I’m hung up on social media. Both its pros and its cons. As a professional, I will use it to my every possible means. To spread news about my clients; to perk ideas for stories – and it works nine times out of 10. Twenty years ago, that wasn’t possible. Heck, 10 years ago it wasn’t possible like it is today.
Need to say something? Instagram it. Post it. Snapchat it. Pin it. Put it on You Tube. Ask for “likes” on Facebook. Tweet it. I’m not even naming them all. It WORKS. And, if that doesn’t work, send an email or a text for a quick comment. Awesome, right? Yet, I’ve been told by so many people who don’t know me well that I’m the worst e-mailer EVER. Why? Because I email the way I speak. I’m sarcastic. I’m to-the-point. And, in a text or email, what I say can be taken WAY out of context. I am not alone.
So I continue my quest to keep face-to-face conversations alive. After all, as I’ve said before, communication is SO much more than words. It’s the actions you show IN your communication and the ACTIONS that follow what you say.
I had a bad day today. It doesn’t matter who or what. It DOES matter that it all happened via email. Was what I said taken out of context? What the client said was taken out of context? I’ll never know. Unless, of course, I set a face-to-face meeting with the client to iron things out. After all, isn’t that what public relations is all about?
I’m not pointing fingers at others. I can’t do that until I first point it at myself. Emails, texts, posts, tweets aside. Nothing compares to a good ol’ face-to-face.
It’s time for me to set a meeting. And on the personal side, I’m having dinner around the table with my family. Phones off.
I’ll be interested to see the body language. Good or bad, it’s worth it.