Obsolete Communication

Of all the technologies that have gone extinct in your lifetime, which one do you miss the most?

For me, technologies have been a great addition to my life however I think they have been at a cost. It’s the art of communication that I miss. The planned time to communication what is going on in my life with family and friends in personal or by personal letter.

I love sitting down regularly talking one to one with others, getting to know them or keeping in touch on a personal level. The problem is everyone is so busy these days that this doesn’t happen regularly anymore.

I used to love the anticipation of waiting for an expected letter in the mail, the joy of reading about their lives and thinking about what to put in my letter in return mail. The motivating factor for me was remembering the quicker I wrote back, the quicker my next letter would come. Email doesn’t have the same excitement for me as although I still receive them, these emails get lost in my sea of daily emails and I fail to reply quickly.

Christmas cards are another nearing obsolete way to communicate I enjoy.  Last Christmas we were away so  my excitement of receiving regular mail that weren’t bills and hearing about family and friends lives didn’t happen. Neither did our Christmas letter telling them and reminding ourselves what happened in our world during the last 12 months. I find this a great memory jogger and as all the family is involved in its creation, we know it is an accurate record for our future.

While technologies continue to advance us in so many ways let’s make regular plans to make dates with the special people in our world—even a 5 minute “how was your day catch up” can make a difference and may open the doors to longer more personal conversations.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/going-obsolete/


My Voice

How do you communicate differently online than in person, if at all? How do you communicate emotion and intent in a purely written medium?

Communication is key. It is at the centre of everything we do. To me all forms of communication need to be consistent—written, verbal and body language. How I communicate is my brand. Working in mental health I nurture moving forward, making changes to encourage growth—both in myself and others.

Several years ago I did not realise how different my written and spoken word naturally were. I had just begun writing my book and given my first draft chapters to my collaborator. After reading them her response was—”the information is great but it needs to be in your voice that is what people connect with.” She was right. My written word was stiff and formal. It didn’t flow and wasn’t welcoming. This was a pivotal point in my writing career long before I started blogging. The way I communicate orally and in writing work when they are the same. My writing voice needed to change.

Now everything thing I write except formal work document as based on a conversational tone—my natural voice. I don’t use the shortened text message for of communication—I don’t like it. If I am writing a text message I write it exactly as I would ask it—clear and concise—so there is no misunderstanding. When using emotion and intent I describe the situation using the writing formula—show don’t tell.

If I am unsure how to phrase a sentence in my voice I memorise the sentence and re write it how I remember it. From my experience this puts it in the order I say it. This is particularly helpful when I am writing speeches. I rarely use long complicated sentences—they confuse me. I like easy to understand communication—in life and on-line.

My experience is by using this method even when I need to say difficult things they are taken well and the change I want is nurtured without the other person getting defensive. My aim is to respect all people I interact with—known or unknown—bringing inspiration and positivity into their world and hopefully brightening their day.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/its-a-text-text-text-text-world/