6. Problems with communications

Forever available

Whilst we now have more methods of communicating with one another at work or at home than ever before, this flexibility can in itself cause problems.

We hear about people who are expected to answer their mobiles during the evenings, weekends and even whilst on holiday. Business people often spend their leisure time catching up with emails and answering queries.

The overwhelming need to constantly be available and 'in touch' can lead to stress and feelings of not being able to cope.

Sent in haste

Other problems with the use of instant communication methods such as emails means that we don't have time to change our minds. An email takes seconds to write and even less time to send. What might have seemed like a good thing to say in the heat of the moment might be regretted later once someone has had time to cool down.

Loss of personal interaction

Although it is often much easier not to have to communicate face to face or take the time to phone someone we are losing a lot of the pleasure of simply talking to someone by relying so much on less personal forms of electronic communication.

Risk of miscommunication

There is also a greater risk of being misunderstood. It is well known that the biggest part of how we communicate a message is through body language. When we lose the ability to see someone face to face and 'read between the lines' we can misinterpret the true meaning of a message.