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We talked about wasting time the other day.  Phone calls take time.  Emails take time too, but since most of us can read much faster than we can listen (unless the other person's a speed talker), you might wonder when a phone call can be much more powerful than an email.

Well, I just got off the phone with some Know More Media business bloggers and I've got some ideas.

Phone calls are better than emails when:

1. Immediate attention is required.  Email me.  K, now call me.  See which one I answer first.  I know it depends, but in most cases a phone call gets you to talk to somebody faster than an email.

2. You want to get to know someone fast.  You can't measure the worth of hearing another human's voice and having them hear yours.  Sure, they could write it all out for you in an email, but it's not as immediate.

3. You need to know how someone really feels.  Here's where live, in-person interaction will always trump everything else of course, but voice conversation is at least more effective than text conversation for getting the nuances of inflection and the subtle pauses and interruptions and everything else that goes into what a person is really thinking and feeling.  How many times have you misinterpreted another's thoughts based on how they worded an email?

4. You need someone to know how you really feel.  See #3. 

There are many other instances, I'm sure, when making a simple phone call tends to gets far better results than sending an email.  I'm still trying to figure this one out because I don't want to waste any time and I'm sure you don't either – but it's important to know when a phone call is more or less effective than an email.

I love email.  But I'm also discovering that other bloggers love to talk on the phone, for the most part.  And that it's funner to talk on the phone.  Your thoughts?

Read more information on Cell Phones, Internet Phones and Cell Phone Brands.

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