In the past 5 years, the number of communication channels has increased exponentially.
Despite the increase of communication channels, the duration of time we have committed to communication is relatively the same. New forms of communicative mediums have led to an increase of efficiency and enables greater throughput.
More channels. Faster communication. Greater exchange.
Here are some communication mediums off the top of my head:
- Face to face
- Letter aka: Snail Mail
- Telephone
- Mobile phone
- Facebook Wall
- Facebook Message
- Instant Message
- Video Chat
- Twitter Direct Message
- Text Message
Again, this is off the top of my head. Services like Facebook could be listed as Social Media, but there are other services (and not just MySpace) that operate in a similar fashion. What I’m focusing on isn’t the genre, but the individual strands of communication. The channels.
So what does this have to do with effective communication?
If you want to maximize your communication with others, be mindful of these two things:
- What is their primary/preferred channel?
- Is the message I’m sending compatible with their primary channel?
If the message is not compatible with their primary/preferred channel, use the next best compatible channel.
Just because someone has email, doesn’t mean they check it every five minutes. Just because someone has a smartphone, doesn’t mean they know how to text message. So, don’t be afraid to ask people what their favorite way to communicate is. Do you want me to call? Email? Text?
Compatibility is huge, too. If you sense there’s going to be a lot of dialog back and forth, you might want to consider talking on your smartphone, instead of texting or emailing. It’s not only efficient, but adds para-language to the exchange.
You also don’t want to be that person that asks inappropriate questions on Facebook. Don’t be that guy. If their preferred channel is Facebook, send a Facebook Message. Keep it off their wall.
If someone loves to talk face to face and they live on the other side of the city, state or world, ask if they want to Skype.
The key to becoming a good communicator is listening, so focus on the response.
Ask yourself:
What is the easiest way for them to give me their fullest response?
Thou shalt communicate like your neighbor.
Graham says
Great thoughts Eric! I work with a lot of different types of communicators. I do a lot of work with the high school youth group at my church, I’ve found they tend to prefer texting and facebook over phone calls and email. I also work with a lot of adults (go figure) and they prefer phone calls and email.
I prefer people who know how to handle all the forms you listed. In some cases… it’s the preferred method, in others, the method depends on the message. As you stated. Good things to think about.
Eric Dye says
The fact that you’re being so mindful about it in the first place, is huge.
Being mindful is really key. The more you practice this, the more natural it will come, and the more powerful of a communicator you will be.
Awesome.