Thursday, August 23, 2012

When Email and Texting Aren't Enough

In this day and age, it's easier than ever to keep in touch. There's text and emails and Facebook. Very soon, high school reunions will be a thing of the past. Who needs to get together once a decade when you can reconnect with your entire graduating class via Facebook. Yet sometimes when people matter, they deserve an extra little TLC, a telephone conversation or even a face-to-face meeting, when possible.

An email announcing 'girlfriends' day' and telling all of your girlfriends how much they matter to you, isn't that special when it's a forwarded email you didn't write sent to thirty of your 'closest' friends. A Facebook post, sent to 300 Facebook friends doesn't really strike me as intimate.

A one-to-one email or a phone call says much more. Reconnecting with a friend on an individual basis shows that you really are a friend and not just a passing acquaintance. It actually means something when you can ask how they have been and truly find out what they've been up to.

Also a lot is lost in translation with a text or email. Yes, there are eight million emoticons, but nothing is better than the inflections and tone of voice that are communicated in a verbal conversation. Plus, taking the time out of your day to talk to your friend shows your friend that they matter to you.

Want to make a real connection? Pick up the phone and make a call, schedule a lunch or go out for drinks. Reach out and touch someone!

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