On Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:20:01 +0000, Orchid XP v8 wrote:

> Warp wrote:
> 
>> In fact, rather ironically for a computer nerd like me, I often even
>> *prefer* calling by phone rather than writing an email because many
>> things are much faster to resolve by phone because the necessary
>> conversation can be performed in real-time.
> 
> I really hate making phone calls - but I have to agree with you that
> it's usually far, far more efficient for sorting out anything that
> requires some kind of complex negotiation.
> 
> (Alternatively, for something that requires conveying intricate
> information, writing tends to be better...)

One of the things I find a lot of geeks do, though, is tend to go into a 
lot of unnecessary detail.  I've long had people joke about my inability 
to write a short e-mail - and have made jokes about it myself.

I had an e-mail earlier today from a developer I work with who wrote a 
single run-on sentence about a two-line code change he was making; it 
wasn't clear to me what it was he was intending to accomplish with this 
(though I could - and did - guess, I've found it's best to be clear up 
front before coding begins with this developer), so I restated it back to 
him with "do I understand that this will [....]" and he sent me a one-
word reply:  YES.

My point is that sometimes it's more effective to say less.  I've even 
had someone ask for input (as part of a group discussion) about becoming 
an executive (long story there and the topic isn't really relevant to 
this discussion).  He'd composed a long e-mail to the CEO of the company 
in question and posted it in a private discussion area for comment.  He 
acknowledged that it was long, but he was trying to decide between 
brevity and explaining his ideas fully.  When talking with executives, 
especially in writing, brevity is important.  They're busy people (or 
they believe they are), so getting to the point quickly is critical.  If 
they want more detail, they'll ask.

That's something I find is generally true about people, executive or not.

Jim

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