How do you stay in touch on the road?

Written By Anonim on Rabu, 03 Februari 2010 | 08.11

With so many forms of communication at our fingertips these days, we're spoilt for choice as to how to stay in touch with the office or home, while out and about on our business travels.

There's texting, email, Skype, instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook and any number of other Social media sites that can be dialled up in a matter of seconds.

I mean, who actually sends communication by post these days?!

Despite all these options, you can't beat the good old fashioned phone; calling someone direct and making human contact.

Email is faceless, easy to misconstrue and SO corporate! Half the time you receive automated 'out of office' responses, or you sit there, checking your email inbox persistently, hoping for a quick response. Unfortunately, your top priority may well be someone else's 'to do when I'm not so busy'.

Then there's texting. Now texting makes it easy to stretch the truth and avoid prolonged contact. Again, without vocal expression, it's easy to misconstrue what is being communicated or to convey the wrong message entirely.

"I'll deal with it this afternoon ok?" could be read as a positive acknowledgement or a frustrated brush off. It's ALL down to how you read the words, and what expression you put in. The number of times I've got the wrong end of the stick and over-reacted to an innocent text!

And as if that wasn't enough, don't you just hate the whole text speak?

'N E 1 agree wiv me 2?'

What's happened to the English language? Have other languages resorted to text speak or is just an English thing?

If you're travelling on business chances are you won't have time to Twitter, Facebook, Bebo etc, unless your job is Social Media, and if you do, you have to question what you're doing with your time!

So, it all comes back to the phone and good old fashioned talking. Is that such a crazy, out-there concept these days?

I know we lead busy lives and don't have time to hang around and chat incessantly, but don't you think the real you, on the other end of the line, talking live to your family and loved ones, is appreciated?

Regardless of your schedule, even 30 seconds of 'Hi, how are you? Looking forward to seeing you soon' is better than a text full of typos and short, blunt half sentences.

So how do YOU stay in touch?

Do you prefer the convenience of text and email, or do you still believe in the power of a phone call?

Do you use text speak or are you a stickler for good grammar?

Let me know...