Communication. It’s a simple word with a simple meaning. So how did it get so complicated?
For the most part, our society existed for a long time with two very basic forms of communication: verbal and written.
If people wanted other people to know something, they told them. Or if they weren’t able to communicate something verbally, they wrote it down where others could see it or mail it. Done.
The invention of the telephone seemingly improved this, allowing for faster communication. The fax machine then provided an electronic transfer of the written word. Even more time was saved. Email simplified the process more, especially with business communication.
Then along came cell phones. And although those who used them excessively were annoying at first, we got used to being accessible all the time. But did communication improve? Hmmm.
We started texting. It was a bit clunky at first, but we could avoid those potentially lengthy phone calls and communicate quickly with a group of people. Surely, this helped us communicate better, right?
Not well enough, apparently. We evidently needed a way to broadcast our breakfast selections and cat photos to the masses, so social media came along.
But these forms of verbal and written communication were not enough. We needed video to better communicate. Skype, FaceTime and Zoom calls surely made our communication streams better, right?
Through all these “improvements,” we seem to have more trouble communicating effectively today than we ever have. Some say it’s because we have too much going on in our lives now and can’t juggle it all. Others say our attention spans have diminished. And many of us claim that we just can’t cut through the “noise.”
Well, the solution may be right in front of us. Maybe it’s time to get back to some good, old-fashioned, face-to-face communication. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.
Have a fantastic Friday, and, as always, thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
