By: Kristen Paquet, Sr. Account Executive, Leonard & Finco Public Relations
I enjoy technology. Things like social media, email and
texting makes life convenient, faster and pretty much easier. But even the best
of things can get stale after a while. Instead of being an effective
communicator, you start feeling like you’re going through the motions instead
of being present throughout your day. If this ever happens to you, perhaps a
short reprieve from technology is in order.
But, that doesn’t mean you fall off the map. After all, you
have work to get done. Try to engage in a little less technology and a bit more
of these old standby’s until you recover from your technology hangover:
Hand write a note.
Writing notes is a lost art, really. Before texting and cell phones, the way I
used to communicate with friends during the school day was to write a note
during math class and give it to them as you passed each other in the hall. I’m
not saying you need to get that involved, but a quick thank you note to a
co-worker or a note of appreciation to a client is certainly within your
capabilities.
Pick up the phone.
No, that’s not a paper weight on your desk. It’s actually a useful tool. Maybe
it’s a quick project update, confirming a meeting or just following up on a
request. Picking up the phone can sometimes even be easier and quicker than
composing an email and waiting for a response.
Hold a meeting. When
I meet face-to-face with people, I find out more relevant information than if I
were to ask them the same question via email. With email, you ask a question
and you get a response to that question. There really is no back and forth to
propel the conversation forward. Having some one-on-one time is also a great
way to reconnect with people you may not see that often.
So when you are ready, ease yourself back into sending
emails, responding to those text messages and toggling the “like” button on
someone’s status. But also try to incorporate these older, but still very
useful, ways to communicate in your everyday life. Doing so will most likely
keep any future technology hangovers at bay.
What do you think? Are we relying too much on email, direct
messaging and texting to communicate? Do you just need a break at times?
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