AT FIRST, SHE THOUGHT SOMETHING REALLY BAD HAD HAPPENED.
“I am sorry I called you.” That’s what a friend of mine heard from her work colleague during the workday.
He had a complicated matter to discuss with some urgency and he really needed to talk to her.
But since they usually communicated in a Slack channel, the call was unusual.
We have become so dependent on text and email as communications vehicles and they are great when applied properly.
But sometimes you just have to have that voice-to-voice conversation.
I have a rule of three.
If you are going back and forth at least three times over email or text about an issue and things are still confusing or it’s escalating, it’s time to pick up the phone or have a video chat.
Don’t be afraid of it, don’t worry about intruding. Ask if this is a good or bad time and express why you need to talk. And if you are on the receiving end of the call, respond in kind.
The old adage of reach out and touch still matters.
Just pick up the d@#n phone.
What are your tips for not getting caught in an endless and confusing email or text loop?
