Tweet

The Technology Trap for Talking Takes a Toll

Written by: Eileen McDargh

Article Overview: Professional speaker, Eileen McDargh, reminds readers that face-to-face or telephone conversations are often the best choice when speaking with your peers or your clients.

The Technology Trap for Talking Takes a Toll

A recent Harris Interactive survey for Whitepages.com released findings on what communication modes are most open to misunderstanding. Not surprisingly, 80% of adults found it most easy to misinterpret the tone of e-mail. Seventy-eight percent found text messages to be misleading, while 71% could also be put off by letters.

Consider this: all these modes are flat, one-sided genres that allow the reader to intuit just about anything into the mix.
In our crazy busy world, how often do we automatically push the send key and instantly regret that action? Or how about the mistake of using upper case letters and the reader thinks he is being shouted at? Then too, in the rush to respond and be brief, single line messages can come across as terse, harsh and often inflammatory.

Small wonder that e-mail might also stand for escalation and error.
Words are just that: words. But in the English language, the nuances of verbal inflection and facial expressions make all the difference in true communication. Read the phrase "What ever possessed you to come to this conclusion?" The text message version might even be "Are you nuts!" Chances are that you are already feeling a negative emotion as you read these words. Even letters run a 71% chance of being read incorrectly.
But let's add voice to it. Imagine you hear a very neutral voice on the telephone asking the question, "What ever possessed you to come to this conclusion?" Imagine that you hear it as if a counselor were talking to you, coming from a place of inquiry rather than accusation. Your response would be quite different. For this reason, telephone conversations stand a 47% better chance of being correctly interpreted.


So telephone conversations are better but not the best communication vehicle. The amount of subtle and not-so-subtle meaning carried by the eyes and facial muscles is amazing. When face-to-face communication is used, the conversations are correctly understood 63% of the time.
With odds like this, the natural assumption is that leaders and anyone dealing with customers would spend more time in either face-to-face or telephone conversations.

But both research and consumer experience indicates the opposite.
Bottom line: talk is not cheap-it's priceless. The competitive edge does not have to be more bells and whistles on a CRM system or another layer of voice mail doom loops. For once, it's not sophistication that's required but rather a remembering that at the end of the day, people want to work for and buy from people with whom they have a relationship.
Here's the most powerful mantra for creating that relationship: "Start talking and get to work!"


(c) 2007, McDargh Communications. All rights reserved. You may reprint this article so long as it remains intact with the byline and if all links are made live.

Related Articles
  Toll Free Numbers for Small Business
  And Why Don't YOU Use Video?
  The secret of the web (hint: it's a virtue)
  Make A Toll-free Phone Service Work For Your Small Business
  Toll Free Telephone Directories

Article Tags: cell phone, communication, internet, telephone



Related Forum Posts
Re: Changing trends - Hey Yinka, Instead of keeping up with new trends, set up "Toll Positions". Toll Positions have stood the test of time and fluctuating economies. Toll Positions are the Warren Buffets of business.
Book: Talking From 9 to 5 - Book: Talking From 9 to 5: How women's and men's conersational styles affect who gets heard, who gets credit, and what gets done at work Deborah Tannen, PhD 1994 You say something at a meeeting, it is ignored, then someone else says the same thing and everyone embraces it as a marvelous idea. You devote yourself to a project but don't get credit for the results. You work around the clock to avoid a crisis, but your efforts are not recognized because no one notices a crisis that never occurs. YOu give what you think are clear instructions, but the job is not done, or is done wrong. ... Work is a special world because as we talk to get our jobs done, we are also being evaluated. How we get others to do what we want, and how we accept or avoid responsibility for mistakes, display or challenge authority, reveal or conceal what we don't know -- all affect how we are regarded and rewarded. TOC 1. Women and Men Talking on the Job 2. "I'm sorry, I'm not apologizing": Conversational rituals 3. "Why don't you say what you mean?" Indirectness at work 4. Marked: Women in the workplace 5. The glass ceiling 6. "She's the boss": Women and authority 7. Talking up close: Status and connection 8. What's sex got to do with it 9. Who gets heard? Talking at meetings References Index
Building credit - Credit is like reputations, I suppose. Takes a lifetime to build, and only a second to destroy.
Re: The Best Method for Online Marketing - Email marketing can be very successful there's little doubt about that. But you need to build a solid list of subscribers and build a strong relationship with them. It's all about give, give, give, and then you can promote something. Takes a lot of patience and hard work but it can definitely be worth it later on.
International Technology Exchange - Hello, Does anyone have idea about International Technology Exchange? I’m keenly interested to get the views of the members. Without going into confidential details, good or bad reports would be appreciated! Thanks


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Time management for DIY PR

Anger Solutions at Work: Why Customers Get Angry

Starting a Business a Brave Move or a NoBrainer

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.