What is your preferred method of communicating?

Walking is a good way to discuss emotionally difficult topics. Many recommend walking as a time to check in on the health of a relationship, or to discuss sex. It takes teh conversation out of a situation of a power dynamic or of a setting into a place where there is nothing more implied than communication.

Car rides aren’t all that good, because one person has to concentrate on driving and can’t look the other in the eye, and the other person can feel trapped in the car.

Walking and talking.

In business, though, I prefer email so I have a record of what they said.

Walking and talking is great, over a meal is great, sitting is armchairs is great, texting is great, FB messaging can be fine with the right person. And pms are pretty cool too. I just like communicating!

(When my brother died when I was 4, i used to wish there was a phone line to Heaven so that I could talk to him. I kinda wish that now for Gail.)

Sitting and face to face.

Anything is fine, as long as the other person actually listens to me instead of pretending or focusing on something else.

@janbb your brother died when you were four? How awful…. I’m so sorry.

It depends on the conversation and purpose of that conversation. So with friends, I’d rather sit down and have a coffee or go for a walk in person. Although I have friends online, and it’s lovely to chat with them via text.

For my teaching work, I prefer students email me. I can then deal with their queries when at my convenience and putting my responses in writing means there’s a record of what I said. This hopefully means less ambiguity and misunderstandings.

For my research work, I like the telephone or face-to-face conversations. This allows me to drill down and really try to understand what the person I’m speaking to is communicating.

For general business, again, writing (email) is preferable but email is easy to ignore, so the telephone or in person is often the best option.

Email and landline, although lately, not much of either.

As long as it involves being face to face, anything goes. I’m terrible at communicating any other way.

A car ride.

Over a meal. Each person can say his opinion without being interrupted, since the other is eating. It also allows more considered opinions.

Walikg in the woods close to Nature and enjoying a hike with someone that also enjoys the same interests.

I prefer emails as I can edit to my heart’s content and get it just right. I also prefer doing something while I am chitchatting as I don’t feel awkward when there is a pause in the conversation as we can be getting on with the thing. Like doing the dishes together or indeed going for a walk. Nothing too taxing