Ways of Communicating People communicate with each other every day in many different ways. We speak face-to- face with our family members and friends. Teenagers send about 50 texts every 24 hours. The average office worker sends 40 emails a day. We communicate so often and in so many ways. So, it’s helpful to think about what particular way of communicating is the most effective in a specific situation. Text messages have advantages over other ways of communicating in some situations. When someone needs a fast response to a message, they work very well. People write texts and reply to them very quickly. Unlike emails, text messages are read almost immediately. People open only about 20% of their emails. In contrast, people read 98% of their text messages. While text messages are good for communicating quickly, emails are better in other situations. Emails can be longer than texts and can explain more. Most texting apps have a limit of 160 letters (about 20-25 words). In an email, you can write entire paragraphs. Someone can’t give detailed instructions in a text. A text is not long enough for someone to explain why they should be hired for a job. In those situations and in others, an email is much better than a text. Face-to-face communication has advantages in other situations. It is often better for persuading someone to do something. In one study, researchers asked some people to answer questions on a survey by sending them an email. They asked other people to answer the questions on the survey by speaking to them in person. When researchers asked someone to answer the questions in person, they were 34 times more likely to agree. It seems that people are more likely to agree to do something if someone asks them in person. There are many ways to communicate – by text, email, phone, Zoom, or face-to-face. Each way has advantages in particular situation