when i talk online i have time to formulate my thoughts. otherwise im expected to talk fast fast fast, which means im more likely to make embarassing social blunders. it sucks.
Even with all the SA problems and so on, I still prefer face to face communication. Maybe it has something to do with being from a different generation - i didn't grow up with all this, so it doesn't seem as natural to me.
but then, I don't really enjoy talking over the phone either.
If i do anything other than face to face, I get the nagging feeling I'm missing out, that I am taking the easy way out.
For me it goes online > in person > on the phone. I'd rather talk face to face and be able to see how the other person is reacting to what I say than talk on the phone and have no visual cues to go on.
^ yep, that's a big part of it too. It just isn't the same as being able to get the whole package - body language, face, tone of voice, everything. too much room for mistakes. On the other hand, more chances of reading too much into things. but still, I prefer it.
Face to face or on the phone... it all depends on who it is. I have phone issues when it comes to calling the doctors office or hair salon to make appointments, things like that. I don't have a problem calling my mom or my boyfriend or my friends. So when it comes to making appointments or anything, I feel much more comfortable going in person, rather then calling.
Or when it comes to dating, i used to do online dating a lot, and I would have rather talked on the phone than online. If they gave me their phone number or asked for mine, I knew they were making more of an effort to get to know me. And I'm a lot more comfortable with people I've gotten to know (obviously) so if i were to just go on a blind date, I would be nervous. but if I were to go on a date with someone who i met online and had been chatting with on the phone for a week, i wouldn't be so nervous.
there are some people who just make me extra nervous for whatever reason. one person is my boyfriends best friend. Iv'e only met him once since he lives 4 hours away, but when i met him, he scared me. Because he does drugs and has them all over his house, just the way he carried himself.. he just made me really nervous. He probably will every time I see him. If for whatever reason he called me to talk and we talked on the phone to get to know each other, then i wouldn't be that nervous around him anymore. but I mean, why would my boyfriends best friend ever call me ? lol. it's just an example.
I tend to prefer to talk online (even if I rarely initiate conversations on MSN and such) over talking on the phone. In fact, I think I prefer talking in person over talking on the phone.
I mostly prefer online, but sometimes I would rather talk face to face, because I can see how the person is reacting with their body language and facial expressions.
Oh definately talking online. I have plenty of time to think about what I'm going to type and don't feel like I'm being judged as much as I would on the phone or in person. I'm able to get everything out online.
I don't like chatting online, because I think it puts way too much pressure on word choice. On the phone you have tone-of-voice to help you out a bit, and in person, you have that plus body language and facial expressions. I guess I feel more comfortable having all of those resources available to me, since I tend not to be very articulate when communicating in real-time.
when i am comfortable (which is rare), talking in person is so much more fulfilling and enjoyable. body language and cues also helps a lot. for most people/situations it is worse for my anxiety as there is a lot more pressure to formulate my thoughts faster and there are other concerns that i wouldn't get online (my appearance, my voice, etc.).
i really dislike the phone and i've never been too great at it. silences kind of scare me and its so tough not having any other signals to go by. i've always disliked my voice as well so that is often a preoccupation.
in general i'd say i prefer in person conversations. sometimes its hard to talk in depth online since there are often other distractions and it can be more difficult to get my thoughts and ideas across as i want them to (which is why i tend to overuse emoticons to make sure that the other person understands the emotion i'm trying to convey...).
i value face to face most, then phone, then online.
but of course i have problems with all of those. it really depends on the situation, i would rather talk to someone in a shop/business than call them for info, but i think i'm semi-ok with making appontments etc over phone. socially i prefer face to face, its really quite rare that i enjoy talking to people online but useful for meeting them, and i avoid the phone as much as possible.
Phone is easier, but I still stutter a bit sometimes and I apparently sound nervous on the phone, like I'm shivering. Typing online is the easiest thing ever. I could do this all day without any problem at all.
Face to face. While tallking online is probably easier, I'd rather be able to see reactions, hear tones of voice, and see body language.
The phone, well, I don't like talking on the phone and won't if I don't have to, so it's last on my list.
Although I talk to people face to face and on the phone, I always worry about the dreaded "uncomfortable silence", and then worry that if I don't come up with something to say the other person will think I'm weird, or just not want to talk anymore. Plus I suck at making eye contact when I'm talking to someone.
Mmm I enjoy having debates online. I can write somewhat formal and take my time.
In general I'd rather talk in person, though. I do crave that interaction. I don't like talking on the phone, because you can't take any breaks on the phone like you can one-on-one. So if you want to have a conversation over the phone you have to be constantly talking. There's little anxiety but also little pleasure.
Online interaction takes away some of the worries that in-person interaction involves, such as having physical symptoms of my anxiety being noticed. It's nice to be able to interact without bad eye contact and inability to speak coherently etc. being present and it's useful to have time to compose my thoughts into words and to form a proper response in a more relaxed time frame. However, I do often find it difficult to express myself without the use of body language or being able to change my tone of voice. Also, talking online can be difficult because of my avoidance - sometimes I put off doing things that need to be done, e.g. emailing to sort out a problem, although it needn't take much time and would be a much more convenient method if I could actually get around to it. So it presents a different problem for me in a way.
Talking on the phone is pretty terrifying. Not having to worry about the other person seeing me is nice, but the awkward silences are even more apparent than when physically with someone. Sometimes I can handle things quite well once I've actually plucked up the courage to pick up the phone in the first place, but most of the time it's pot luck as to whether I'll actually be in a very talkative mood if it's not simply a formal phonecall requiring only short answers. The only people I talk to ocassionally over the phone are my sister, mum, and my boyfriend. And even then I sometimes can't think of much to say because my brain just can't get into gear. It's been so long since I spoke to anyone informally on the phone except for these 3 people that I can't even remember how it felt, anxiety-wise. Again, the temptation that it presents in terms of avoidance is an issue too.
I prefer talking online, because then I have the time to think about what I want to say. Otherwise I tend to forget things, because I'm so nervous (when I have to make a phone call I take notes beforehand). And when I talk to someone in person, they can see how nervous I am.
The main reason I prefer phone vs. in person is that I don't have to worry about whether I am doing something wrong and can focus on just the words/tone. Reading body language and giving good non-verbal cues are both areas of weakness for me. Over the phone I think I do much better.
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