Communication in Business: Have You Lost Your Voice?

It sure is easy to communicate with people today. There’s email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and myriad other forms of instant messaging.

Those channels have allowed us to type out our thoughts, blast them to anyone we want to talk to, and have a quick, easy conversation.

But the question is: are those digital conversations really a good way to communicate in business?

My answer would be no. In fact, I think those mediums can be very dangerous to the future of communication. True relationships are built through verbal communication. That means engaging your customers with phone calls, video chats, or face-to-face meetings, not the truncated words you’re able to tap out with your thumbs.

As the Wall Street Journal’s Mark Bauerlein writes, verbal cues, gestures, and the expression of true emotion are lost in digital communication. If you rely only on email, social media, and texts as your means of communication in business, then you’re losing the opportunity to really connect with customers, prospects, and coworkers.

Here are three important reasons why verbal communication in business is absolutely essential:

Feedback and resolve

If your email, text, or chat message is unclear or puts someone on the defense, the lag in response could result in confusion or negative consequences very quickly. On the other hand, a verbal conversation allows for immediate response and feedback, providing the conversing parties the opportunity to resolve any issues — big or small.

As Google researcher and software developer Dan Russell and neuroscience expert Kathy Sierra discuss on their blog Headrush, the brain needs face-to-face communication. If you deny it social interaction, then you’re ultimately harming its ability to help you communicate effectively.

Even Richard F. Libin at destinationCRM argues that, while there are tremendous advantages to e-communication and CRM for software companies, nothing will ever replace “voice” communication as the most important tool in a salesperson’s arsenal. The best approach, Libin suggests, is to combine written and verbal forms of communication to develop a rapport with customers, solicit feedback on their experience, and resolve any issues they might be having.

Emotion and passion

No matter how many smiley faces you use, written communication does not convey emotion. How can someone possibly understand your passion or feelings in an email or text? I don’t care how many exclamation points you use, they aren’t substitutes for facial expressions, tone of voice, handshakes, verbal cues, or body language.

For example, a fascinating research article for The Business Owners Journal revealed that the receiver in a conversation correctly interprets a message via email only 56 percent of the time. By contrast, the message is correctly received by phone 73 percent of the time.

The periodical’s article also suggests that the brevity of email and the absence of audiovisual cues can endanger business and personal relationships unless they’re supplemented with the rapport that comes from more personal communication.

Sense of confidence

Written communication breeds false confidence. When people are not in front of someone else, they might feel extra confidence in what they’re saying. Of course, if the type of communication being exchanged is confrontational, that false sense of confidence (or overconfidence) can be very dangerous.

That’s not to say that confidence isn’t important. It’s incredibly important. But you want to convey the right kind of confidence and have it be received properly by the person you’re speaking with.

As Harvard Business School assistant professor Amy Cuddy explains in a video blog, business leaders can boost power, convey confidence, and reduce stress (both their own and their fellow communicator’s) by displaying stronger body language. Obviously, none of those things can be achieved via written communication.

So, how are you communicating?

Email, instant messaging, social media, and texts can be cheap, quick ways to speed up conversations, but they can also hurt your interaction with clients and coworkers. There needs to be a balance and if you’re struggling to communicate or interpret a message, it might be because you’ve lost your voice.

I often hear my team say things like: “They are not getting back to me,” “I don’t understand this email,” and “What do you think they mean?” Without hesitation, my answer every time is: “Pick up the phone and ask them.”

Brian Zimmerman is a Managing Director at OpenView responsible for delivering value-add consulting service through Openview Labs. You can follow him on Twitter @BrianZimm1.