BUSINESS COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Three times in three days I experienced and heard how relying on technology has caused missed appoints and disruption in communication. Upon experiencing this, it has made me even more committed to keep training and speaking on how to improve business communications.

I just returned from an extended absence in my community. The road trip home helped me decide how I want to design my life and with whom I want to spend time.

My two main criterion:

1. Person is positive.
2. Person is engaged in life.

The first coffee appointment was set up. I arrived a bit early, as I normally do, full of enthusiasm and looking forward to an interesting exchange about our careers.

Time went by and my normal 15 minutes of waiting time was up---I was out of there. Went home and send an email. Missed you. Reply came back “I’m so sorry. My Blackberry did not back up correctly with my computer and our coffee date didn’t show up on my calendar. How can I make it up to you?”

The second coffee date (by the way it was the next day) and I arrived a bit early. Fifteen minutes went by and he didn’t show up. Went home, sent an email “Missed you.” Reply, “So sorry we made that appointment through Facebook and I didn’t put it into my calendar”.

The third coffee date, the CEO related how a staff member had sent him a note through Facebook about how he was going to miss the meeting that was scheduled. CEO hadn’t gotten the message and staff member was ticked because CEO hadn’t read his Facebook.

Once I stepped back and thought about these three incidents, it made me think about how technology is affecting our time and relationships. In all three cases, it was the very devices that are supposed to help expand our ability to communicate broke down human interaction.

My final reaction……Going to keep making coffee dates, but going to use the telephone to confirm in person that the meeting is actually going to take place.