The Best Way to Communicate

Part of working with others is learning how they like to communicate best. Some always prefer to talk on the phone. For others, it's a mixture of phone and email, or even email and text messages.

When I need to communicate a message, I think about the person receiving it, the length of the message and the purpose. I also think about my time constraints. For efficiency, text messages and emails are great. But I haven't been able to get to know anyone very well through these forms of communication. I get a much better sense of someone's personality during a phone or in-person conversation.

In thinking about some conversations I've had recently, I realize I would've missed out on a lot if that communication had happened via email alone. That voice connection seems to encourage more conversation. When someone sends an email, it's usually about a single topic. What's great about live conversations is the different directions they can take. You can start out talking about one thing, and before you know it, you're on your fifth topic.