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.