OK, here is where I am going to show my age. I actually think certain information and certain discussions should be held either in person or over the phone instead of texting or emailing. I am a big proponent of in-person interactions. I think it is hard to develop real relationships, particularly with customers, if you only ever communicate via email.

Don’t get me wrong – I text as much as the next person and I am constantly checking for email updates on my phone or my laptop. But I think that the message should dictate the medium. I have heard of couples breaking up over email and once had a friend who “fell in love” with a person he had never met but had emailed and texted for about a month. (That one didn’t end so well.) There were so many assumptions based on “reading between the lines” that I don’t think he ever really read any of the words in the actual messages.

This is a pretty common issue and one that a lot of project managers learn how to deal with earlier in their careers. A major project delay, significant cost increase or contract cancellation all deserve a human voice and personal ownership. If it is important and urgent, it requires a personal touch. There is an accountability aspect that is important but also there is a need to react, a need to see the respondent’s reaction (facial expressions, body language). Without these context clues, we are significantly impaired in our abilities to interpret a situation correctly. And the situation will get worse quickly when you add different cultures, languages and geographic locations into the mix.

In the global economy, we are all becoming very experienced at collaborating with partners around the world. These collaborations require a fair amount of time and effort and extra attention to successful communications. I am pretty sure we can’t tweet our way into a trusted relationship with partners or clients. I also don’t think we can develop and maintain meaningful business relationships over email. If we are going to make an effort to communicate, we need to consider the timing, the recipients, the actual message and the medium in advance. Successful collaboration requires solid communication. Solid communication requires a thoughtful approach and an appreciation for enabling technologies and their limitations.