Don’t get me wrong, I am all for the use of technology to enhance communication, but whatever happened to face to face discussion? Sure, there are things that are best discussed via email but when all recipients are located in one floor, wouldn’t a brief meeting be a better idea? Or better yet, since only two people are involved in the discussion, why not pick up the phone, press four numbers and voila!! OR an even better idea is to leave that workstation and take .. what? ..ten steps to the other person’s work area. Good exercise too.
I don’t recall any announcement regarding a no-talking policy nor do we have any stay-in-your-post rule issued by HR. Okay, my sarcasm is showing. But when you regularly get several emails that is actually a conversation between two people, you sort of get exasperated. Especially when all of the email recipients are located near each other.
A few personalities in my department seem to prefer to interface with that electromagnetic radiation-emitting computer monitor than have the more personal interaction. I just don’t get it.
As if reading my mind, the SVP for Global operations sent an email this morning to the Global Content Group with the most interesting subject -- Stop and Talk: Free Email Experiment. His email declares tomorrow as a free email day. His message encourages everyone to use the phone or make personal visits to their colleagues’ workstations.
I shake my head. So it is a global case. And Mr. SVP, what a great idea!
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In my former department, I only know one local number, that of our senior accountant.
The rest of the thirty plus people in Finance, I usually communicate with face to face. Not only does it give me a faster turnaround, it also improves my relationship with them..
One exception: My HK-based ex-boss Saj, I prefer to email than give a call. Enough said.
These past months in my new department, I have been deliberate in visiting the cubicles of the people I deal with. The questions that they send me via email, I usually respond to personally and then tell them I will send an email just to document the discussion. This way, I am able to match the names with the faces as well as make them feel more comfortable in approaching me in the future. I’d like to believe that I have made significant progress in this area.
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(Sigh) The price of technology. Too much of our daily exchanges are relegated to text messaging or emails. Sure, it has its advantages and it would be crazy not to take advantage of these benefits.
Used to be that I loved giving personal birthday greetings or making brief phone calls to friends but now, a text message gets the job done. Or does it?
If you must know, I am an audio-oriented person.
I’d love to hear from you.
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6 comments:
akala ko may nangyari sa yo na parang kagaya nung sa movie ni michelle pfeiffer and robert redford. :-D
Hahaha! Wag lang pareho ng ending ng movie.
If you're an audio person, then I'm the let's-talk-face-to-face kind. :-) I would love to hear from you too. Sige, one time, even without a movie. We can repeat our Banana Leaf talkathon sometime. :-)
BTW, I definitely agree with you.
I think more guys are guilty of this. I personally don't like talking on the phone so I'de rather email.
If it possible to have a face to face conversation, I'd rather have the face time that email or phone. There's just so much nuance and body language lost when you're talking to someone on the phone or just through email.
On the other hand, email is a great way of covering your ass if any issues ever come up at work. It's very difficult to print out a phone or face to face conversation.
Technology has really made us more impersonal. I remember talking to another officemate on the celfone who was in a cubicle only five steps away from mine. Ugh!
Hey Swipe. Agree on the importance of email in the workplace to "protect" yourself. Nothing like face to face to read body language.
Beng, I will take you up on the Banana Leaf talkathon. =D.
Hi Abaniko, thanks for dropping by. Always see your comments in Beng's blog. Imagine... a cubicle just a few steps away!
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