November 3, 2010
Communication Skills: Know When to Call, Text, Email, or Talk Face to Face
Have you ever received a text message and wondered if the sender was being sarcastic rather than serious? Or have you ever hung up the phone and thought about the time you could have saved by texting instead of talking?
Sometimes the way you communicate can be just as crucial to understanding as the words themselves. So what should it be? Call, text, email, or talk face to face?
Call when:
- You want to hear the tone of voice and reaction to your message. Words alone don’t tell the whole story in someone’s intent.
- You expect some negotiation. Handle it once in five minutes and end the situation rather than let it drag on and on.
- You want quick feedback. Calls have become so infrequent that when your phone does ring, you assume the matter to be urgent.
Text when:
- The message is informal.
- Speed is of paramount importance.
- The message is urgent and you’re not sure the person can answer the phone.
- Tone of voice or body language does not affect the message.
Email when:
- You need a searchable record of the information/action.
- The other person is unavailable in “real time.”
- You want to allow productive use of uninterrupted time.
- You want to be more “to the point” than a face-to-face conversation where pleasantries are typically exchanged.
Talk face-to-face when:
- You’re delivering bad news and how you say it is as important as the message itself.
- You’re persuading the uninterested. (It’s hard to ignore a “live” person demanding your attention.)
- You’re giving a mild reprimand. (such as a boss telling a subordinate they’ve missed the mark)
- You prefer not to have a record of what you’ve said. (the case in a sensitive or potentially legal situation)
Choose carefully to communicate clearly, quickly, and concisely. Your relationship—or business—may depend on it.
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