Afraid to Pick Up the Phone?

“Are you afraid to pick up the telephone?” began a column by Kate Krumpelman, general manager of the Blue Ridge Business Journal.

Kate opined about the lack of phone contact these days. I concur. Email is the preferred communication tool for a lot of reasons, including control and convenience. I’ve often wondered if it’s not also a crutch and shield.

Here’s a bit of Kate’s column:

When you use email exclusively, you send a rather loud message. You are saying you have either no desire to communicate personally, or that you can’t. There are certainly some situations when email is the most effective tool—such as passing on facts, tasks, assignments, announcements. However, with email you will never get the kind of personal touch that comes from picking up the phone and engaging in conversation.

I wanted to tell Kate I enjoyed her column, so instead of dashing off an email I picked up the phone. She answered. We talked, our first conversation.

I hope to pick up the phone more, even when I think I won’t reach anyone or I’m concerned about time.