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"I sent him an email and never heard back."
I had an intern who gave me this excuse when I asked about the lack of progress on a project. I looked at her, and with my most sincere and patient voice, I asked her, "Well, did you try calling him?"
"No, I guess I'll do that."
She rolled her eyes. "People are so stupid sometimes."
It's amazing how many students think that issuing one email is the SUM of the effort they can be expected to put forth when it comes to communication. They will send one email, then throw their hands in the air. "I've tried!"
There are lots of reasons why sending out one email is not a sufficient effort. Many people ignore emails, or check their emails infrequently. Some people read an email, then forget to act on it. Sometimes, if you hit someone with an email at a busy time, they will barely pay attention to it. Then, there are people like me who receive 250 emails a day and have a very hard time acting on each one.
Some people like email, and some don't. Some prefer other methods of communication.
I experience this phenomenon on a regular basis with our customers. I have one customer who refuses to answer a phone call, but I can text her a message and she immediately replies. I have another who simply will not reply to an email, but if I take a piece of paper and write "PLEASE CALL ME! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU FOR 2 MINUTES!" and fax it to her, I'll hear from her within 10 minutes. One of my facilitators is best reached using AOL Instant Messenger.
Now, I could piss and moan about it. But, I download AIM, and now she and I communicate regularly. It's about finding out how your people communicate, and getting the message to them. You need to have multiple approaches until you find what works. Some people respond better to a phone call or voice mail. Some seem to only reply to text messages. Others need a face-to-face communication, with an email reminder.
Some people need a message flown over their house on a banner pulled by a single engine plane. Good luck with them.
Imagine you want to have a committee meeting with short notice. You must reach out to people in multiple ways in order to get people there. Sending one email to people, then whining when you're sitting at the table alone, is not a sign of unmotivated people. It's a sign that you need to work on your communication skills. It's a sign that you need to try a little harder.
