No, thank you!

I have been out and about quite a bit these days meeting with all kinds of fabulous folks, from both the for profit and the public benefit sectors. These generous individuals are giving me some of their hard pressed time to talk about matters around the opportunities in the community and also share their insights about being part of the overall community. I thank each of them, in person, in email and - wait for it - with a handwritten thank you note.

I can be a bit old school, if you will, about some things around etiquette and the glory of the handwritten letter or note.  I love putting one of my favorite pens to paper and writing a kind word of appreciation about time well spent together, whether it be with a pal or a new professional associate.

I even write letters to pals who live around the country and it is such a treat to receive their responses in the mail, of all things.  I also save those notes I receive in a little book so when I am searching for a bit of boost or want to put a smile on my face, I page through my collection of love notes to add a little sunshine to my gray mood.

Granted, one must purchase the notecards and stamps, plus spend the time to compose a heartfelt message, but what a gesture that is relatively easy to do.  

The four letter word that I don't dare utter these days doesn't start with an "F"; it starts with a "B" as in "busy". All of us are busy and I now make it a point to open up a few moments each day to reach out and say 'thank you'.  I haven't pushed technology totally aside and use emails and text messaging to share a quick 'how are you doing?' or 'You are the cat's pajamas!' message several times a week.  But for some of those occasions, a handwritten note is my preferred method of communication of 'you are the best'.  Here's a great link about suggested modern etiquette when all you want to do is say 'thank you':

www.designsponge.com

If you want to send me a little note in the mail, let me know.  I'm happy to provide my address and do my part to help keep postal workers busy bringing words of gracious gratitude and love to mailboxes worldwide.

Thank you!

Communication Breakdown

Communication.  We wait for the call.  We send out the email. We post a status update. We comment. We tweet. We catch someone's eye from across the room. We write a letter. We send a text.

We are good at it.  We are bad at it.

I finally met the talented, Erin Donley.  We have been 'friends' on Facebook for quite awhile but never had actually met. She has great energy and great ideas when it comes to communication. I attended a recent workshop she hosted about finding your communication blind spots and using better words to communicate. It was illuminating!

One of the things we talked about was the potential of major e-mail meltdowns.  You know how it goes when someone writes something that can be misconstrued about fifteen different ways because we insert tone.

If you have met the sender, you likely 'imagine' them speaking that message to you (well, that's what I do) and depending on how I feel about that person effects how I 'hear' their message. My emotional temperature also effects the way I 'hear' the message. It can be a tricky wicket navigating those unpredictable waters of email communications.

I also get a bit overwhelmed with all the options and all the different opinions on which thing to use and how quickly one must respond to said communication.  Remember the good old days when you either spoke in person, called someone on the landline or wrote them a letter?  Now, we have other options and it gets very confusing.  I suspect there is an app development opportunity out there to help us navigate how to communicate how we like to communicate!

For example, here are my guidelines on using communication technology:

If it is urgent, call me on the phone and send a follow up text if I don't answer your call.
If it is important and is date sensitive, send me an email with that information.
If it is a sticky wicket conversation, talk with me in person.
If it is a message of gratitude, send me a handwritten note.
If it is a random or unimportant message, send me a text.

Some questions to consider:

• What are you preferred methods of communications and the various tools you like to use?  
• How do you feel when you leave home without your phone?
• Do you ever leave home without your phone?
• Do you have your smart phone set up to alert you about everything that is happening in your email, social media and texting activities? 
• What are your expectations around communication technology protocol?

I remember the first time I left my phone at home in error.  I was halfway to my destination when I realized it and I began to panic.  But then I heard the friendly little voice in my head say, "What did you do when you didn't have a cell phone and only had a landline, Dennise?"  Wow.  That was a telling moment.  As you can guess, I survived being cell-free.  By the way, if you are forced to use a rotary phone, here are some handy dandy instructions that will help you.

Now, if I could only learn how to change the settings on my smart phone to eliminate email and social media updates.  If you know how, send me an email.