The irony of this post is that I wish I could chat with you about it and hear what this idea might look like in your current cultural and team set-up. Instead, I’ll type it out and you’ll read it.
Have you heard of “2D” and “3D” conversations?
A 2D conversation can be easily handled in an email or text. A 3D conversation needs a phone call, video call, or to be in-person.
I don’t know about you, but it feels like I have a zillion ways to communicate with people: email, text, WhatsApp, DMs on multiple social media platforms, Marco polo, to name a few. Some I’m better about checking than others.
The thing about 2D communication is that we can confuse convenience for effective communication. I first heard about 2D and 3D communication several years ago and every now and then I need to pull out this concept and remind myself that not all forms of communication are created equal.
Am I matching the information I’m trying to communicate with the form of communication I’m using?
Have you ever found yourself texting with someone and you are going back and forth on details and at the end of the 15 minute interaction you think, “A two minute conversation would been smarter!” That’s a simple crossing of wires between 2D and 3D communication.
Or wondered why has the world become so polarized in the last decade? One reason is because social media is not the place to have 3D conversations. It’s the place to share updates—2D information—that foster connection.
While I can’t change how social media is used, I can help you communicate with those around you.
Think back to a communication between you and a family member this week. Or You and a teammate. Or You and a colleague. Was it in text, email, or voice? How did it go? If it went well, that’s probably because it was a 2D conversation in a 2D space or a 3D conversation in a 3D. If it could have gone better, was it a 3D conversation in a 2D space?
Regardless of what culture you’re in and what culture you’re from, every culture has ways of sharing information that works well in a 2D space. “When is our meeting this week?” or “Here’s an interesting article.” And ways of sharing 3D information.
Sometimes all we need is a simple reminder that 2D and 3D communication are valid and important . . . and different.
