August 2025

The Best Communication Medium

by Bryan Emmerson

For millennia humans were limited in the ways that they could communicate. The options tended to depend on distance (talk, shout, shout louder, use flags or fire, send a physical message via messenger).  Modern telephone and digital advancements have vastly increased our options.

Today the most widely spread communication tools are telephone, email, and texting (ssm, social media messaging, etc.). Since the COVID-19 pandemic, video calls (Zoom, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, Skype, etc.) have become popular, and in many cases necessary. Unfortunately, just because we have the best option doesn’t mean the best option is the one we choose. If you have been reading my blogs, you know that I like to make a point by telling a story. I am currently a business coach, and in my previous role as an executive I had an opportunity to address this issue. I had a department head (let’s call him Sean) that reported to me and he copied me on an email that was 2 ½ pages long. Like most people I get a lot of emails that are addressed to me; consequently, if I am only copied on an email, I tend not to read it. Because of its length, however, this email got my attention.

The email was outlining a new idea for a process change that Sean wanted to pitch to a colleague. He not only outlined the idea, but addressed several questions and several more possible objections to the idea. At our next meeting (we had regularly scheduled meetings every few days) I asked him how long it took him to compose the email. He told me it took him at least 90 minutes. I told him that email is an effective tool for some applications. Email works very well for sending attachments (documents, pictures, etc.), setting up meetings, confirming conversations, etc. One category of communication for which email is poorly suited is anything new. I asked Sean to explain his idea to me as I noticed the time on my watch. When he was finished, I again checked my watch and asked him how much time we estimate that took. He said, “About 10 minutes”. I said, “8½ actually, what do you think would’ve been a better use of your time in communicating this idea to your co-worker?”  He thought about it and said that it would have been a much better had he simply picked up the phone (or better yet walked down the hall to his colleague’s office) and discussed his idea. He was correct.

The second category for which email is a poor choice is for anything negative. When it comes to communication, psychologist tell us that there are three numbers to keep in mind, 7 / 37 / 56.

• 7% of communication is in the words we use
• 37% is in the tone
• 56% is body language

By choosing telephone over email or text, we increase our chances of effectively communicating by more than six times ([7+37] / 7 = 6.3). Psychologists also tell us that in most areas of observation human beings tend to notice discrepancies of 15% or greater. Imagine how much more effective your communication will be if you can show an increase of over 600% merely by optimizing the medium of that communication.  

There is a steep price paid for choosing the wrong method. At best, it’s just plain inefficient. How common is it to have a 10 or 15 minute back-and-forth text session that could be replaced with a 90 second phone call?  At worst, you open yourself up to miscommunication. If you’re lucky, you can go back and “mend the fences”; if not, the miscommunication festers and rears its ugly head later. I realize that at first glance this sounds a little melodramatic, but anyone familiar with social media or chat rooms has seen firsthand what I mean.  

On the other hand, there are many instances when texting is the best option.  It can be quick and discrete.  If conclusion can be made in one or two exchanges, texting can be extremely effective and efficient.  If not, a phone call can save a lot of back and forth time.  Email is a great option for setting up meetings and transferring files.  Emailing may also be preferable to texting if the recipient has a company computer but not a company cell phone.

The bottom line is we have choices, and the best choice depends on the situation. As with most things in life, we all have our preferences and we need to be aware if these preferences help or hinder our effectiveness.  If our goal is to optimize our communication, then embracing the best option can increase productivity and reduce stress.

I hope this has been helpful, and remember …your results matter.