2 Hours . 1 Day a Week . 4 Months
This is how much time I spent volunteering at my job prior to starting full time last Wednesday.
In that time, it became gleamingly clear that communication was most profusely an issue within the organization.
And it all started with a text ...Or should I say, lack of text thereof?
I sent a text to my director asking an important question and no text was ever reciprocated, thus important question went unanswered.
Why DO we rely on text messaging as a primary source of communication these days? Especially in the professional world! I can't help but wonder how much communication needs to be lost before we finally realize it is important to pick up a phone and have an actual conversation.
(Spoiler ... I DID pick up the phone when the text went unanswered, but that's a post for another day.)
tutzone.org provides a beautiful list of reasons why text messaging is probably NOT the best route to go, especially in regards to communicating important information. Some of the reasons they find texting to be a hinderance on the communication process include ...
- Texting creates miscommunication
- Texting reduces in depth conversation
- Text message spoils grammar
- Texting affects interpersonal communication
So, somewhere between 10 and 200 miscommunication is occurring, in depth conversations are lacking, grammar is being shot in the foot and interpersonal communication is coming to a halt.
I suppose it should not have come as much of a surprise to me then when communication was lost between my director and me. With such wild statistics, I was bound to run into trouble.
I've tried on more than one occasion to text with my director. The majority of all texts go unanswered or otherwise interrupt communications for extended periods of time.
Lesson One Learned - Texting is NOT the preferred method of communication when it comes to getting in touch with my boss.
Now to answer the question, which method IS preferred?
References:
Lenhart, Amanda. (2010, Sept 2). Cell phones and American Adults. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2010/09/02/cell-phones-and-american-adults/
Pinto, Daniel. (2013, Sept 24). How Texting Is Affecting Our Communication Skills. TutZone.org Retrieved from http://tutzone.org/how-texting-is-affecting-our-communication-skills/
Hi Marybeth,
ReplyDeleteTechnology sure has changed the ways in which we communicate with each other, and it can be challenging to navigate each individual's communication preferences. I enjoyed reading your musings on this topic!
Texts are great for quick question/quick response scenarios, but within the world of business there is usually a greater need for depth of conversation and lengthier explanations. Depending on the situation, I rank phone calls as preferable first, then emails. Phone calls allow both people to understand tone of voice, pitch, and other vocal cues for reduced miscommunication. Emails allow for lengthier responses than texts while still allowing the attachment of documents. Since nearly everyone is glued to their phone while busy racing around without taking a breath, perhaps the best form of communication in today's world is to send a text to notify the person that you need to call or they need to check their email?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you followed up your text with a phone call! :)