Hey! Just Pick Up The Phone!

Let me start by saying that I love technology. I mean, I love technology.

I was one of the first to own Google Glass (which I eventually sold on eBay), the Recon Jet smart glasses (again, sold on eBay), the first-generation Nike FuelBand, the inaugural Fitbit, the Apple Watch, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I’ve had more iPhones than I can count, and my Jeep is a WiFi hotspot.

You get the idea.

It’s safe to say I’m an early adopter.

Technology has made my life easier in so many ways. Living on a screen is basically my job.

We live in a generation that hides behind screens. Slack, text messages, emails, direct messages, Facebook messages, and the list goes on.

The lost art 

We are a generation who is amazingly versed in the art of digital communication.

Conversely, we are slowly losing the art of verbal communication – or at least, forgetting the value it holds.

I have dealt with several issues in the past months where so much confusion and wasted work time could have been avoided by a simple phone call.

One call, problems avoided.

Want to make your intern squirm? Tell them they need to answer the phones.

Want to shake up a younger member of your team? Reply to their email by simply saying, “Give me a call, and we’ll discuss this.”

I am not exactly sure when the art of the phone call started to die, but it is dying a very slow, productivity-killing death.

One only needs to Google “voicemail memes” to see how despised the phone call, and even worse, the voicemail has become.

Old school is still in 

While I would like to say I am not guilty of relying mainly on screen-based communication, in reality, I am as guilty as anyone.

I love the nature of the digital message – the ability to choose my words carefully, the ability to respond on my time, and the other comforts digital communication affords.

But I am also becoming acutely aware that a good old-fashioned phone call will never go out of style.

And in many cases, it is the easiest and most efficient way to communicate.

Forget the texts and emails that are prone to being taken out of context and try picking up the phone from time to time.

You’ll be surprised at how efficient this “old school” communication vehicle can still be.

Paul Ten Haken is an entrepreneur, fitness enthusiast and digital expert. He started in digital media at the dawn of the dot-com boom and spent several years in high-level roles in the corporate sector. His greatest professional success is in building a company that is steadily awarded for its positive workplace culture. To share your thoughts with us, email us at editor@leaderonomics.com.

Reposted with permission.

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