Thanks to technology, we have a wealth of choices for communicating in the office and beyond. But herein lies the challenge. While communication is often thought “how can I communicate this best,” it is also essential to consider, “how does the receiver understand best?” The focus should not be how “I” prefer to communicate but instead how your recipient will receive the message best. 

Some of these rules may seem pretty intuitive, but the workplace is an ever-changing environment that has evolved considerably even within the last year. This is why a quick review is never a bad idea.

Person-to-person telephone calls do not command the primary communication role they once had back before the information age blossomed. Businesses have numerous other options for communicating now, such as email, texting and social media. Telephone communication may be slower than its new-media counterparts, but it still has benefits in an increasingly impersonal world. The telephone call, which connects a caller with a human voice, creates a connection that other media may lack and is still an important business component.

1. You can’t build relationships by email.  Imagine if you only emailed your friends and family instead of calling them.  How strong do you suppose your personal relationship would be?  The same applies to your business relationships.
2. The telephone is intimate – you have the chance to really connect with another human being.  Email is less personal – you miss the chance to build trust and rapport with your clients and candidates.
3. It’s harder to influence other people’s opinions and decisions by email.  Think about it.  The telephone is a two-way channel of communication.  When it comes to selling, a dialog beats a monologue any day!
4. It’s difficult to convey tone of voice by email no matter how many “smilies” you use There’s always a danger of being misunderstood and a perfectly innocent email can spark a negative reaction from the recipient.
5. Because you can’t read body language by email, potential deal breakers are much harder to detect.  Clients and candidates can string you along more easily by email than they can by telephone.
6. Every conversation is an opportunity to re-qualify the candidate, gain leads, referrals and market intelligence.  Much harder to achieve by email.
7. When problems arise, a quick telephone call is often all that’s required to resolve things amicably.  On the other hand, a heated exchange of emails can quickly escalate issues past the point of no return.
8. You have no control over how quickly someone responds to your email.  When you need an immediate answer, use the telephone.
9. Reading and replying to email wastes a lot of time.  It’s easy to get bogged down.  Instead of spending the first hour of every day in your “inbox”, spend it on the phone instead.