Are You in Control of Your Communications?

If by traveling in a time machine all that you evaluated when you got out of the contraption were the communication techniques and abilities used in that time period, I suspect you would have a fast-track to getting a grip on what that particular point in time was all about. From the cave men and their etchings on the rock walls to our modern times with phones, computers and more, to who knows what’s around the corner in life’s rich pageant (extra sensory perception or telekinesis, perhaps).  According to CTIA-The Wireless Association, the average length of a local call has fallen more than 50% over the last decade to around 1.8 minutes. I don’t think it’s so much that people don’t want to talk; it’s more the case that the machines have taken over our lives. Americans send an average of 41 texts a day, with those aged 19-25 sending an average of 110 texts a day. Tip of the iceberg.

Another wrinkle that time has brought us is that we’re now officially cemented in a “scheduled call” culture. The expectation, or even hope, that the person with whom you want to speak is live and available to answer your phone call in today’s business world is vanishing faster than the meat platter at a carnivore convention. Gone are the days when you could enjoy the expectation of reaching the person you want to speak with on the phone—and with time for discussion, or have them be in relatively noise-free surroundings. Like it or not, it’s very difficult in today’s business environment to catch someone with an out-of-the-blue phone call where they can actually converse for more than a moment.

Sure, it’s a sign of the times in how busy business professionals are, but it’s more than that. In the past, you simply wouldn’t have reached that person; now, you can catch a CFO on the phone while he’s driving and distracted, or have luck in having that CIO answer your call, only to find that she’s in the pharmacy line. It’s often better to not be able to reach them at all!

What communications advancements have brought us is a double-edged sword, one that is wielded effectively by some, and not so skillfully by others. At the risk of sounding like someone from The Waltons era, there’s a widespread belief of the older guard that today’s students and young professionals haven’t acquired the necessary telephone skills (actual verbal conversations on the phone—real live speaking). John-Boy Walton would have loved a smartphone and the Internet, though, wouldn’t he? With calendars and such on devices in your pocket or purse, business society has truly become mechanized. Younger generations are set to pounce on this and take it to the extreme, too.Have you walked around a high school or college campus lately? You don’t see many conversations taking place, or at least not to the degree of what I was a part of in the 80’s. Tablets, smartphones and headphones, coupled with students drinking expensive coffees (what?!?)… America 2014 has become a science-fiction movie.

Depending upon one’s profession and temperament, this is either a good thing or a bad thing–you make the call. So what has all of this technology led to? Talking with accountants over the age of 35, there is a worry—or maybe even a fear—that the 20-somethings and younger are going to forever change the playing field. Go back in the time machine and you’ll run across that sentiment over and over. Moving quickly, sans time machine, is it time for society to slow down and eschew the “what’s next?” for awhile?

Technological advances and various gadgets designed to enable and foster communications have certainly changed how we live and how we choose to spend our time. No one would argue that point. Despite these wonderful upgrades to our lives, both personally and in our careers, would you be happy if advances in technology (other than medical) stopped today? If your gut says “no way,” contemplate that question for a moment anyway. Do we really need better ways in which to communicate, enjoy entertainment, transport ourselves, cook food and perform our work? Did they think the same thing 100 years ago or even a decade ago? It’s an interesting debate, regardless of the side of the fence you fall on. Aren’t the methods and devices that we enjoy today good enough? There’s a sector out there that’s saying “stop it already!” (of course, you can’t hear them because they’re talking on the phone instead of texting). However, there’s a much louder faction that can’t wait for “The Next New Thing,” led on a leash by the extreme early adopters. Lou Reed sang “We who have so much more than any one man does need…” in his song Strawman raised a point designed to echo beyond the walls of the green/organic/save the earth club (though his observation was focused on a scale far wider than simply technology). If people didn’t replace their smartphones every year then the plastic-consuming rat wouldn’t turn so quickly on the wheel.

Innovation propels societal change. Regardless of how it’s performed, the core of all communications is listening and reacting accordingly. Whether the communications channel is Skype, iPad or the nostalgic standby of a Campbell’s Soup can-and-string, listening and understanding is at the dead center. Sales training sessions stress the importance of focused listening, but often that goes in one ear and out the other. What if all salespeople and business development professionals logged a mandatory week working the line at a Subway restaurant? When those shops are busy, the sandwich builder requires a tuned ear and mind—certainly not a job for everyone (much tougher than it looks, I think). Many salespeople are better talkers than listeners—and there’s no better way to hone one’s listening and short-term memory skills than to make a few hundred subs as customers bark out their choice of breads, cheeses, toppings, spices and sauces. My wife would probably appreciate it if I trained on the Subway line for awhile. Where does this leave the business world and the accounting profession?

The need to be on the cutting edge of technology and adapting it to your career has never been more relevant. It’s a time of change, yes, but also one of immense opportunity. But where do you fit on the communications time panorama? It doesn’t really matter; what does matter, though, is how you adapt it all to make your time as efficient as it can be—and control communications rather than let communications control you. No time machine required.