Mark Evans has been writing recently about the need for people to pause, take a deep breath and think a little longer before hitting the send button. He had an earlier piece with a similar theme.
He writes:
One of the major challenges within the always-on, always accessible world is the belief that if someone is able to contact you, you’re obligated to get back to them as soon as possible. Rather than think, breathe and reflect, the default is respond ASAP.Why is that? Why do we feel compelled to reply before really thinking through exactly what you want to say? Often, digital conversations can become complicated and convoluted because not enough thought goes into what should/needs to be said.
I waited a couple days to write this post, in order to reflect a little more on his words. I took a few deep breaths, got up, walked around and even reviewed a draft before hitting the ‘publish’ button.
A year and a half ago, I wrote about 4 degrees of impersonal communications.
Face-to-face communications (a first degree interaction) has no record, no evidence beyond the memory of the participants. Telephony (second degree) may have a record, such as an audio voice message. Email (3rd degree) gets circulated, over and over. Thanks to search engines and web-archiving tools, the web (4th degree) offers a permanent record.
I observed that:
Paradoxically, we seem to take more care in communications when the conversation can most easily be private and candid.
Some of Mark’s readers have said the solution is to unplug for a period – one day on; one day off – in order to recharge their batteries and experience the real world more fully.
I am not sure that is necessary. I like being connected while on the road; I find that being available is what lets me get away. For others, there is a real need to turn off the phone and Blackberry.
Whatever it takes, I hope you get to find that source of inspiration and invigoration as we move into the traditional vacation season.
Enjoy the Canada Day weekend… I’ll be taking a few days off. Fishing with my Blackberry at my side. Drinking some wine, eating some cheese, catching a few rays [can anyone name the movie?].
But being careful with my communications devices near water. They don’t float, you know.