Memo to Gen Y: Do not fear the phone.
Unlike floppy disks, Folgers Crystals, typewriters, and videotapes, the telephone is not an artifact from a previous professional era. The telephone is still useful, so get comfortable with it.
I know, I know, the phone is so inefficient. Texting is simpler and email reaches more people at once. However, in the event that you need to communicate with one person directly, the phone is still #1.
Cosider the following two sentences:
I left you a voicemail.
vs.
Did you get my email/text?
The people you work with get 5 billion text messages and emails a day. Their inboxes are filled to capacity. You often have to contact people a second time to confirm that they received your first message, which means you can't start talking substance until your third communication.
By contrast, if you leave someone a voicemail, you can assume that they got it. People don't get 5 billion phone calls a day. The voicemail box is much less crowded, which allows your message to stand out. There's a reason that Commissioner Gordon still uses a landline to get Batman' s attention.
Like synth pop and tight colorful t-shirts, the phone is making a comeback. Embrace it. The email-only mentality is so '90s.
Telephoning is like paying with cash. Only use it if I don't want something on the record.
We use Office Communicator for inter/intraoffice IM for 1-to-1 communication, or we go really old-school and do face-to-face.
Posted by: Donnie | June 23, 2009 at 04:59 PM
Could not agree more. What I find amazing is that I forgot how useful the phone actually is. I mean you can:
a. Hear someone's actual tone instead of assuming - saving time interpreting emails and bitching about your boss's passive aggressive writing style
b. Answer any & all questions in less than 5 minutes instead of 15 emails back and forth that can take all day.
c. Keep people on their toes because they're not expecting voice-on-voice action
d. Finally, there is the possibly you might get to know someone as more than just an email address in the TO: field - scary thought for some.
Posted by: Steph | June 29, 2009 at 04:35 PM