“The overuse of email as an alternative to a call creates emotional distance. In advertising, it is said that the medium is the message. In this case, the medium is email and the message is ‘I don’t actually want to talk to you.’ ”
— Dan Pallotta, HR BLog Network.
I was heading out of town last weekend with my husband when I texted my sister a quick note (don’t worry—my husband was driving). For the next 30 minutes, we texted back and forth. We were having fun. But my husband, who was tired of hearing the “beep beep” every time my sister sent me another text, finally asked, “Why don’t you just call her?”
He had a point.
Dan Pallotta, nonprofit expert and social entrepreneur, makes this point in his posting, Just Call Someone Already. In this digital age, the phone call has become viewed as an obtrusive and cumbersome tool in today’s market.
Yet, as a front desk person, I can tell you first-hand that the phone call is anything but. A phone call, after all, requires more attention and actual conversation. And the more I strive to pick-up the phone as opposed to just shooting an email, the more pleasant conversations I end up having. More importantly, people are really appreciative that I’ve taken the time to call. After all, how wonderful it is to hear a person’s voice instead of merely reading their words on the screen.
This is something we need to instill in our volunteers. Of course, in this busy world, it’s much easier to email that potential member or sponsor than to pick-up the phone. But at what price? What opportunities are we missing out on? Where’s that personal connection? What great conversations never get started?
Texting my sister while riding in a car was fun at the time, but come this weekend…I’ll give her a call.