Why is everyone afraid of answering their cell phone?

Your cell phone rings, and you don’t recognize the number – what do you do?  Most people will not answer it awaiting to possibly listen to the voice message if one is left after the person hangs up.  I get it…maybe it’s a scammer or maybe it’s someone that’s going to try to sell you something – but what if it is something important.  As an online student – communication is your key to success.  Did you know that most of your instructors and possibly administration staff live all over the country? – yes that is right phone calls from all different area codes.

While reaching out to a student recently, he did not answer his phone but called me almost immediately back saying “I just got a missed call from this number”.  I then asked him if he had a chance to listen to my voice mail and he said no so I had to repeat the entire dialog.   This was very frustrating.

Back in the day, the telephone was our only means of communicating.  Soon after came along emails and eventually texting.  What is the purpose of communicating with others?  – we reach out to collect some type of information whether you are going to use it to plan an event, solve a problem, express an emotion, or something else. We usually want an immediate response as well.  So, the question is which communication mode for online learning is most effective?

We can exchange messages in a written format via emails and texts, with texts being immediate.  However, since these communications are written, they lack a personal tone and messages can easily be misconstrued.  When you talk to someone in real-time you can hear their tone, feel their expression, and obtain information quickly.  So, again I ask, why is everyone afraid of answering their cell phone?  If you ask me, this is the best communication mode for online learners and everyone for that matter.

Are you an online learner?  Are you interested in learning more about effectively communicating in the online learning environment?  If so, please send me an email to drdee@elearningwithdrdee.com to schedule a free coaching session, https://elearningwithdrdee.com.