Saturday, March 21, 2020

It's a Great Time to Pick Up the Phone to Talk to People

I've met a lot of people during my career. I've always made it a point to stay in touch with them as much as possible. Social media has made the task a whole lot easier.

Then again, the quantity and quality of live connections have decreased dramatically. It seems like these conversations now only happen by appointment. Granted, if you really want to speak with someone, you want to make sure they're available.  Yet I've always found a spontaneous conversation with someone I know a "small pleasure." That's equally true for whether I make or receive the call. In both instances, they offer a valuable tonic that breaks my pattern of solo work (and even isolation).

And then there's the separate but related issue of having "friends" on social media we have never met. Often, we have never even spoken with them by phone. 

Now, we're largely restricted to our homes while keeping our distance from those out in public. The joy of these substantive conversations feels even more elusive. But we still have our phones. They still work. We still know how to use them to make calls. And we have time for these conversations. That's true even with the added pressures foisted upon us by the pandemic. In fact, I'd go so far to say we need these conversations now more than ever. 

To this end, I'm committing to picking up the phone to call people I know. And, more importantly, I'll be reaching out to people I "know" only on social media but have never spoken with. I'm overdue for these conversations. It's time. I want them to happen. And I need them to happen.  

So, let's talk. By phone. Soon. It doesn't matter who calls who. You can find my phone number on Facebook and/or LinkedIn if we've connected there. That's where I'll look for yours (if I don't otherwise have it). If we're not directly connected, I encourage you to reach out. Let's simply connect. Live. Real time. 

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