You know being in a business
communications class has gotten me thinking of all the ways I have communicated
over the years and how communication has evolved. And yet in some ways it has devolved.
I mean for instance think of all the notices you used to bring home from school
that now get emailed straight to your parents. Mind you with some of them they
have to be printed out and brought back to school in some rare cases. But with
electronic signatures being around those rare cases are few and far between.
Think of how you had to use your
time on the phone wisely and really have to have something to say before you
picked up the phone. And that phone was attached to the wall. Now almost
everyone carries their phones in their hands and calls people for the slightest
thing in some cases. In other cases, they just text them for the littlest
thing. Many people have lost the art of having a real meaningful conversation
about serious topics. They just get into name calling instantly, unlike in
earlier years when we seriously discussed issues.
It used to be when the internet came
out that you really thought hard about what you wanted to say in an email. Now
emails are for junk mail and other silly things. Or merely for sending files
back and forth. Email was supposed to be the new pen pal, but then came along
instant messaging. And who wants to write letters when you can just instant
message the person and talk for hours, which leaves you nothing to put in an
email really.
Granted we have made strides in the
technology used to communicate with each other, but many of us have lost the
ability to hold a decent conversation. Some people will put in pictures called
emojis where they don’t fit into the conversation. Others will just hold half
an interest while playing a game. Some will just talk about games or
television. I’m guilty of mentioning television but that isn’t my whole
conversation.
We used to talk about world events
and the real news going on in the world. And things we read in the paper that
day as well as books. Movies were even discussed since people got to go to them
so rarely. Events at work that day were even discussed if something funny occurred
or was said at the job. Now a lot of us seem to be just mindless drones. Wake
up! There is so much to discuss and learn from and explore. There is a whole
world out there to see and so many experiences to talk about. Whether you are
an introvert like me or an extrovert you all have experiences to share whether from
actually being out in the world on a regular basis or from reading something in
a book or magazine.
A bit of balance of both would be
ideal for everyone since there are some things you can only read about in a
book and there are some things you can only know about by experiencing them.
But having a conversation about these things helps get people interested in
them. And we have stopped talking about them and that is a problem. If we start
talking about them and other things again we might find a solution to some of
our problems that we are facing.
But everyone wants to hoard their
ideas it seems. We need to start sharing ideas in conversation and sharing
credit to solve the next big challenges that are facing us in the near future.
Two people could have two pieces of the puzzle for a great idea or solution.
But without talking about it they won’t be able to put it together. And I grant
you there is still room for silly stuff, but it shouldn’t be the main focus of
conversation.
But I’ve stood on my soapbox long
enough for one day. So I will get down now. But feel free to leave your
comments and questions below. And if you want my columns to appear in your
inbox enter your email address in the box below where it says follow by email.
As for me I have some studying to do. *Tips his hat and walks out the door
heading back towards the study. *
Nice insight, Christopher!
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