What are the differences between formal and informal communication?
(I think this is the same logic as learning the right way vs. the wrong way) However the main differences between formal and informal communication are:

Formal- Information is established from a formal channel by which sources of writting are generally taken from; policies, manuals, procedure and rule books, previous meetings, reports etc. Well rehearsed, planned and works well under a timely schedule.

Informal-  Information is gathered, with valid sources, however may not be communicated as wanted and can sometimes conflict with formal communication. Usually not planned/ scripted or written out, uses a model of "going with the flow," however tends to do for engaging with the audience and viewers than formal communicators do.

This graph on http://www.jarche.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/formal__informal_learning.png

demonstrates that formal methods, start off at a higher value level, but continue to depreciate as it undergoes the expert phase. HOWEVER, informal methods start off at a lower value in the beginning but gradually increases as it reaches the expert phase.

So how can you improve on face to face skills? 
Personally I would have to say, the two things to think about, when trying to improve face to face skills are:

1. Confidence: http://www.answers.com/topic/confidence has the definition of confidence as; self trust and self belief, which I think is correct, because if you don't think that you can talk to someone, then you wont be able to do it. Know your material, say it like your mean it and speak with confidence because if you just state your material for the sake of it, no one will care. 

2. Smile: A smile represents you for who you are, according to http://wownesia.com/2011/05/10-meaning-of-smiles/ there are many different meanings of a smile. Under any circumstances of awkwardness, stress or tension a smile can bring the tension down and the mood back up. 

How important are face to face skills?                                       

On a scale of 1 to 10, (1 being not important and 10 being super important) I would give face to face time skills an 8 out of 10. Why? I believe that it is critical for every person to have face to face skills, whether it be at work, or on a regular basis.

Senario: You are a manager seeking someone to do your interviews, who would you hire?
Person A- Check for computer skills, could work on face to face skills
Person B- Check for face to face skills, could work more on computer skills

Personally I would hire "person b," because you can easily work on computer skills as you go, but face to face skills take time to work on, because you as a person have to decide for the change

This is the reason, why I think face to face skills are decreasing, because of less interaction between people, and more interaction through the web 

http://www.dipity.com/tickr/Flickr_branding_communications/

How is technology changing communication in the workplace?

If you guys have not yet realized, that our society seems to be chasing after technology... According to the Globe and Mail, we spend on average 43.5 hours on the web A MONTH! That's actually twice as much as the worldwide average of 23.1 hours: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/canadians-internet-usage-nearly-double-the-worldwide-average/article1934508/ 
Meaning sooner or later we will be stuck at home, doing our job from home, facing a computer for long periods of time... So what are we missing out on? Personally I feel that we are lacking face-to-face communications. That god, I work at a retail store, so I can be able to see tons and tons of different faces all day, getting invovled in their lives and releasing stress. How important is it for you to communicate at the workplace? Let me know what you think