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| Photo from omstrategy.com |
I am terrible when it comes to my cell phone. It is often about to die, already dead or missing. It is not uncommon for me to selectively answer text messages. In fact, I cannot stand texting. In my face-to-face interactions with people, I find that text messages serve as an unwelcome interruption that demands immediate attention. People get so upset when you do not answer their texts, but I prefer to just get a phone call. If I lost my phone for a week, I would feel absolutely liberated. I imagine that if cell phones were not a vital necessity to live and work in America, I would not even have one.
I do see the perks in people being able to reach one another 24/7, but I like to be unavailable sometimes. In a field where communication is the bread and butter, I cannot afford to abandon this situation without rectification. Public relations is communication. So, I am trying to get it together quickly if I hope to succeed in the workforce. If I want success in all my relationships, communication is the key.
What is good communication? The website goodcommunicationskills.net explains, "The modern world today, calls for high scale effective communication skills in order to win the heavy competition in all spheres of life." Although I agree with the site, it addresses how to develop good communication skills by “making eye contact” and other verbal and body cues that occur when people interact face-to-face. That's not my problem. It is this new era of communication that is difficult for me. I find myself in a Catch 22. I am articulate in person but aloof online when I need to be consistent across all platforms.
One poignant argument that the site makes is that communication is essential to management functions. This year, that is exactly where I found myself, managing a royal court of 14 members and having to make sure each of them was “in the loop.” It has been a struggle to say the least to change my ways and adapt to sharing information with so many so frequently without overkill. I do not want them to stop thinking that the messages I send are important, so I have to make sure that I am concise and relevant in all that I say. I’m sure you can guess the mode through which most of our communication takes place: text messaging.
Now, I am changing my ways to be a better communicator. I send a text message to all the women on the court every morning to keep them on track with whatever tasks we have to complete. I have talked to my father about getting a BlackBerry, so I can answer my e-mails more expeditiously and send out texts to a group larger than 10. I vow to make it my business to master the "matrix" of Internet and mobile communication.
My generation will not leave me behind.
I can relate to your post so much ! Although I am a texter rather than a talker, Whenever I leave my phone at home my days go by smoother and I am less irritated. Communication is how we survive and as we grow older the way we communicate changes. I am curious to see what new things we will use next.
ReplyDeleteI liked your post and I, also, find my cell phone dead all the time. My iPhone is my communication connector to everything. I can do so much with it! So you really should invest into a smartphone like a Blackberry or iPhone. And you say you'll feel liberated if you lost your phone? Ha! I'd feel the exact opposite.
ReplyDelete-Byron Johnson