Tuesday 8 November 2011

Over Communication

Why is it that some people feel the need to overcommunicate?

What is "overcommunicate" you ask?  Well, it can take several forms.  One is the act of verifying and reverifying without reading the answer to the first verification.  Another is involving people in a communication that need not be involved (i.e. replying "yes" to all of the recipients of an email that should have been understood as a rhetorical comment/question).

These people continue to repeat this overcommunication, but nobody says anything to correct them.

Why not?  Why do you want that extra email or two in your Inbox (that you'll probably never read anyway)?  Or why do you want to feel the need to reply to the person who needs confirmation so that they can sleep at night?

Oh yes, so they aren't hounding you later for a comment and distracting you from a task that actually matters.  They already broke your concentration, so might as well get it over with now so you can go on with your everyday normal inefficient communication.  These people are a waste of time...and space.