Happy Talk

We have so many options these days, when it comes to communication -- which one feels right to you?   Must you be face-to-face in order to feel you're having a conversation?  Do you prefer to text?  Rely on email?  Pick up the phone?  I think our preferred mode of communication can tell us something about ourselves.  Here, take this survey and then we'll talk.  Think about how you'd like to communicate with acquaintances or business, not close friends and family: 


  It's a little uncooperative on Firefox, but Internet Explorer works.  

I'm so curious what readers will say!  Take what I say with the usual grain of salt, but I think someone who prefers to speak face-to-face is outgoing and gregarious, maybe?  Someone who likes to have the full range of responses, both verbal and non-verbal.  To me, someone who likes to talk on the phone is confident, because it's a medium that can intrude on people who might be sleeping, deep in the middle of something, and so on.  

Email seems more polite -- the receiver can open it when they have time to, respond when they have time, delete if they really don't want to communicate with you, unlike phone or face-to-face. On the other hand, there's no tone or facial expressions to give the reader a clue as to whether you're kidding, or taking a swipe at them or whatever.  It can lead to misunderstandings.

Texting . . . well, it seems too personal and casual for communicating with acquaintances or business contacts, right?  You have to kind of know someone well to text "I'll b there @ 7 c u," right?  It's also pretty intrusive and seems urgent enough to demand an immediate response. 

 Linkup to Your Sunday Best

My preference?  Email.  Of course I meet people face-to-face, but other than that, I like email.  For some reason, I have never liked talking on the telephone that much, and when I have to place a call to someone, I find myself procrastinating for some dumb reason!  I only text family, really, and both son and daughter criticize me -- an English professor -- for using all the abbreviations.  My response is hey, everyone else gets to use all the shortcuts, why should I have to type everything out?

Tell me which form of communication you prefer!  My curiosity is getting the better of me.

Hope those in the US are having a great holiday weekend!