When it comes to initiating meaningful communication you cannot ‘fire and forget’ Published Jan. 18, 2011 By Michael Doolin 72nd Director of Communications and Deputy CIO Tinker AFB, Okla. -- In today's abundantly connected world, most of us are inundated with countless ways to communicate with one another. This is also true in our Air Force environment. For example, daily information is communicated to me by being posted to endless, crowded Web pages where I must consume the nugget among a sea of other un-prioritized items of information; directly via e-mail; instant messaging; across the spectrum of social-media applications most of us are familiar with; on official Air Force and personal hand-held wireless devices; and transmitted directly through my handheld Air Force Land Mobile Radio ... I could go on, but you quickly understand it can be a bit of a challenge to manage all the ways we can, and do, choose to communicate with one another. Due to the many choices available, I would argue some thought regarding the utility of these different communications methods is worth considering. With that in mind, let me share some false assumptions regularly made regarding the use of e-mail as a communications medium: 1. Just because you sent me an e-mail doesn't mean I noticed it. 2. Just because I noticed it, doesn't mean I opened it. 3. Opening an e-mail doesn't mean I read it. 4. Reading an e-mail doesn't mean I understood it. 5. Understanding the content of an e-mail doesn't mean I intend to take an action or make a decision. 6. And finally -- just because I intend to take an action or make a decision, doesn't mean I will do so. Wow! There were six assumptions made taking you from the initial event of sending an e-mail to someone assuming that person would actually take an appropriate action in response. In this case, one would hope the action or decision you were counting on wasn't an important one. If it was, you could be very disappointed with the result of your attempt to communicate. Having said that, my point is a simple one. In today's extremely connected world, please don't assume your most important actions and decisions are being addressed with a one-way "fire and forget" mentality, whether in the form of a simple e-mail or by posting your information via the numerous social-media methods available today. My recommendation -- among the wide array of communications capabilities available, choose your method of delivery wisely. For your most important actions and decisions, engage in positive, two-way communication with the person you expected an action or decision from. It would be a terrible shame to not communicate in an environment so rich in ways to do so. Good communication is dependent upon many elements, and each of us is in that critical path to success!