First Word
by Scott Madison Paton
How Do You Communicate?
How do you communicate in the '90s? Chances are you are communicating in
ways you wouldn't have imagined 20 years ago.
Communication options today are so incredibly varied it's almost a full-time
job to know which way to communicate with whom.
"Should I e-mail, fax, mail, call or page?" is a constant dilemma
for me. Once I decide which is the best method to communicate, where do
I send my communication? Do I call the office, the house, the cellular phone,
the pager? And once I decide where to send the communication, where do I
find the data necessary to complete the communication? Is the e-mail address
in the same database as the pager number?
There's no doubt that firing off an e-mail is more cost-effective than dictating
a letter to a secretary who then types up a formal business letter. It's
faster, it's easier, and it's often more effective because it's nearly instantaneous.
However, this new age of communication sorely lacks some conventions of
the old age of communication. These conventions helped improve the quality
of communications.
For example, if you've ever taken a class or seminar on business writing,
you learned how to write an effective business letter. Unfortunately, most
people ignore everything they learned when they send an e-mail message.
Capitalization becomes haphazard and spell-check nearly forgotten. And while
those funny little :) symbols and e-mail only acronyms (BTW-By The Way,
IMHO-In My Humble Opinion) are cute, they quickly lose their charm.
Voice mail suffers as well. Who with voice mail hasn't been subject to a
20-minute message that drones on and on-the caller seizing the opportunity
to exercise his or her right to free speech.
Fax messages could stand some improvement, too. It's an imperfect technology.
Some faxes are nearly illegible; a situation that isn't aided by senders
who use teensy, tiny type to cram as much information as possible onto a
single page.
Because I receive so many different types of communication, I'd like to
offer you Paton's Laws of New Age Communication:
1. Thou shalt not use type smaller than 12 point when sending a fax.
2. Thou shalt not leave voice-mail messages longer than one minute. State
your name, your telephone number and leave a brief message.
3. Thou shalt include a signature line with your e-mail messages that includes
your name, title, company, return e-mail address and telephone number.
4. Thou shalt not make telephone calls from airplanes. While those nifty
little phones in seat backs can be tempting, the person you're calling rarely
understands what you're saying and your fellow passengers do not enjoy listening
to you scream your words.
5. Thou shalt turn off your pager and cellular phone when at a movie, church,
funeral, wedding or other function where people won't be impressed with
your importance.
6. Thou shalt not use a fax or e-mail message to communicate urgent information.
7. Thou shalt remember that every form of communication is just as important
as a written letter. Therefore, spell-check, edit and proofread your faxes
and e-mails. And do the person you're calling a favor and plan your message
before the beep.
If you'd like to communicate your thoughts on my laws or anything else regarding
Quality Digest, you may use our new e-mail system. Simply address your e-mail
to the first initial and last name @qualitydigest.com of any staff member
you would like to e-mail. For example, to send e-mail to me, address your
message to spaton@qualitydigest.com. If you are not sure who to send your
message to, just send it to qualitydigest@qualitydigest.com.
