How often do you send an email instead of picking up the phone and having a direct conversation? How many times have you experienced conflict or challenge because of a misunderstood text or email? Do you have long talks via text? When was last time you sat down and had a really great conversation with your partner, your best friend, or your colleague without your smart-phone in sight?
I hear so often, “Kids these days! They don’t know how to communicate.”
Do you?
The Challenge
Direct communication can be a very confronting conversation. We have all, adults, young adults, teens, and even pre-teens become reliant on our smart-phones for communication. Yes, they are convenient. Yes, they allow us to stay in touch more often, shoot out quick notes to add items to the grocery list or to say hello. I am afraid, however, that this electronic, smart-phone communication has several devasting effects:
1) We have many friends we “talk” to and yet we still feel isolated and alone.
2) Electronic communication misses nuance, tone, and body language and is very often misconstrued or misunderstood.
3) We avoid the hard conversations and sweep them under the proverbial smart-phone rug.
4) We are losing the art of face to face, person to person communication, and connection.
