Which one is your favourite mode of conversation?

Interpretive dance

Text. I don’t talk on the phone because I know the other person is multitasking instead of giving me their full attention.

invasive telepathy

Any and all

I prefer face to face or talking, I hate texting,I do use it from time to time, but still dislike it greatly.

Texting or writing.

Through a 100 watt Marshall ½ stack…can you hear me now?

I communicate almost entirely through memes.

LOL Seek!
Email.

Yes.

Flag semaphore, of course, or telegrams.

Actually, I’m very fond of email, a great way to keep in frequent touch with friends and family. It takes just a few minutes to write or read a message, and I don’t interrupt my own or someone else’s busy day with a phone call.

When there’s time, I love to meet people face-to-face. Time spent together is the best way to converse, and I enjoy all those visual cues and reactions.

I like messenger because you can use cute stickers n shit like that.

@dammitjanetfromvegas “The river was deep but I swam it…”

Oooooh, @dammitjanetfromvegas, me too!!!

In depends on the type of conversation, but in general, in descending order of preference:

1, In person
2. Call
3. Text

They’re all useful. I have no preference when it comes to information. Whatever works.

I like all forms of communication. I’m a chatterbox so I love to talk face-to-face or on the telephone. I like to text for convenience. I like to communicate in writing on Fluther/Facebook etc. I find email very useful for more in-depth communication with family and especially for work interactions.

Each communication mechanism has strengths and weaknesses. Which one is preferable will depend on the purpose of the interaction.

For talk at a personal level, nothing beats face to face, but for many of the types of things we talk about on Fluther, text works best. It allows you to read what someone says at your own pace and to go back over parts if necessary.

I second @Pachy ‘s order. Face to face is excellent, and more fun!

Depends.

I think face to face is the safest for important matters. Body language is a huge part of really understanding what someone wants to communicate.

Text is great for a quick hello, say your running late, directions, can talk out loud in the location you are currently at, and to be able to walk away from the conversation for a minute or an hour easily.

Phone is great when you would rather be in person, but it’s impossible. Also, for long conversations where texting becomes impractical, because it’s tons of writing, or the conversation is wondering around a lot. Plus, if you don’t want something in writing verb is better.

It depends on who, what I’m doing and what mood I’m in.

@JLeslie, I disagree face-to-face is always the safest option when discussing important matters. Depending on the people concerned and the topic being discussed, written communication can often be a safer option, at least as a starting point. It takes away the potential for arguments and interruptions and allows a person, and especially someone who feels vulnerable, to express their feelings and understanding of a situation. In some cases, people don’t feel safe or able to speak about issues in a face-to-face mode.

I agree with @Earthbound_Misfit on that point. I raised to believe that writing a note to cover sensitive or emotional points was cowardly, but to be able to word one’s thoughts carefully, without interruption, is a good thing. Angry and/or defensive responses can make a fraught situation much worse, and at the very least, being able to refer back to written points is a plus.

@Earthbound_Misfit and @canidmajor I see your points. Valid points. I think usually when we want to write about a difficult topic, rather than face to face, it’s not usually so we word things well, it’s because the person we are telling is unreasonable. We need to be careful, because they are too reactive. Walking on eggshells.

Writing is a way to give the receiver time to think before they respond, or to not put them on the spot to respond in the moment. The people I would need to do that with tend to be grudge holders, passive aggressive, and controlling. Or, someone who I don’t know how they handle arguments or apologies, so I might write to let them to digest the information. You can’t win though.

When my SIL was busy being mad at me I tried in person twice over a years time. Around year 4 or 5 I wrote an email. She said I was horrible, because I should have asked her out for coffee to discuss it. I just wanted to clear the air and get past it all. Cultural bullshit on her part, and wanting control. At that point I stopped giving a shit about her. Suddenly, things got better. High school behavior.

That’s my experience anyway.

Edit: When my BIL finally decided to tell his parents he’s gay he wrote a letter, and they didn’t understand it.

@JLeslie, I’m an extrovert, so I’m normally pretty comfortable with conversation. My husband is also an extrovert. However, I remember when I was first in this relationship (as an example), there were times when I found it easier to write to my (then) boyfriend about how I was feeling. I’d been through a bad relationship. I was a bit gun-shy. So at times, if I wanted to discuss a potentially sensitive topic to either him or me, I found it easier to send him a message after I’d had time to think about what I wanted to say. It might be he’d said something that had hurt me. Or I was feeling vulnerable about something that was happening. He could then think about my comments and respond. It wasn’t that he was unreasonable. It was more that I needed that space to say what I needed to say, and for him to have time to think about what I had to say before either of us responded. It was sort of a good ice-breaker.

I’d be interested to know how many of the people who prefer to text or use written communication are introverts. As I said, I’m an extrovert and I’m comfortable with all modes of communication.

@Earthbound_Misfit You make me think about it more with your example. I think your letter was a way to explain yourself, as you stated above, and my guess is after receiving the note you and your SO could talk it over, or even a simple thank you from him stating now he understood better might have happened. When the letter facilities better understanding it’s great, but for serious topics, in important relationships, I don’t think only discussing big topics in writing is sufficient. There has to be some face to face discussion to truly promote understanding and to really work through the issue.

@JLeslie, it was always a starting point. However, as in your example, it might be a finishing point. Where someone has tried to speak about something and has been shut down but needs to explain their position. So it might be a way of having a final word.

I think the point is different communication modes suit different situations, circumstances and personalities. I think some people lack the finesse to always be able to appraise which mode is appropriate. So you hear of people breaking up via text message, or bosses sacking people via email. All communication modes are useful. All communication modes aren’t appropriate for all situations.

@Earthbound_Misfit When delivering shitty news no matter what nothing is sufficient. Break-ups, firing someone, the person will never leave happy with how the person did it. I do think it should be done face to face, mostly out of respect, but it’s not to resolve an issue. It’s not so in the future the relationship will be better.

@JLeslie, I think in the 21st century, our communication choices and how we use and manage them is more important than it has ever been. The organisation that sacks people via text or email stands to lose much more than one (or a group of people’s) respect. It’s quite likely their choice will lead to public criticism via social media. The way we communicate, the mode we choose, the words we use are now open to scrutiny far beyond their immediate audience. So I think it’s much more important than ever that organisations choose appropriate methods and styles to communicate with their clients and staff.

Similarly, as individuals we tend to still move in groups. Our friends my be disconnected, but they’re often linked in some way. And with mechanisms like Facebook, the coward or incompetent communicator who chooses to dump a partner, and especially when we’re not talking a short-term situation, by text is likely to find that text broadcast on social media. It can therefore lead to reputation damage for them as much as discontent for the receiver. So I do think we all need to be more careful of our communication choices and styles. Even when we think we’re only talking to a specific receiver.

I’ve never heard of a company firing an associate via email or text. I believe you that it happens. Maybe they have safety concerns?

@Earthbound_Misfit: Well said and so true. When I do need to write a letter, I make sure that the wording is exactly as I want it, no spontaneity, no quick words. It’s difficult to misquote the written word.
Because of all this, these are pretty scary times.

@JLeslie, read this. They did face a backlash which ended up in the courts granting the workers a reprieve.

I talk on the phone….the land line in my house. I use a cell when away from home…..not a smart phone, just a little flip phone. I do not text. Ever. I like to spend time with people too.

Thanks guys for your comments!!