It is difficult to communicate with people. There are so many ads and scams that people are reluctant to look at email or answer phones. Generally, communication needs to be two-way to be useful. If I drive to your house and we sit in the living room and talk, I can see your body language and you can see mine. If I don't understand something you say, I can apologize for my limited hearing and ask you to repeat yourself. I can get closer to you and show in several ways that I am interested in what you are saying and that I am trying to listen fully.
When I phone you, you have gotten rid of your landline. If I am lucky, I may get you live on the phone but our phones are not quick at switching from one of us to the other. You are shopping in the local market at the time and are reluctant to discuss problems with your friend and his temper aloud among the produce shoppers. You tend to move the phone off to the side while you bag some broccoli crowns with wet hands. Then, I can't hear you and you can't hear me. Your phone is easy to switch off by accident and when you realize it is off, you turn it on. Before we can reconnect, you get a reminder about tomorrow's dental appointment and an ad about a great sale in the store next door.
The next time I call you, you have set your phone to go to voicemail on every call in an attempt to be interrupted less often. So, I don't get to hear your voice. That's ok. I write you an email explaining it all. But that email address has been put on the back burner. The software is slow and subject to spam filters and some of my messages don't get through to your mailbox. There is another email address or two that you are using these days and you get a ton of email in them. That means that the old email address I had and used is rarely checked. How come we aren't in touch more?
When I phone you, you have gotten rid of your landline. If I am lucky, I may get you live on the phone but our phones are not quick at switching from one of us to the other. You are shopping in the local market at the time and are reluctant to discuss problems with your friend and his temper aloud among the produce shoppers. You tend to move the phone off to the side while you bag some broccoli crowns with wet hands. Then, I can't hear you and you can't hear me. Your phone is easy to switch off by accident and when you realize it is off, you turn it on. Before we can reconnect, you get a reminder about tomorrow's dental appointment and an ad about a great sale in the store next door.
The next time I call you, you have set your phone to go to voicemail on every call in an attempt to be interrupted less often. So, I don't get to hear your voice. That's ok. I write you an email explaining it all. But that email address has been put on the back burner. The software is slow and subject to spam filters and some of my messages don't get through to your mailbox. There is another email address or two that you are using these days and you get a ton of email in them. That means that the old email address I had and used is rarely checked. How come we aren't in touch more?
