17-Jun-2013 12:47

Never Forget the Value of Face-to-Face and Voice-to-Voice Communication

Dinosaur that I am, I can still remember a time, in the office and in business, when talking - whether by phone or in person - was the only way to communicate.

The 1990s brought email services & things have never been the same.
Apart from afflicting serious damage to the postal services, email simplified, at first, the onerous task of communication…

Well, time moves inexorably forward, and just a couple of decades later you hear continual gripes regarding overflowing email in-boxes & unmanageable spam/junk levels.

Many more technologies have since joined the party, including mobiles + 1000's of Apps, IM, texting, social media, intranet & Cloud applications, and daily we hear of additional ‘new’ applications that our techie gurus claim “we simply cannot do without”.

However, experts are now claiming that many have lost the ability to actually think or concentrate due to these constant interruptions to our working (and social) lives.

The office worker has begun to fear that an immediate non-response or time out or 'unavailable' message could have nasty repercussions.

So too, the current importance placed on mixing and combining our work with our social lives & family time had added to this onslaught.
How many of us really ‘turn off’ at the end of the day?
How many of us are able to turn off our mobiles when on holiday or relaxing at home at weekends?

So what are the answers?

Canute-like, I have no real suggestions or solutions to holding back the tidal waves of this explosion of technology into all our lives, but may I offer a suggestion.

Perhaps bosses and employers could consult with their employees and set up clear guidelines for communication.

Decide when best to use Cloud; when best to answer to email and when best to connect via IM.

And even (whisper it now…) when acceptable, even preferable, to turn off all applications?

And instead, propose a return to good ol’ face-to-face and voice-to-voice communication.

So try it out today: call a valued client and enjoy a live and unrehearsed phone conversation requiring attention, concentration and spontaneity.

It may appear old-fashioned, but it just might help you, your family and your business relationships…

Norman Feiner - Director, SimplyFone Limited
Office: 020 3191 9988



(from an idea noticed in New York Times)