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Bud Grossmann’s
Words of the Week
for the Week of
May 31, 2008
Previously unpublished chart.
© 2008 by Bud Grossmann.
All Rights Reserved.


Pillow Talk, 2004
  Pillow Talk, 2004
© 2004 by Bud Grossmann

COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING

MEDIUM ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
face-to-face conversation tone, volume, hesitations, facial expressions, body language, etc., enrich the words themselves; these can be conveyed in writing but seldom as accurately, completely, or efficiently as in conversation

immediate feedback, immediate opportunity to discover and correct misunderstandings
may be burdensome or impossible to get together with the person

may be time consuming

surroundings may be distracting

may be hard to end the conversation

each participant may experience the conversation differently and later recall it differently; the differences are likely to become greater as time goes by
phone conversation almost like face-to-face, except facial expression and body language are absent about the same as face-to-face

can't evaluate what other things are competing at the moment for the other person's attention
voice mail pretty good for giving simple messages if you can confirm them later high risk of saying something unwise and having no good way to "unring the bell"
most written forms of communication writer usually can carefully choose what to say and how to say it

reader can choose the time, and take her time, to read it

reader may draw inferences from the choice of stationery, neatness of handwriting, size of the script, color of ink, scribbles in the margin, how hard the pen pressed the paper, font choices, etc.

reader (and sender, if sender keeps a copy) can look back over a message and contemplate or comment on a specific choice of words (giving the writer a chance to retract or revise those words, perhaps)
sender doesn't immediately know if other person received it

sender doesn't know what circumstances or mood the recipient will be in when she reads the message

incriminating evidence may be difficult to deny or escape
handwritten letter on paper see above see above
postcard brief likely to be superficial
greeting card brief

reader may draw inferences from cost of the card, perceived appropriateness, sender's taste, etc.
may be impersonal

may be ambiguous
e-mail quick

inexpensive
may facilitate impulsive, unclear, or unkind expression
Instant Messaging, texting feedback is prompt generally less expressive than spoken words
audio tape, video except that clarifications and corrections can't be made immediately because the sender must wait for the recipient's response, these media have most of the advantages of face-to-face or phone conversations time consuming

generally difficult to find a particular passage if you want to listen to it again
fiction, poetry deniability ambiguity
music, painting, baking, hugging, etc. often more intensely expressive than words seldom precise in conveying ideas or facts

 ♦


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Words of the Week

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This page was updated May 31, 2008, 1833 CDT

© 2008 by Bud Grossmann