My grandparents had a small farm with cows and sheep. I used to love to visit them to play in the barn, explore the creek, and walk among the animals.
One day, while in the house, I picked up the phone to call my parents, and someone was talking on the line.
I was confused. There was only one phone in the house. I was on it. Who was on the line?
Then I learned that they had a “party line.”
According to Southern Living, “Phone providers utilized these multiparty lines to connect many homes to the same telephone line at a time when the supplies, especially the wires, needed to install a telephone system were expensive and difficult to obtain.”
Times have changed. Now, every member of our family has their own line, though I don’t know how much we use them. Our “phones” are mostly texting, streaming, and messaging devices.
Throughout this blog series, we are discussing ways to improve the clarity of your communications, and one way to do that is to pick up the telephone and actually make a call.
For example, in my former job, a person always sent me emails that were very direct, many times in ALL CAPS.
My anxiety skyrocketed as I felt backed into a corner when I received their emails. So, after hemming and hawing, I would call them, and 99% of the time, they were not angry or upset. They just wanted to tell me something.
The phone call fixed the problem.
I was troubleshooting a problem with a coworker earlier this week, and we started messaging on G-chat. I could not explain what I meant, so I picked up the phone and called them.
Here’s the point. Certain types of communication are still best done verbally, where people can hear tone, intent, and words.
- If you feel emotional, don’t send a message or text, CALL.
- If you are solving a multifaceted problem, don’t send a message or text, CALL.
- If you want to connect human to human, don’t send a message or text, CALL.
- If you must deliver bad news, don’t send a message or text, CALL.
Pick up the phone. Make the call. It will save you time and honor the relationship.