The other day I found myself reading a very, very long email chain to get to the point of an issue. It took me a while to sift through the fragments and string together the instructions, make assumptions on emotions and tone, to finally discover the root of the matter. I still love email and couldn’t live without it, but most often than not a conversation (especially the listening part)— in person or via the phone will always yield better communication outcomes. Reading the NY Times article We Have Met The Enemy and He is PowerPoint, General McMaster pointed out that it created an “illusion of understanding and an illusion of control.” Isn’t that true about so many of the ways we communicate with one another?

In PR, we remember when calling reporters became passé, then emailing was the new phone call and now direct messaging via Twitter seems to work for some. I think these methods can also foster meaningful dialogue, but with varying communication styles, some things get lost in translation. Verbal communication is something we’ve been doing since childhood, unlike email, so it’s kind of the one uniting medium of interaction. Short messages and bites of information can be efficient. For me, when it comes to practicing public relations and providing client service, I’ll be calling.