Interruption
We live in an age of distraction, not concentration. IM and the mute button during conference calls insure that no one is fully engaged.
“Learn young about hard work and manners – and you’ll be through the whole dirty mess and nicely dead again before you know it.” (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Ok, so maybe I am a scrooge, and this is just a pet peeve, but I believe Instant Messaging and the mute button is one more nail in the coffin of concentration.
It has always been a rare day that I can concentrate on one particular thing for much longer than a few minutes before someone comes into my office and needs my immediate attention. Now not only is it someone walking into my office, but I am constantly bombarded by IMs from people all over the US. IM, in our company, is touted as a time saver and way to stay in-touch and communicate effectively. It is anything but an effective communication tool and a time saver. It is distraction. What is more, I can get IMs on my cell phone and so can everyone else. So now I get to respond to IMs, as well as phone calls and emails, on my mobile phone.
“It is the province of knowledge to speak. And it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes)
A conference call these days is a group of people looking at email, texts, IMs, and muting the phone to say something rather than listening. This isn’t communication. Active listening is the key to a successful understanding of an issue, and conference calls no longer involve much active listening. Not only do the people talking not hear what is being said, but they prevent everyone else from concentrating and then to make matters worse, ask for the information to be repeated, that they just missed.
“Man’s inability to communicate is a result of his failure to listen effectively.” (Carl Rogers)
Email wars don’t solve the communication problem either. Sending email upon email is not communication. Pick up the phone, or walk over to the person, or if multiple people are involved, have a conference call where people are only doing one thing…either listening or speaking, hopefully in the ratio of your ears to mouth. Listen to all sides together and then make a reasoned decision.
“If speaking is silver, then listening is gold.” (Turkish Proverb)