|
|
Send and receive
The world of communication has evolved--from paintings on the wall of a cave to typing a few words on a handheld phone and sending them into cyberspace. Although I use many technological opportunities in communication myself, it doesn't mean that I think all of them are good things. Yes, modern communication methods burned me again and it has provoked me to share my thoughts. The truth of the matter is that we have greater ease with today's communication methods today than we have had at any time in human history, yet I believe our actual communications skills are getting worse. I have been guilty of this in the past so consequently I will be talking to myself as well as the rest of you. Last weekend I had scheduled an event to attend and participate in. As I arrived in town the night before, I was unsuccessful in reaching the local contact person. When I finally talked to her the next morning, she said, "Oh, Trent we must have gotten our wires crossed. I sent you an e-mail and we changed the date on the meeting." I did not receive any such e-mail. I don't for a minute doubt that she sent it but I simply did not receive it. And for the record, it is becoming an occurrence that happens just a little too frequently for my own satisfaction. I have three daughters and I can holler, scream or even talk to them all I want but if they don't hear me and acknowledge what I have said, we are not communicating. With every improvement in technology it seems we digress in our true communication skills. Sure, I admit that it allows for more and speedier communication as well but it is still up to us to follow through to make sure that our "outgoing message" has been "received." I do spend a great deal of time at our nation's colleges and universities. I am not sure the current trend is a really good one for the future of our society. Electronic communication, text messaging in particular, seems to be the communication mode of first choice. E-mail, face booking, instant messaging, "my spacing" or blogging appear to take precedent over a good-old fashioned telephone conversation. I would assume some had the similar concerns when the telephone was invented. How could you really know what a person meant if you couldn't look them in the eye while talking to them? An Irish study was released in April indicating that our communication skills could be permanently damaged from the increase in text messaging. Mary Trachsel, head of the University of Iowa Rhetoric Department, commented on the results. "Because there are so many other ways besides writing to communicate these days, students are not getting the same amount of writing practice as they did in the past. They have a hard time telling what is a complete sentence. They write with run-ons, sentence fragments, often not following standard writing rules." In Australia they have also recently released reports expressing concern about new age communication. The one that really hit me was that 8 million text messages were sent on Valentine's Day alone. Now can you maintain the true spirit of Valentine's Day with a four-word text message? I bloody doubt it. And I'm sure the greeting card industry would whole-heartedly agree with me! Of even greater importance is a study by Nationwide Mutual Insurance, which found that 37 percent of drivers between 18 and 27 years old actually send and receive text messages while behind the wheel. One study shows that talking on the cell phone is equivalent to blowing a .08 on a breathalyzer. Now add text messaging to the mix. Washington will soon become the first state in the nation to make it illegal to text and drive. Other states are considering similar legislation. I know for a fact that none of us need any more distractions while driving, particularly teenage drivers. Come to think of it, as I travel around this country it appears to me that today's business traveler has not stayed home any more than they used to. Available to us is video conferencing, conference calling and now the newest technology called telepresence. These many advancements have created the opportunity to view more from afar, without actually packing our bags and traveling. However, it is my observation that the business world maintains that eye-to-eye communication is still the preferred method. While I do not believe that we should shun modern communication methods, I think we should never forget one old cliché--use it or lose it. One feature of the e-mail system even suggests the importance of "send/receive." If both are not accomplished, it is not considered communication. How are your "communication" skills? Is anyone "receiving" your message? Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com. Date: 5/31/07
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2012. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
