So, a lot of people are going to disagree with me on this, but I really like video calls. I think it is one of the best and most effective communication tools we have available to us these days.
I know this isn’t fashionable – texting is absolutely #1. I know people who do not pick up phone calls, do not listen to voice mails, and do not read emails outside of work. There are people in my life that I must text if I want to communicate with them, since it’s the only way they’ll respond.
But viewed in a work context, I think the most important thing in a conversation is making it as clear as possible. Texts tend to be super short and abbreviated. That’s great for a “Meet me in the lobby” or “Did you get that contract?” message, but maybe not so much for a longer discussion.
And with both texts and emails, it’s easy to make assumptions about people’s meanings. Without hearing the tone of voice, you might think someone is mad when they’re not – or being snarky when they’re being completely straightforward.
And there’s quite a bit of opportunity to go sideways due to cultural or generational context, too. I just found out the other day from a Millennial friend that my “Okay” in a message was interpreted to mean I was angry. No, seriously – if I had used “kk” that would have meant OK, “Okay,” meant more like, “Well, fine then! Hmph!”
Now, I’d actually rather talk to someone than type at them. If a chat exchange goes past a few back and forth messages, I’d rather just jump on the phone and have a conversation. That enables me to have a much deeper exchange with a much better ability to comprehend the other person’s intent as well as their content.
Video calling is just a natural extension of that. If you can get a deeper understanding through hearing the tone of someone’s voice, how much more nuance can you gain from seeing their expression?
My suggestion, if you’re having a conversation, take time to have the conversation. People are worth your attention. And I firmly believe that in business, video conferencing should be the default whenever possible, rather than the rare exception that it is.