Peer to Peer: ILTA's Quarterly Magazine
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/1538025
P E E R T O P E E R M A G A Z I N E ยท S U M M E R 2 0 2 5 57 T his article started during a Zoom call for ILTA volunteers. I drafted the outline while traveling for in-person meetings with coworkers, and it was edited via Teams. I got the style guide and other key info on the submission process via email. With so many ways to connect and communicate, it is no wonder we often feel overwhelmed by the options available to us today. People who study communications often classify different communication technologies by their richness, a term that describes the amount of information they can convey. In their 2011 publication, "Organizational Communications in an Age of Globalization," Christensen Cheney, et al. report that this usually includes elements such as nonverbal cues, the speed and frequency of feedback, and the ability to customize the message for the audience. Richness enables complexity. From an IT perspective, the richer it is, the more bandwidth it requires. Think about the difference between delivering a near-real-time virtual meeting with voice and video compared to sending a single text message. It is essential to remember that there will never be a single perfect way to communicate, but rather methods that are a better fit for the situation. For example, younger people tend to send text messages, whereas older people may opt for a quick voice call. Someone using text-to-voice software may prefer a shorter email over a more comprehensive one. The key is to match the information you are communicating with the technology you use to deliver it. To help with that, here are some of the ways we regularly speak at work, along with suggestions on when you might want to use each one. FACE-TO-FACE/IN-PERSON Benefits: Face-to-face interactions are often regarded as one of the most effective ways to communicate, as they are rich in context. For the listener, there are tone of voice, gestures, and expressions. For the speaker, there is real-time feedback from the listener. Humans start learning about interacting before they even know what words are, let alone how to write them. Drawbacks: Face-to-face interactions do not scale as effectively as other communication channels. It takes BY TARA SAYLOR