A few months back we added a blog. Over the past few weeks we've established a presence on several other websites and added links to those sites on our web page. And now we're adding video.
All of these changes highlight a subject of great relevance in today's highly wired world - the impact of different forms of media on communication.
Today we communicate through many more methods than in the past. To the spoken and printed word we've added email, voicemail, instant messaging, electronic texting, faxing, blogging, video and videoconferencing.
We are communicating more than ever in this country, but are we communicating effectively? Multiple means of communication can be a good thing, but too often what we gain in variety and convenience we lose in clarity and understanding.
Everyone has had the experience of misinterpreting an email, or having your email misunderstood. This happens because we lose the advantages of face-to-face communicating.
According to UCLA psychology professor Albert Mehrabian, only 7 percent of meaning comes from the words we speak. Thirty-eight percent is in the way the words are said, and a full 55 percent of meaning is conveyed through facial expressions.
So you can see that sending a quick email doesn't include the natural, face-to-face clues to your meaning that accompany face-to-face interaction.
That's not to say we all need to stop using emails and video to transmit information. These are vital and much-needed ways to communicate in today's fast-paced world. Instead, the point is to be aware of the differences among the various media and learn to take that into account.
For instance, when writing an email be sure to consider whether you are assuming the recipient will understand your intended tone. What you intend as humor may be received as negativity, for example.
Video carries similar risks. A video camera cannot catch all the nuances of a face-to-face meeting, and video presentations often distort subtle aspects of communication such as emphasis and demeanor.
By all means, take advantage of the various new media designed to facilitate communications, as we at Dale Carnegie Training of Western Connecticut are doing. But remember, to really make business move forward we still need to meet with each other as often as possible and communicate the old-fashioned way - face to face.
Have a great day!
Bob Dickson
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