With so many means to communicate between people in today’s world I find it frustrating when people misuse tools such as emails, texting, memos or voice mailing. My experience has run a gauntlet of people who communicated in different ways and some were doozies.

I have interacted with excellent communicators who were able to present their needs, ideas and wants without confusion, disruption or offending anyone, and of course the opposite types of communicators. With the new electronic devices there is a whole new dimension of written and verbal communicating with their associated difficulties.

The major drawback is we utilize less and less face to face (includes telephone conversations) communicating which reduces the effectiveness of conveying our messages. Face to face communications is a good article for the future, so I will not linger on this aspect today.

One of the strangest communication methods utilized was by a former boss who would return to the office after everyone had left for the day and leave notes in regards to items, or leave voice messages with negative news. It was very difficult to meet with him face to face to discuss issues, and when you could corner him he was often vague or would put you off until he could leave another note. Although this was weird his written communications were excellently written and I often requested his assistance when drafting written communications I desired to be of the highest quality.

Next I had a supervisor who loved to email, memo, or hold on line meetings because he reasoned this saved time. I still believe his usage was actually less effective. All three of these tools are useful in select situations, but not for every issue that needs resolving.

In addition he would email all the staff every email even if had nothing to do with them. What made this person more frustrating was his written communication skills were not polished enough to effectively communicate his purpose in an original memo or email and therefore required numerous clarifications to pinpoint the exact purpose of the whole communication episode.

Emailing, memos, broadcasting voice messages and now texting can be excellent tools for getting our messages to groups of people rapidly in the shortest time possible, but they need to be utilized properly. I find I receive emails I have absolutely no interest in simply because a person has me assigned to an email group. This is frustrating and wastes time unnecessarily.

A cautionary note here for individuals using groups. You should be aware that you are inadvertently sharing email addresses to whomever you send a message too as all addressees’ email addresses are listed.

Voice mail is the second most abused form of communication today in my opinion. Leave short concise messages and if that is not possible it is best to have the person return your call and speak in person, do not ramble on.

Whatever your preference is in regards to choosing a form of communicating, please think carefully in regards to it’s appropriateness for delivering your message in the most professional manner possible. Whenever possible deliver your message face to face as this is the most accurate communication method.