Do you ever email a co-worker who is just down the hall from you? It’s one thing if you are sending over an attachment or have a quick comment to make, but what about those other times when you end up having long discussions back and forth? It can feel strange, knowing you are both choosing to type responses into a screen rather than actually talk to each other face to face.

Email seems convenient, but sometimes it’s a counterproductive communication channel. When you rely on email, discussions that might have taken fifteen minutes can get drawn out over the course of an entire day (or days). Plus, it’s hard to build good rapport over email. No matter how many emoticons and exclamation points you add in there, you just can’t communicate tone in the same way as you do in person.

When you communicate with co-workers, do you mostly rely on email or is personal interaction preferred? Where do you draw the line?

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