If Our Kids Can’t Chat, It’s Our Fault. Here’s Why

It was a brilliant experience. I met some fantastic students, learned a lot myself, and I’m confident they did too. But if I’m being honest, one thing stood out, a real struggle with basic communication.

Ask these young people to research, build presentations, or work online, and they excel. Yet when it comes to calling someone, interviewing a stranger, or simply holding a natural conversation, confidence disappears.

And it isn’t just these students. In today’s digital-first world, the simple art of conversation is fading fast for many teenagers and young adults.

I was reminded of this again on Halloween. When we were kids, we knocked on doors, said “trick or treat,” cracked a joke and always said thank you, even if all we got was a satsuma. In 2025, many children barely knock, and bowls of sweets are left outside to avoid interaction altogether.

My eight-year-old reluctantly knocked on a few doors and gave a polite thank you (with some encouragement). He told me houses don’t want interaction anymore. Worryingly… he’s probably right.

This isn’t just nostalgia. Being able to greet someone, speak confidently and hold a conversation is a crucial life skill. Without it, we risk raising a generation who are brilliant behind a screen but anxious and uncertain without one.

After 20+ years in property recruitment, I can say it plainly: the young people entering the workplace today are less chatty, less confident and far less comfortable face-to-face than those we met a decade ago.

And if we want that to change, we can’t just sit back and complain. It’s on us. The parents, the schools and the employers need to help fix it. That means giving kids real practice: encouraging them to order food themselves, make phone calls, ask questions, speak to adults, hold eye contact, and build confidence in real conversations. These tiny moments matter.

In recruitment, communication is everything. Whether it’s picking up the phone, building relationships, handling clients, or collaborating in a team, confidence and conversation matter. As a business owner, I see candidates with incredible digital skills, but many struggle the moment the laptop closes. If we want great future employees in our industry, we need to start building these skills now. A CV gets you noticed, but conversation gets you hired.

Let’s make sure the next generation can do both: communicate brilliantly online, and confidently face-to-face.

At Collins Property Recruitment, we help you not only attract but win over the very best in the business. From shaping your employer brand to streamlining your interview process, we know what it takes to turn interviews into job offers that stick.

Email us at info@collinspropertyrecruitment.com or give us a call on 020 7435 0309.

Collins Property Recruitment is a business with a purpose: to enable talent and businesses to meet and do great things together. We make this happen through an unrivalled network, a values-led, consultative approach and a hard-earned reputation as the go-to recruiter in property.