Just Pick Up the Phone Already

Why We Need to Stop the Email Chains and Talk on the Phone

You are sitting at your computer at any given time and you see the intranet messenger pop-up appear in the corner of the screen. You click on it and type a quick reply to the person who asked you a question. Then they respond to you asking for clarification or asking another question.

You respond. They respond, you weren’t clear or they are not getting it. You get frustrated. And you think they are getting frustrated too.

What do you do?

Sometimes, I think we get stuck in this lane of communicating one way. However, I have learned a new key to productivity which has helped me alleviate these conversations which end up going nowhere fast.

Pick Up the Phone

Whether in business or in life, we have found so many ways to communicate with one another. At work there is email and inter-office messenger systems. Outside of work we have social media, text messaging, email, facebook messenger, regular mail (I seem to only use this with my mom and my brother), and of course calling on the phone.

What I have noticed is while we think we are saving time with text messages and a quick emails, we end up getting into long conversation which we could have avoided by jumping on the phone really quickly talking for ten minutes instead of the 45 minute text message convo.

Why do we avoid the phone?

I will be the first to admit, I don’t really like talking on the phone. Reception can be bad. Or I can’t hear people because they talk quietly. Sometimes, I don’t have the energy to be happy, kind, friendly, etc.

Some of us aren’t comfortable talking on the phone at all. Others find it frustrating to type a few numbers and hope you might pick up. After all, I only pick up if you are in my phone book, and even then it is pretty hit or miss.

What about the hard conversation? At my job, I have to have hard conversations with people who are having a bad day or people who think they know more than me, a professional. Sometimes, people are always mean on the phone, you know the ones, the “Telephone Tough Guy.”

Whatever our reasons, we don’t like talking on the phone much anymore. But I have found in my quest for being more productive. It’s time to go back to the phone and make a call.

Three Benefits of Picking Up the Phone

#1: Eliminates the Email/Text Chain

Email from Greg your coworker: “Hey let’s have lunch.”

You respond: “Sounds great, where and when?”

Greg’s response: “Thai or Pizza?”

You respond: Thai sounds good, which one?”

Greg’s response: “Thai Jam?”

You respond: “Sure thing, love that place. Does 11:30 sound good? Beat the lunch rush.”

Greg’s response: “Can we do 12:30? I need to get something done for my boss.”

You respond: “I have a meeting at 1:30, I will need to be back. But 12:30 is good.”

Greg’s response: “We can do 12.”

You respond: “Great, I’ll drive.”

Greg’s response: “Great.”

To type this conversation like this, it took me about five minutes. However, when we email or even text, this would have taken longer. And you would have had to six new emails in your inbox to delete, if you don’t do it write away.

Or you could pick up the phone and have that conversation in two minutes, have not email in the inbox. And potentially wouldn’t have needed additional questions.

#2: Create Clear Conversations

With my job, I am essentially a negotiator. I work with someone else to come to an mutual agreement based off of facts at hand and information provided. When I do this via email, we lose some forms of communication other than words.

We lose empathy, clarity and honesty.

Why? Well, email doesn’t communicate how I really feel about whatever we are talking about. It is formal because it is kept in records, and it has to be very deliberate. When you are on the phone, you can have an honest conversation about facts at hand while still communicating empathy and understanding to the other party.

We lose this in a lot of situations because only text or email or send posts to each other on twitter. When we cannot clearly communicate emotions and thoughts, it can breakdown communication before it really begins.

#3: Add Power to Your Words

Clearly, the phone gives more to a conversation than it takes away from inefficiency or unproductivity. Something else I have found is it gives power to my words. Over the phone, I can communicate what I am going to do. And while in the difficult conversation we don’t like, it provides a foundation for boundaries which are needed for ongoing communication.

What do I mean?

In customer service settings, people like to “strong-arm” their way to getting what they want. I used to do this, I know how it works. First, I explain how I feel the poor situation has dramatically changed my life. Then I demand crazy things. And lastly, I ask for a supervisor to give me what I want.

In my experience being on the customer service side, some people like to throw insults at you about you about your competency or your lack of sympathy. I have heard it all. When on the phone, you can set your tone, and set your barriers with such people.

When you firmly tell someone what you are going to do and they have to choose what they are going to do, it gives you power in the conversation. Not to strong-arm them back, but to show you have control over yourself and they should have control over themselves.

You can’t do this in email, because people in these situations won’t read your email. They just won’t.

Respond

Do you use the phone a lot for work? Do you think it will be more or less helpful to make a few more phone calls during your day? Are there other benefits to using the phone to communicate. Share in the responses below.

Are You Ready to be More Productive Yet?

After learning these three benefits are you ready to pick up the phone? I hope so. It will be a small change to larger world of changes for productivity. Over the last few months I have been working on this series:

If you missed my last post check it out:

One last thing, I believe productivity is a part of living an intentional life. If you want to read more exclusive content about living intentionally, you can sign up for this content straight to email and receive my FREE eBook: The True North Manifesto.