aware how they are communicating when they are masked so they are not misunderstood by colleagues, family and friends.

“Humans are social animals and regardless of how much we individually desire social contact, for the most part, if we are not feeling socially connected to others in a meaningful way, it decreases our wellbeing and increases our likelihood of stress, depression, and other mental health problems,” Collett observes.

“COVID-19 is already making social connection difficult, but face masks might make this a little more complicated because they obscure the face of the people we’re communicating with.”

Masking up deprives people from picking up vibes from facial cues, which would be one way people give context to words in conversation.

“The face is a major source of signals when we engage in social connection. For example, think about how many non-verbal communications come from facial expression, and how different facial expressions are so strongly associated with different emotions.”

Collett explains that the brain is rigged up to suss out facial expressions.

“Face perception is so important that humans actually have a part of the brain - the fusiform face gyrus - that is associated with recognising fine, expert-level detail and comes "pre-set" for faces. In other words, we're born being "experts" on identifying faces and noticing changes in facial expression.”

Collett says that masks will take a way many important facial signalling that forms a part of people understanding the full meaning of a conversation.

“For example, is a friend being supportive or sarcastic when they talk to you? Is a person at the supermarket smiling or are they annoyed? Is your workmate tired or are they concentrating on what they’re doing? In all these situations, it's going to be harder to tell when they've got a face mask on.”

What should people do in this masked up environment ?

“Actively remind yourself that it's easier to miscommunicate or feel disconnected when wearing a mask. This might mean checking in or being more direct when speaking with someone,” Collett says.