I am hiking up the side-of-the-mountain trail. It is not only for hikers but for bikers too, and one must always be on the lookout, both with eyes and ears for that biker who turns the corner unexpectedly.
Today's biker is visible from the bottom of the hill. I have time for a few more steps, then climb up into the brush to let her pass. As she passes, she says, "Thank you."
Sharing the trail and courteous words are typical and expected.
It's her added words that make the encounter so pleasant. "There's one more biker behind me."
When her fellow biker pops up at the top of the hill, she's expected and I happily step aside once more. When she passes, she also says thanks and adds, "No bikers behind me."
Communication. It used to be in person only, or by letter, pigeon, or telegram.
Then came the phone, but missed calls were just missed calls. There was no responsibility attached. Then came the answering machine, voice mail, texts and emails.
Yesterday, I ordered two flooring samples from the manufacturer in Georgia; today I got a phone call from a local salesman. When I didn't answer the unknown number, the email came within five minutes. I look at this phenomenon as spectacular and invasive.
I didn't feel an obligation to return the phone call, but the email was easy and courteous: Thanks but I already have a flooring company.
There's an easy tool on one's phone to cut off unsolicited numbers. The phone doesn't ring when the incoming phone number isn't recognized. Yet, recently we've both expected phone calls from people whose numbers we don't have in our call list. Tony has been kind to the people who solicit him by phone, however he's found this has multiplied his phone calls.
After he was solicited by a charity to donate money and he complied, he was solicited everyday by the same business, often the same man. Everyday, for weeks, he also received phone calls from a medical provider claiming to be his mother's doctor. He graciously worked with them until he learned it was a quasi scam.
So, when to communicate, when to not? Certainly if it involves safety, health, kindness, friendship, relationships both personal and work related. How simple and appreciated it was for the biking women to inform me of their presence.
When not to communicate? I'm not sure there is a fair nor consistent answer. If each time a child cried, she got a cookie, she's going to cry each time she wants a cookie--we don't always have cookies; we don't want to hear a child crying.
Communication conundrums make me want to withdraw from society. Toss my phone off the deck. Check out of email for at least a week. But communication is critical.
The bikers showed that communication is consideration.
It's a whole new world of communication. Technology has made it easier and yet more difficult. Communication by technology has allowed us to be curt, disrespectful, and given us the choice to ignore the communication all together. We can't let our way of communicating by technology bleed into our person-to-person conversation.
We can't go silent or ignore.
Be considerate in communication.
That's all.
Today's biker is visible from the bottom of the hill. I have time for a few more steps, then climb up into the brush to let her pass. As she passes, she says, "Thank you."
Sharing the trail and courteous words are typical and expected.
It's her added words that make the encounter so pleasant. "There's one more biker behind me."
When her fellow biker pops up at the top of the hill, she's expected and I happily step aside once more. When she passes, she also says thanks and adds, "No bikers behind me."
Communication. It used to be in person only, or by letter, pigeon, or telegram.
Then came the phone, but missed calls were just missed calls. There was no responsibility attached. Then came the answering machine, voice mail, texts and emails.
Yesterday, I ordered two flooring samples from the manufacturer in Georgia; today I got a phone call from a local salesman. When I didn't answer the unknown number, the email came within five minutes. I look at this phenomenon as spectacular and invasive.
I didn't feel an obligation to return the phone call, but the email was easy and courteous: Thanks but I already have a flooring company.
There's an easy tool on one's phone to cut off unsolicited numbers. The phone doesn't ring when the incoming phone number isn't recognized. Yet, recently we've both expected phone calls from people whose numbers we don't have in our call list. Tony has been kind to the people who solicit him by phone, however he's found this has multiplied his phone calls.
After he was solicited by a charity to donate money and he complied, he was solicited everyday by the same business, often the same man. Everyday, for weeks, he also received phone calls from a medical provider claiming to be his mother's doctor. He graciously worked with them until he learned it was a quasi scam.
So, when to communicate, when to not? Certainly if it involves safety, health, kindness, friendship, relationships both personal and work related. How simple and appreciated it was for the biking women to inform me of their presence.
When not to communicate? I'm not sure there is a fair nor consistent answer. If each time a child cried, she got a cookie, she's going to cry each time she wants a cookie--we don't always have cookies; we don't want to hear a child crying.
Communication conundrums make me want to withdraw from society. Toss my phone off the deck. Check out of email for at least a week. But communication is critical.
The bikers showed that communication is consideration.
It's a whole new world of communication. Technology has made it easier and yet more difficult. Communication by technology has allowed us to be curt, disrespectful, and given us the choice to ignore the communication all together. We can't let our way of communicating by technology bleed into our person-to-person conversation.
We can't go silent or ignore.
Be considerate in communication.
That's all.
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