In today’s technologically sophisticated world there are myriad channels of communication. 

To me, the best and most basic manner of communication is talking face to face, where you can look someone directly in the face and discern facial expressions (“Tells”) while taking in the words, gestures and eye contact. 

My father’s number one rule of interpersonal judgment was whether someone looked him the eye. Very little else mattered to him as he took the measure of a person and, invariably, he was right on!

So let’s all agree that face to face (“Water Cooler”) communication is optimal, but in this COVID age we are often relegated to other, virtual, means of communication. 

As an aside, virtual communication is not necessarily new, as we know from the Walter D. Edmonds book, the drum was a communication fixture along the Mohawk :)

I will try to list the various means of virtual communication in my order of preference:

• FaceTime 
• Telephone
• Voice Mail
• Text
• Email
• Facebook Messenger
• Fax
• Letter writing
• Hand written notes

Have I missed anything (carrier pidgin for instance)?

In closing, I have to add that choices on the above may be moved up the list by some, as they do not require immediate response and allow for pause, reflection, or “I didn’t see it”.

As we make progress, communication gets more and more complicated, yet Joanne prefers telephone with a wire :)